Midnight Run

Name: Midnight Run
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller, Comedy, Crime
Released: July 20, 1988
Duration: 126 min
Rating: 78
Cast: Charles Grodin, Robert De Niro

1988

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 142 Ratings

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8.7

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8.7	User Score Universal acclaim based on 142 Ratings

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Midnight Run

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: July 20, 1988 | R

Starring: Charles Grodin, Robert De Niro

Summary: Bounty hunter Jack Walsh (De Niro) is offered $100,000 from a bail bondsman to capture fugitive accountant Jonathan "the Duke" Mardukas (Grodin) and bring him to Los Angeles in time for his trial date. Walsh must avoid a rival bounty hunter, the FBI, and the mob to earn his payday.

Director: Martin Brest

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Thriller, Comedy, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 126 min

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Awards & Rankings

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Staff (Not Credited)

One of the most entertaining, best executed, original road pictures ever. Read full review

Richard Schickel

A performance like De Niro's, in a well-made entertainment like Midnight Run, is cheap at any price. And capable of restoring the audience's faith in the form. [25 July 1988]

Dave Kehr

Graciously filmed by Martin Brest and imaginatively performed by Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, the tired concept yields a steady stream of little discoveries and surprising insights that add up to some uncommonly rich comedy. [20 July 1988]

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Miraculously, De Niro and Grodin turn this sow's ear into a plausible vehicle for a buddy movie, and thanks to both of them, this movie springs to life. Read full review

Brad Laidman

The funniest buddy movie ever and a generally daffy one at that. It features some of the most genuinely stupid and amusing tough guys in the history of cinema, and a tantalizing slow burn by Deniro. Read full review

Staff (Non Credited)

Director Martin Brest has allowed the actors to improvise, and their resulting interaction is more realistic, funny, and surprising than that of any buddy film released in the last several years. Read full review

Stanley Kauffmann

Midnight Run is two films. One is a succession of bright, razor-edge, nutty dialogues between two men. The other is the plot that keeps them together, which is stale and full of boring violent-comic action. [29 Aug 1988]

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User Reviews

TylerDurden900

Jul 18, 2014

Midnight Run is a classic comedy from the director of Scent Of A Woman. Every actor is gold in this movie
and the action scenes are great before CGI was invented.

9 of 9 users found this helpful90

NeilF

Oct 19, 2009

I will never tire of this. Grodin is sublime and De Niro proves he CAN do comedy.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

MovieGuys

Feb 28, 2014

Midnight is one of the most fun, entertaining, hilarious road comedies I've seen in a while, if not ever. The chemistry between de Niro and Grodin is natural and not forced, and the dialogue is fresh and exciting, not to mention witty. The movie glides with ease from scene to scene, plotMidnight is one of the most fun, entertaining, hilarious road comedies I've seen in a while, if not ever. The chemistry between de Niro and Grodin is natural and not forced, and the dialogue is fresh and exciting, not to mention witty. The movie glides with ease from scene to scene, plot point to plot point, and you want it to keep going even after the movie ends. One of De Niro's best performances.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

CharlesC.

Oct 10, 2008

A classic buddy comedy thriller. By far my favorite roles by both Grodin and de Niro!

0 of 0 users found this helpful

YorkMan

Jul 1, 2016

In 1988 the idea of multi Academy Award winning actor Robert De Niro starring in an R-rated comedy must have seemed like a step too far outside even his comfort zone. But, ol' Bobby pulls it off and not only creates one of his most memorable characters, he also is incredibly funny!

DeIn 1988 the idea of multi Academy Award winning actor Robert De Niro starring in an R-rated comedy must have seemed like a step too far outside even his comfort zone. But, ol' Bobby pulls it off and not only creates one of his most memorable characters, he also is incredibly funny!

De Niro plays Jack Walsh, an ex-New York undercover narcotics officer who now works as a Bounty Hunter. His boss, Eddie Moscone (Joe Pantoliano) offers him $100,000 to bring in Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas (Charles Grodin) an accountant for the Mob who embezzled several million and was picked up on a minor charge and subsequently bailed.
Walsh agrees and quickly tracks The Duke down to L.A. Walsh hopes he can just board a plane with him and head back, but The Duke has other ideas!
Things are (hilariously) complicated by the fact that both the Mob and the FBI also want The Duke, plus Moscone sending out another (rather inept) bounty hunter to get The Duke when Walsh's initial plans fail.

What follows is essentially a comedic road trip with car chases, gunfights, helicopters etc, all interspersed with masses of profanity and real belly laughs. Every character (and thus actor) works hard for those laughs, and whilst not every joke 'hits', the hit/miss ratio is still incredibly high.

As the cross-country escapade keeps on escalating, Walsh and The Duke develop a deep understanding and friendship, and leads to a schmaltzy ending that is definitely earnt.

The film is only let down by some unnecessary over-sentimentality, but it's more of a niggle than a real 'this is an aspect of the film I can't deal with'.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Aproxx

Aug 5, 2018

The start is a little shaky to my taste. They presented the characters but couldn't do it in a fun way. But after the set up, the comedy takes over and its as funny an action comedy can be with just superb acting all around.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

mohamad91hk

May 17, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Predictable movie as same as other bounty hunters movies, where the bounty hunter become a friend with the victim, and what makes difference in these type of movies is the content, including action scenes, funny moments and the performance, unfortunately none of them was perfect, the action scenes were normal, the funny moments not much only 1 or 2 moments, and the performance was normal.

I am not saying it's a bad film, but it's just a normal movie that you will forget it after few days.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 21 REVIEWS

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