--- title: "Midnight Run" year: 1988 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/midnight-run" fi1m_id: "midnight-run" imdb_id: "tt0095631" tmdb_id: 9013 wikidata_id: "Q847802" fi1m_score: 88 critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 11 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:01.622745+00:00" region: "PL" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Midnight Run (1988) Directed by Martin Brest · 2h 06m · Comedy, Crime, Thriller ## Identity Midnight Run - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/midnight-run - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** midnight-run - **IMDb ID:** tt0095631 - **TMDB ID:** 9013 - **Wikidata ID:** Q847802 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095631/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9013, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q847802 **Fi1m score: 88** · Critics 85 from 11 reviews *In a sentence:* Handcuffs are no help when the prisoner is Charles Grodin and the problem is getting a moment’s peace > Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin make this an unusually funny, warm chase comedy. Martin Brest gives their quarrelling room to develop, though the pursuit occasionally interrupts conversations we would much rather hear to the end. ## Synopsis Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) is a bounty hunter travelling across the country with Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin), an embezzler known as the Duke. Walsh has custody of Mardukas, but keeping hold of him is only part of the problem. FBI agent Alonzo Mosely (Yaphet Kotto), mobster Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina) and rival hunter Marvin Dorfler (John Ashton) all take an interest in the pair. Bail bondsman Eddie Moscone (Joe Pantoliano) has his own concerns. Their journey becomes a series of escapes and arguments, as Walsh tries to do his job with a captive who will not make it easy. ## Review *Midnight Run* trusts a familiar arrangement: put two men who cannot agree in close quarters, then give them people to run from. Martin Brest makes a warmly funny chase comedy out of it, with Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin worth following through almost any interruption. Almost is the qualification. It runs to 126 minutes, and some of the pursuit is less interesting than the conversations it interrupts. George Gallo’s screenplay gives De Niro’s bounty hunter, Jack Walsh, an embezzler called Jonathan Mardukas to look after. Walsh wants to get on with the job, while Grodin’s Mardukas keeps making their time together personal. Gallo understands that an argument becomes funnier when neither participant will grant the other a satisfactory response. The writing gives the actors enough to disagree about without making either man incapable of listening, which matters once we have spent this much time with them. De Niro makes irritation wonderfully precise: Walsh seems to resent having to pay attention to this man as much as having to transport him. Grodin’s deadpan denies him the relief of a proper opponent, someone who will shout back and settle the terms of the quarrel. We laughed at Grodin’s calm replies to De Niro’s mounting irritation. There is something particularly aggravating about a man who will not acknowledge how aggravating he is, and Grodin judges the degree of persistence exactly. Brest gives them time for the pauses as well as the replies. Donald E. Thorin’s cinematography is most effective when it lets us read De Niro’s irritation alongside Grodin’s composure. With these actors, simply being able to watch a response develop is worth more than another burst of activity. Angelo P. Graham’s production design gives the surrounding crime-comedy business an everyday plausibility, keeping the encounters from feeling like separate comic turns. It is unobtrusive work, and suits a film whose main attraction is the people getting on each other’s nerves. The supporting cast make the interruptions more welcome than they might be. Yaphet Kotto’s FBI agent Alonzo Mosely supplies authority, while John Ashton’s rival hunter Marvin Dorfler adds another competing nuisance. Dennis Farina’s mobster Jimmy Serrano gives the danger some bite without becoming too solemn for the comedy around him. Brest lets these men be funny without making them seem aware of the joke. Joe Pantoliano fits comfortably among the competing demands as Eddie Moscone, the bail bondsman. The excess lies in how often the chase has to reassert itself. Editors Chris Lebenzon, Billy Weber and Michael Tronick keep the action intelligible, but some switches back to pursuit feel dutiful when the bickering is going this well. Danny Elfman’s score adds momentum, though the film already has plenty whenever the leads are allowed to talk. Car chases and shoot-outs belong here; they simply do not all earn as much time as Brest gives them. For a crime comedy built on friction, it is unusually generous towards its central pair. Brest allows warmth to emerge through their attention