Classic Friday : Midnight Run (1988) 8/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano
Director : Martin Brest
Running Time : 122 mins

Bounty hunter Jack Walsh (De Niro) has his work cut out for him when he is hired to capture bail jumper and former Mafia accountant Jonathan Mardukas (Grodin) and bring him back to LA from New York. When he finds Mardukas, Walsh realises that this assignment may not be as easy as it first seemed when he discovers that the mob are trying to kill Mardukas.

Martin Brest does it again when he manages to direct a movie that is the perfect mix of drama and light heartedness. I don’t think De Niro had done any real comedy before this (other than The King Of Comedy), so it is quite surprising in retrospect to see him teamed up with Charles Grodin, but this movie, even today, is still refreshingly inventive and somewhat timeless in it’s natural charm.

You’ll like this if you liked : Beverly Hills Cop