Robert De Niro : John Wesley "Jack" Walsh
Charles Grodin  : Jonathan Mardukas
Yaphet Kotto : Alonzo Mosely
John Ashton : Marvin Dorfler
Dennis Farina  : Jimmy Serrano
Joe Pantoliano  : Eddie Moscone
Richard Foronjy  : Tony Darvo
Robert Miranda  : Joey
Jack Kehoe  : Jerry Geisler
Wendy Phillips  : Gail
Philip Baker Hall  : Sidney

 

DeNiro is (Jack Walsh) a self-righteous ex-cop so unpopular with the Chicago police department, now wanting to make one final 'midnight run' that'll pay big so he can buy a nice coffee shop…He is hired by an hysterical bondsman to find and bring back a former Mob accountant called Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas (Grodin) who has stolen $15 million from the Los Angeles mob, given the money to the 'unfortunates of the earth.' DeNiro quickly captures the 'white-collar criminal' in New York, and is given five days to bring him to Los Angleles, to collect his $100,000 fee...Unfortunately for DeNiro, the fugitive accountant is too neurotic to fly the distance...

The embezzler's ex-boss wants him badly for knowing all his financial transactions, and agent Yaphet Kotto warns Walsh not to interfere with the FBI's plans to bring the 'Duke' into federal court.And if this isn't enough, there is some third-rate bounty hunter (John Ashton) who is intrigued about DeNiro's special deal.In an extended cross-country chase, the two men's personalities and relationship develop.DeNiro shows how to catch talents of improvisation... His cheeky schoolboy look certainly supplies some of the film's lighter moments... He delivers some of the best punchlines, when he replies: 'Well if you don't cooperate, you're gonna suffer from fistophobia.'

Charles Grodin is perfect as the prisoner who gets some of Serrano's records on computer disks, figuring if things got too rough, he could always trade them for his life… He continually gets on DeNiro's nerves, and with his soft and ironic tone of voice he advises Walsh that a restaurant is 'a very tricky investment.' He easily dips into Jack Walsh's life ('Don't you want to be loved?'), wandering about his broken marriage ('Did she hurt you, Jack?'), his habits ('Cigarettes are killers. Put the cigarette out.') and whatever he can think of... The best parts of the film are, in fact, the interactions between the two stars… The story holds up perfectly and entertains the viewer in every way… Martin Brest does bring out the realistic, funny and moving sides of his likable characters… Suspense is maintained to the very end…

Autour du film
-A midnight run  signifie en argot  une mission facile
-En France, le film a été amputé de 30 minutes.

Les scènes de poursuite ont été supprimées de la version originale(ben y manquait plus kça!)
-Martin Brest et John Ashton collaborent de nouveau ensemble 4 ans après Le Flic de Beverly Hills.
-Le film a été tourné en partie dans les environs de Sedona.
-C'est Danny Elfman, qui en à composé la bande originale.

No such need when it comes to this movie - the plot, the relations between characters, their motives, everything works like a flawless machinery. It is as credible as life itself.The movie is brimming with memorable scenes. I have seen it twice - first when it appeared more than 15 years ago, and then again yesterday. I was delighted to find that the movie had lost nothing of its freshness and endured all time traps. I highly recommend it. 9/10 ! 

* 

Eddie offers Jack a job to catch and bring back the infamous Jonathan "the Duke" Markukas (Charles Grodin). Jonathan is a accountant who stole millions of Jimmy Serrano's (Dennis Farina) money, and gave it all to charity. Jonathan jumped bail and is in hiding. Jack needs to find John, bring him to the L.A. county jail within four days, and Jack will collect 100 thousand dollars. Jack does find John, in New York City, the first day. But Jack has many people following him. First there's the FBI, led by Alonzo Mosely (Yaphet Kotto) who wants John to testify against Jimmy Serrano. Second there's Tony Darvo (Richard Foronjy) and Robert Miranda (Joey), two dim-wits working for Serrano, who want John dead.

Then there is Marvin Dofler (John Ashton), another bounty hunter who wants John also, but for a smaller price.From there on, it's a cross country trip which involve all of the men looking for Jack and John. A film which has some very exciting moments with action. Other moments where the scenes are intense where Jack and John's lives are in danger. And scenes where the two men share each other's thoughts and feelings, which surprisingly makes the movie touching. The acting by De Niro is at his best. He does his usual tough guy attitude, but he also mixes it with some humor, and emotions.