to each other, without requiring either actor to become suddenly agreeable. The familiar buddy-film business works because the performances make listening seem like a substantial concession. Even the stretches of action we could do without cannot make their company unwelcome. Watch it with someone who doesn’t mind being interrupted. *Fi1m score 88, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are unanimous in their approval, and they land in the same place: this is a familiar chase comedy made to look fresh by the two men at the centre of it. Critics praise De Niro’s exasperated bounty hunter and Grodin’s fussy, unflappable accountant as an odd couple whose bickering carries the film, and several credit Martin Brest for keeping the shoot-outs and the jokes in balance. The script and the supporting cast get approving mentions too. The spread is narrow, and nobody dislikes it. Where reservations appear, they concern the action rather than the comedy: Time Out finds Brest falling back on car chases, and Vulture thinks some scenes and set pieces are overstuffed, with the leads’ rapport doing the work of keeping the viewer engaged. The AV Club goes furthest the other way, ranking it above all of De Niro’s other comic work, while Roger Ebert is alone in singling out the emotional weight of the finale. ## Straight answers **Is Midnight Run worth watching?** *Midnight Run* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys two actors arguing well, and we scored it 88. Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin make a warmly funny chase comedy out of a bounty hunter and his uncooperative prisoner. The car chases and shoot-outs sometimes interrupt conversations we would rather hear to the end, but the company never wears thin. **How long is Midnight Run, and what is it rated?** *Midnight Run* runs 2h 06m. It is a comedy and crime film. **Where can I watch Midnight Run in Poland?** *Midnight Run* is not on any streaming or rental service in Poland at the moment. It is available in 4 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Midnight Run, and is it suitable for children?** *Midnight Run* is a 15 in the UK and an R in the US, so it is not for children. It is a crime comedy with car chases, shoot-outs and a mobster who gives the danger some bite, though the film keeps him from becoming too solemn for the comedy. Teenagers of fifteen and over should find it funny rather than frightening. **How does Midnight Run compare to The Defiant Ones?** *Midnight Run* is the funnier and warmer of the two, while [*The Defiant Ones*](https://film.one/film/the-defiant-ones) is the tougher journey. Stanley Kramer chains a white convict to a black one and runs them through the swamps, and the running is fierce; Martin Brest lets his two men quarrel and slowly listen to each other. Choose Kramer for grit and Brest for an evening of good-natured friction. **What should I watch after Midnight Run?** After *Midnight Run*, try [*The Defiant Ones*](https://film.one/film/the-defiant-ones) (1958, Fi1m 74): A tougher journey for two hostile men forced to depend on each other. Then [*The Guard*](https://film.one/film/the-guard) (2011, Fi1m 78): A prickly crime comedy whose mismatched partners have little patience for each other; and [*The Lady Vanishes*](https://film.one/film/the-lady-vanishes) (1938, Fi1m 88): Travel, suspicion and reluctant cooperation, with the jokes surviving the gathering danger. ### Reviews we read (11) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (4/4): The critic praises the strong chemistry and performances of De Niro and Grodin as the mismatched pair on the run, noting how the film elevates its formulaic chase structure through quirky character work and emotional depth in the finale. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/midnight-run-1988) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): The film is a minor classic that approaches perfection as a combination of buddy movie, odd-couple picture and road movie. The critic singles out the wonderful chemistry between De Niro and Grodin for praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/24/midnight-run-review-comedy-thriller-minor-classic-robert-de-niro-martin-brest) - **The Times**, Sean Macaulay (90/100, inferred): Midnight Run is one of the finest examples of a grown-up genre picture that executes all the expected beats in a fresh, lively way. The critic singles out the deadpan odd-couple friction between De Niro and Grodin for praise. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/north-america-travel/us-travel/california/sean-macaulays-tv-film-of-the-week-gh5srs2989g) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (90/100, inferred): The review lauds De Niro's comic turn paired with Grodin, resulting in one of the most entertaining and original road pictures, thanks to a terrifically developed script with inventive twists and strong supporting characters. [Read](https://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/midnight-run-1200427529/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Michael Wilmington (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it an expert, murderously funny chase comedy redeemed by brilliant execution, talent (especially De Niro), and human moments of interplay between the leads rather than mere action set pieces. