The Big Picture

• Midnight Run subverts action buddy-comedy norms by focusing on emotional growth, not just shoot-outs.
• Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin's characters bond over feelings, not just action scenes, in a refreshing twist.
• Unexpected heart and genuine investment in characters make Midnight Run stand out in the genre.

Few genres proved as durable throughout the '80s and '90s as the action buddy comedy, in which a mismatched duo trade barbs while dodging bullets, growing to like each other along the way. In the case of 1988's Midnight Run, the odd couple is Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, who, as the genre dictates, start off hating each other but are forced to arrive at a mutual understanding by the end. Director Martin Brest gives audiences all the car chases, shoot-outs, and one-liners they'd expect from a movie like this, but what's most surprising about Midnight Run is how much attention is paid to the emotional growth of its two main characters, especially De Niro's.

De Niro plays Jack Walsh, a bounty hunter hired by bail bondsman Eddie Moscone (Joe Pantoliano) to track down former mob accountant Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas (Grodin). Mardukas has embezzled a hefty sum from Chicago mob boss Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina) and skipped bail, and Moscone needs him back in five days time. What should be a simple enough job (aka a "midnight run") turns complicated when Walsh and Mardukas have to evade Serrano's henchmen, Tony (Richard Foronjy) and Joey (Robert Miranda); FBI agent Alonzo Mosely (Yaphet Kotto), who wants Mardukas to testify in their case against Serrano; and rival bounty hunter Marvin Dorfler (John Ashton), who Moscone hires when Walsh takes longer than expected. As they travel from New York to Los Angeles via plane, train, and automobile, Midnight Run turns into a story of one man helping the other let go of his past so that he can learn to care again.

'Midnight Run' Subverts the Buddy Action Genre

Anyone who has seen 48 Hrs., Lethal Weapon, or Rush Hour will recognize the conceit of Midnight Run. In fact, its structure has its roots in the classic Bob Hope/Bing Crosby road pictures, in which the straight man and the comedic relief bounce off each other while fumbling towards their destination. De Niro is Crosby, Grodin is Hope, and the script by George Gallo makes good use of their respective screen personas to create easily recognizable characters. Walsh is gruff, no-nonsense, and cavalier about life, while Mardukas is nervous, talkative, and sensitive at heart. One can expect that by the end this combination of oil and water will finally mix, but what's unexpected is the way the film goes about getting there.

From the moment he's captured, Mardukas tries to convince Walsh to let him go. After all, he only embezzled that money in order to take Serrano down, and if he goes to prison, he'll surely be killed before he's able to testify against him in court ... or so he claims. Walsh has good reason not to trust anything Mardukas says -- in fact, he's got good reason not to trust anyone. He treats everyone he meets with contempt and disrespect, teasing Mosely when he asks for cooperation with his investigation, haggling Moscone for more money to bring The Duke in, and making Dorfler's life a living hell whenever he tries to interfere. Walsh is able to keep everyone at a distance with his rock-hard shell, never letting anyone in on how he really feels.

He meets his match with Mardukas, who needles him about everything from his deep-fried diet to his incessant chain-smoking, (The Duke informs Walsh of the dangers of heart disease as he munches on fried chicken and puffs away on a cigarette,) But what he really can't get over is why Walsh hangs onto a watch that constantly stops ticking instead of getting a new one. That's when these conversations, which start off as comedic banter, begin to turn serious.

Bit by bit, Walsh lets his guard down around Mardukas, who time and again proves he isn't your average criminal. He reveals that before becoming a bounty hunter, he was an undercover cop with the Chicago police department. While trying to take down a local drug kingpin, some crooked cops planted heroin on him, and he was forced to resign to avoid prison time. Turns out the kingpin was no other than Serrano, the very same gangster who's after Mardukas. To add insult to injury, Walsh's wife divorced him and married one of the police lieutenants who planted the evidence on him. The broken watch, he reveals, was a gift from her, and he just can't seem to get rid of it.

Walsh and The Duke Forge a Bond Based on Actual Trust

On the run and desperate for cash, Walsh and Mardukas end up in Chicago, which leads to a scene that isn't often found in high-octane action comedies. The two go to Walsh's former house to see his ex-wife, Gail (Wendy Phillips), who isn't too pleased to find her estranged husband on her doorstep begging for a handout. Mardukas silently watches as Walsh meets Gail's son from her second marriage ("I'm your mother's ex-husband," he tells the kid) and sees his daughter, Denise (Danielle DuClos), for the first time in a decade. Gail gives Walsh her car instead of money, and on the way out, Denise tries to give him all the cash she's saved up from babysitting, which he refuses. It's a quiet, devastating moment in the middle of what has up until now been a fairly breezy entertainment, showing the extent to which Walsh has become estranged from the family he once loved.

Given expectations of the genre, audiences would expect Walsh to win back his wife somehow, perhaps with The Duke's help. Maybe taking down Serrano will lead to the entire Chicago police force cleaning house of its corrupt cops, including the one who's married to Walsh's ex-wife. What happens instead is something totally unexpected: a scene that shows genuine investment in the emotional growth of the two main characters. While riding in a boxcar headed to California (having lost the car through various misadventures), Walsh reveals that he still clings to the hope that his ex-wife will come back to him, even though he knows she never will. Mardukas smiles and tells him that sometimes, you need to get a new watch. It's the first time we've seen Walsh drop his tough guy veneer and actually be honest with someone. He's finally started to care again. So when Dorfler snags The Duke and delivers him to Serrano for a big payday, Walsh rises to the occasion, teaming up with Agent Mosely to save his buddy's life.

What Walsh and Mardukas learn throughout their journey is that, despite their differences, they each share a strong moral code that guides them. It's why, in the end, Walsh, having successfully gotten Mardukas to LA, lets him go: for Walsh, the midnight run is no longer about collecting the reward, but about staying true to his word that he would deliver him on time. For his part, Mardukas keeps to his word and gives Walsh $300,000 in mob money he's had stashed the entire time: like he said, he didn't embezzle it for personal enrichment (although he's probably got a little more saved for a rainy day).

'Midnight Run' Gets Touchy-Feely in the Best of Ways

The real climax, however, comes when Walsh finally takes off his watch, proving that he's ready to move on and let go of the pain that's been nagging at him. It's a credit to Brest and Gallo that this moment feels organic to the rest of the film, instead of tacked on for easy emotional manipulation. In many ways, Midnight Run represents the very best of what Brest tried to achieve in the few films he directed, successfully blending the quirky action farce of Beverly Hills Cop and Going in Style with the more Oscar-baity seriousness of Scent of a Woman and Meet Joe Black.

Unlike other notable titles in the action buddy comedy genre, Midnight Run isn't the story of two men who bond over shooting bad guys. Instead, Walsh and Mardukas grow to like each other by opening up about their feelings. By the time the film ends, there's the sense that a real friendship was born, not just one that was cooked up for the convenience of the plot. That's more surprising than any car chase, shoot-out, or explosion, and more thrilling to watch.

Midnight Run is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.

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