I follow some movie accounts on social media. Last week, one of the accounts brought up what a great film 1988’s “Midnight Run” was.
The film stars Charles Grodin, who passed away in 2021. Grodin, who grew up in Pittsburgh, was nicknamed “The Pittsburgh Kid.” According to several interviews with Grodin, he said his family lived in the Highland Park area of Pittsburgh, close to the Pittsburgh Zoo. Grodin said he could often “hear the hyenas laughing.” He would tell jokes by himself while looking into the mirror. He would try to time the joke to coincide with the laughing hyenas to get his comic timing down.
The 1980s were filled with buddy cop films. It began with Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in “48 HRS” and continued with the “Lethal Weapon” franchise, which made megastars out of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. During my high school years, me and my buddies spent many Friday nights watching such movies at Showcase Cinemas North in Pittsburgh’s North Hills.
“Midnight Run” is a little different from the other buddy cop movies. It’s hardly a good cop, bad cop story. Robert DeNiro plays bounty hunter Jack Walsh. A comedy-drama is hardly DeNiro’s cup of tea, but he was coming off “The Untouchables” and wanted to do something light. Walsh is recruited by bail bondsman Eddie Moscone (Joe Pantoliano) to bring accountant Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas (Grodin) back to Los Angeles.
“The Duke” is on the run after embezzling $15 million from Chicago mob boss Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina) before skipping on the $450,000 bail Moscone posted for him. Walsh must bring Mardukas back within five days or Moscone defaults. Moscone tells Walsh that the job is easy, a “midnight run,” if you will. Still, Walsh demands $100,000 to complete the job.
According to film lore, the studio wanted a big name to work alongside DeNiro. Execs thought a woman — maybe Cher — would be better suited for the plot. Give credit to director Martin Brest, who was coming off the unbelievable success of Murphy’s “Beverly Hills Cop.” He loved the chemistry between DeNiro and Grodin during screen tests. Brest fought to give the role to Grodin, and the rest is history. Their on-screen chemistry is undeniable.
Walsh easily apprehends “The Duke,” but getting him from New York City to Los Angeles isn’t as easy as it sounds. “The Duke” says he has a fear of flying and the two are ushered off the plane.
That begins a wild series of events in which the two have to travel across the country while being chased by the FBI and Serrano. The FBI wants to take “The Duke” alive, while Serrano wants him dead.
My son came in toward the conclusion of “Midnight Run” and asked me what it was all about. I summarized it by saying that it was like a more violent and vulgar “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”
As much as Walsh and “The Duke” hate each other, a bond forms between the two. There is a great scene where they pose as FBI agents to “confiscate” counterfeit bills from a local bar. Make sure you pay attention for the “litmus configuration” scene. It’s a classic.
DeNiro gets a chance to flex his comedic chops in “Midnight Run” while Grodin does what he does best — deadpanning great lines and making off-the-wall facial expressions.
“Midnight Run” is an underrated, fun ride. Grodin’s work with the hyenas really paid off.
“Midnight Run” is rated R for adult language and violence. It is available on HBO Max, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube and Xfinity OnDemand.
Chris Morelli is the managing editor of The Centre County Gazette.