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-20-ca-5813-story.html) - **Slant Magazine**, Odie Henderson (85/100, inferred): Midnight Run stands as one of 1988’s best movies thanks to its exciting, funny tone and fine ensemble performances that balance action and road-comedy bonding between De Niro’s bounty hunter and Grodin’s accountant. Brest’s mastery of tone and the pre-CGI stunt work make it a welcome relic of its era. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/summer-of-88-midnight-run-bob-the-bounty-hunter/) - **The AV Club**, Nick Schager (85/100, inferred): The critic praises Martin Brest’s 1988 film as one of the all-time great bickering-buddy comedies and the finest comedic work of Robert De Niro’s career. They single out the perfect match between De Niro’s exasperated performance and Charles Grodin’s calm fussiness, along with the episodic road-trip story and strong supporting cast. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/robert-de-niro-and-charles-grodin-take-a-brilliantly-bi-1798238998) - **Empire**, Ian Nathan (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the sparkling chemistry between Robert De Niro's bounty hunter and Charles Grodin's embezzler as they evade mobsters, FBI agents and rivals. Director Martin Brest is commended for blending car chases and shoot-outs with quick-witted comedy in an expert reworking of the odd-couple formula. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/midnight-run-review/) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (80/100, inferred): The review highlights the inspired casting of De Niro and Grodin, whose performances elevate the otherwise standard action-comedy premise into something memorable and gold-worthy amid the cross-country chase. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/20/movies/review-film-de-niro-and-grodin-in-cross-country-chase.html) - **Vulture**, Glenn Kenny (75/100, inferred): The film marked a key point in making Robert De Niro bankable as a mainstream star through its buddy comedy setup with Charles Grodin as the accountant on the run. The inspired rapport between the leads keeps viewers engaged despite some overstuffed scenes and action sequences added by director Martin Brest. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2014/07/movie-that-made-robert-de-niro-bankable-midnight-run.html) - **Time Out**, BC (70/100, inferred): The familiar handcuffed-captor-and-captive formula is revitalized by the lead performances. Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin improvise routines that elevate the odd-couple pairing, though the director occasionally resorts to car chases. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/midnight-run) ## Details - **Director:** Martin Brest - **Director:** Martin Brest - **Screenplay:** George Gallo - **Cinematography:** Donald E. Thorin - **Editor:** Chris Lebenzon, Billy Weber, Michael Tronick - **Music:** Danny Elfman - **Production design:** Angelo P. Graham - **Costume design:** Gloria Gresham - **Producer:** Martin Brest - **Cast:** Robert De Niro as John Wesley “Jack” Walsh; Charles Grodin as Jonathan Mardukas aka “The Duke”; Yaphet Kotto as Alonzo Mosely, Special Agent, F.B.I.; John Ashton as Marvin Dorfler, Headhunter; Dennis Farina as Jimmy Serrano, Chicago mobster; Joe Pantoliano as Eddie Moscone, Bail Bonder; Richard Foronjy as Tony Darvo, Serrano's henchman; Robert Miranda as Joey, Serrano's henchman - **Runtime:** 2h 06m - **First release (Norway):** 20 July 1988 - **Genres:** Comedy, Crime, Thriller - **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 1988) - **Budget:** $30 million - **Box office:** $38 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzFR27Oj5Fs ## Where to watch in Poland Not streaming, renting or buying in Poland at the last check. Also available in: CA, GB, JP, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The In-Laws* (1979): A reluctant partnership and mounting danger, played with a useful shortage of dignity. - *The Defiant Ones* (1958), Fi1m 74: A tougher journey for two hostile men forced to depend on each other. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-defiant-ones.md) - *The Guard* (2011), Fi1m 78: A prickly crime comedy whose mismatched partners have little patience for each other. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-guard.md) - *The Lady Vanishes* (1938), Fi1m 88: Travel, suspicion and reluctant cooperation, with the jokes surviving the gathering danger. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lady-vanishes.md) - *A Hard Day* (2014), Fi1m 79: A more punishing chase, driven by a policeman’s increasingly desperate attempts at escape. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-hard-day.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/midnight-run