* 

Charles Grodin is also great as the sensitive accountant who is the exact opposite of Jack's personality. And Dennis Farina is funny and scary as the outraged mob boss who has a vicious attitude. The music by Danny Elfman, I find to be his career best. It's not like his famous BATMAN, BETTLEJUICE, or SLEEPY HOLLOW style of score. It's more like a mixture classic Chicago rhythm and blues, which even Elfman himself considered to be his most unusual score. The writing by George Gallo is also excellent. He manages to fit a cross country story within two hours of time, while still bringing out personalities of the characters and making sure there are no holes in the plot.
* 

He also manages to have some very funny scenes involving Jack and John. And the direction by Martin Brest is outstanding. He keeps the movie at a very fast pace, without any slowing down. He does brilliant moves like having De Niro and Grodin improvising their lines while arguing. Brest also does a great job by making the film enjoyable for it's 125 minutes. This is a movie that touched me, it can be considered a "man's" movie on the surface. But take apart this film, and it's also a film that women can enjoy also. The most emotional scenes involve Jack seeing his ex-wife and daughter after not seeing them for ten years.

It shows that everybody makes a mistake in life, and that we can all try to forgive people that emotionally hurt us. People say that one can identify a person's personality by the movies and music that they like. To find out what I am like,pop in this movie into your DVD player or VCR,and you'll see.Saying this movie is better than  CITIZEN KANE, STAR WARS, GODFATHER, and GONE WITH THE WIND is a pretty bold statement. But, the character of Jack Walsh shows my personality. This is the way I am, therefore it's my favorite movie of all time. And I'm not the only one, Robert De Niro said on a interview on Oprah Winfrey, that this is his most enjoyable film that he's done. ***** (out of five; THE BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME)

Une superbe scène d'arnaque

 

Way too much objectionable language is the only fault of this otherwise extremely-entertaining film that is justifiably popular.Humor is what makes this "crime film" stand out as tough guys Robert De Niro, Joe Pantoliano, John Ashton, Dennis Farina and others provide a lot of laughs as not-so-tough guy Charles Grodin is escorted from New York to Los Angeles to face retribution from a mob boss.

 

The dialog between Grodin and his bounty hunter captive De Niro, is terrific all the way through. The soundtrack, featuring the guitar of Ry Cooder, also is outstanding and adds to the fun of this film.The capper to this likable story is the satisfying ending, which almost everyone seems to like.

To hell with the pretentiousness of a Shyamalan or the increasingly misplaced self-adulation of the Coens, 'Midnight Run' has no other purpose in life other than to use the movie as a medium of entertainment. . . and it does. Oh boy; it does.Badly underrated on release and still unfairly under valued even now, 'Midnight Run' is actually class-act film making, the narrative impeccably engineered and the acting uniformly excellent throughout.Faults? Definitely, not the least of 'em being the gratuitous use of profanity: the movie's tone is such that it just doesn't need the endless ear-grating use four letter words -- 'Midnight Run' isn't about reality or anything remotely approaching it, so the insistence on so much gutterspeak is a major error.

Set pieces though are gloriously handled, and the helicopter sequence is quite as good as anything in a Bond movie-a genre that has managed quite well without spraying profanities everywhere because it knows, and we know, none of it's real.9/10 then for 'Midnight Run', because as an exercise in how to develop a movie, to establish characters and plot trajectories, to bring 'em all together in a final wrap up and still leave space for a minor plot twist, it's of textbook quality.

 I happened to see this as a late-night TV re-run, the day after watching the Coen's 'The Man Who Wasn't There'. 'Midnight Run' is everything that the Coen's work is not: it isn't self reverential, it isn't seeking to be a cult, and above all, it knows how to tell a story with speed and with style. RECOMMENDED.

 États-Unis : 38 413 606 $
 France : 564 995 entrées
 Mondial : 81 613 606 $

Pleasantly surprised by this one. I had heard people refer to this one, but hadn't seen it for myself until recently. One of the better buddy-action movies I've seen, due to a very tight script. Superior writing by George Gallo. The story is what drives this movie from beginning to end, and doesn't need to depend solely on the cast to keep the audience interested for the full 2 hours. DeNiro and Grodin are excellent together, with a great supporting cast. I would keep this movie in my personal collection. I would also consider it a fine example for other buddy action movies to follow, even today. Highly recommended for great comedic writing, directing and acting.