Buried Treasures: Midnight Run

Quick. Name Robert De Niro’s best performances. Okay, “GoodFellas” and “Casino.” “Taxi Driver,” of course. And what about “Mean Streets,” “Bang The Drum Slowly,” “The Godfather Part II,” “The Deer Hunter,” “Raging Bull” and “Cape Fear?” Heck, De Niro is even great playing the straight man to other top actors, as he did in “Awakenings” and “Wag The Dog.” He even stole his one scene in the 2013 classic, “American Hustle.” That’s quite a list of some of the greatest performances in cinema history. But examine the list again. What do these pictures have in common? Well, aside from “Wag The Dog,” these are all heavy, sober dramas, dealing with serious subject matter and somber themes. De Niro is one of the all-time greats when it comes to honest, no-nonsense acting. He’s his generation’s Marlon Brando. But you’d never consider Robert De Niro a comedic actor. Oh sure, he’s turned in a few comedic performances, the best of which was 2012’s “Silver Linings Playbook” (and I’m not considering “Wag The Dog,” as DeNiro played the straight man to Dustin Hoffman). But lost in his long accumulation of classic acting accomplishments was one of the funniest films of the 1980s — Martin Brest’s 1988 hit, “Midnight Run.” Coming off his success with the Eddie Murphy vehicle “Beverly Hills Cop,” Brest utilized the same action / comedy formula for “Midnight Run.” The difference was that not only did he not have the talents of Murphy’s comedic genius, but he didn’t have any comedians in the film at all. Instead, Brest used De Niro and comedic actor Charles Grodin, along with a cast of staid, solemn character actors one would never associate with a comedy. Now, “Midnight Run” was no spoof a la “Airplane!” No, “Midnight Run” features a serious plot full of mobsters and hit men, but boy is it funny. The great, underrated Grodin plays Jonathan Mardukas, an accountant accused of embezzling $15 million from mob boss Jimmy Serrano (an hilarious Dennis Farina). DeNiro is Jack Walsh, a bounty hunter hired by a bail bondsman (Joe Pantoliano) to bring him from New York to Los Angeles within five days. To complicate matters, a steely FBI agent (Yaphet Kotto) wants Mardukas to testify against Serrano, and orders Walsh to steer clear. Serrano’s thugs offer Walsh $1 million to turn over Mardukas to them. Then the bail bondsman sics a second bounty hunter on the case. And away we go! The bulk of the picture is the old two-man road trip theme; a bounty hunter drags an accountant across the nation via plane, train, and automobile (hmmm, I may have just discovered another Buried Treasure). But don’t let the tired setup discourage you. The rapport between De Niro and Grodin is fantastic. George Gallo’s screenplay allows De Niro to make light of his typical tough-guy persona without spoofing it the way Lloyd Bridges did in “Airplane!” And Grodin never ceases to amaze me. He specializes in the playing the understated bland white-collar guy (like Bob Newhart), but with a subtle acerbic wit about him. His characters are those who would argue a point with you while, in the same sentence, correct your syntax and the way you have your legs crossed. His humor is wry and witty, and his compatibility with De Niro is priceless, as the two antipodes play off one another astutely. “Midnight Run” may very well be one of those pictures you saw back in the day but have long since forgotten. It’s worth another look. If I had to compare it to other films, I might choose Colin Higgins’ 1970s comedy / dramas “Silver Streak” and “Foul Play,” albeit a harder-edged version. It’s funny, full of action, and the loose ends of the plot are finalized in one big showdown scene. Unlike some of my other Buried Treasure selections, this one’s a crowd-pleaser. Look it up and seek it out.