Cheap Midnight Run (DVD) (Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin) (Martin Brest) Price

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Customer Reviews of Midnight Run

the best buddy action movie ever!
Remember the days when Robert De Niro doing a comedy was considered an anamoly? It's scary to think that there is a whole generation of filmgoers who are going to only known this great actor from generic comedies like Showtime and Analyze This. I guess it's all George Gallo's fault. He wrote the awesome screenplay for Midnight Run, which I'm sure is what attracted De Niro to the film in the first place.

This is one of those super rare comedies that remains funny even after you've watched it a zillion times. The running gags (De Niro impersonating Yaphet Kotto's FBI agent) are never overused and even the minor characters (the two lunkhead gangster thugs who pursue De Niro and Grodin cross-country) are fully-realized and have their own scenes to shine.

Of course, the number one reason why this film works so well and holds up to repeated viewings is the chemistry between De Niro and Grodin. At first, De Niro's hardened, jaded bounty hunter can't stand Grodin's anal-retentive, annoying accountant. However, as the two travel across country and escape from death several times, they begin to bond and almost become friends. The many scenes that De Niro and Grodin share are so good because they are given time to flesh out their respective characters and develop their relationship so that you actually care what happens to them. Yes, there are the requisite car chases and shoot-outs but not as many you see nowadays where it's all wall-to-wall action sequences with little to zero attention paid to character or decent dialogue.

This was also Martin Brest's last great film. Since Midnight Run he's been absorbed by Hollywood and been the victim of several compromised films (Meet Joe Black, Scene of a Woman, Gigli) where his original vision was butchered by a studio that thought they knew better. Oh well...

This DVD is good but could've had more extras added instead of the slim selection we get. Still, it's great to get a letterboxed copy of this film that had been long out of print on DVD. Do yourself and a favour and check this movie out. De Niro's never been funnier and Grodin's never been better. A comedic masterpiece.

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The Odd Couple
Midnight Run is solid action comedy that has a fine cast, a clever and witty script, and confident director calling the shots. The film also was the first time that I remember tough guy Robert De Niro making me laugh.

Bounty Hunter Jack Walsh (De Niro) is hired by the mob to bring in one of their accountants, Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin), for stealing some of their cash. The cross country trip seems like easy money for Walsh, after all, how much trouble could an accountant be? Walsh soon discovers that he'd much rather have a bullet wound than put up with Jonathan, a germ-a-phobic neat freak, who's also affraid to fly. Soon the two men discover that the mob and the Feds are getting restless. FBI Agent Alonzo Mosely (Yaphet Kotto) and his team are traking them, as are the mafia's Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina) and Eddie (Joe Pantoliano).

The team of De Niro and Grodin is just great, and harkens back to the chemistry between Lemmon and Mathau, in all of their work together. Grodin is the perfect foil for De Niro and vice versa. Extra Kudos to De Niro, as he underplays it all, until just the right moment. After which, you are sure he is really going to kill Grodin for real. The script by George Gallo is filled with enough laughs, action and close calls for two films. Directed by Martin Breast, Midnight Run is a fine follow up to Beverly Hills Cop, in the action comedy genre.

As good as the film is, the DVD extras, left me disappointed. Aside from, a brief making of feturette and the theatrical trailer, there's not much else. Special edition anyone?. Still, if you want something to watch that will make you chuckle, then Midnight Run should fit the bill

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FAST-PACED, WHACKY, A DAZZLING TALE OF FRIENDSHIP AND MORALS
One of the funniest films ever made that still manages to hold up an engaging plot. A total winner.

It features some of the most genuinely stupid and amusing tough guys in the history of cinema, and a tantalizing slow burn by Deniro, a shortchanged ex-cop, who just wants a peaceful little coffee shop as payment for his decency and integrity. The comic chemistry between Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin is top-drawer. Surrounded on all side by ethical infants, these two characters at least know the difference between virtue and vice, and are ironically the moral backbone of the film.

Comedies that don't wallow in their humor are twice as much fun, and Midnight Run maintains a swift pace throughout. Situation-wise, it's a dynamo of action. I found the denouement to be quite moving as well, at the very least it provokes thought.

If you're looking for a comedy with depth, bite, wit and excitement, then catch Midnight Run. The DVD's spiffy special features quite simply reinforce my recommendation of purchasing this one, not just renting.