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When compared to some of the other performances that Robert De Niro was giving in his prime (roughly 1973 to 1997, although there are worthwhile films before and after), his work in Midnight Run might seem low key, maybe even underwhelming. Certainly he hits a lot of the same notes as he did in his easy paycheque period, which started roughly with Meet the Parents. (For the record, I think he’s pretty committed in that movie, but you do see a certain shtickiness develop.) You get a lot of the raised eyebrows, a lot of the indignation and a hell of a lot of the profane outbursts. But what I think grounds his work here is the sense of weariness he brings to the role. This is a character who has been in an unrewarding line of work for far too long, whose integrity is not valued by the disreputable characters he’s often surrounded by, and whose morale has been steadily broken down as a result. If anything, the performance this has most in common with is not another De Niro character, but the one played by Robert Forster in Jackie Brown, another man in the bail bonds business who is just too damn tired of the bullshit he’s waded through for years.
It’s also wise for De Niro to turn down his intensity here, as it allows us to focus on the performance by Charles Grodin as the deeply aggravating but ultimately honourable man he’s tasked with transporting across the country. I’m starting to run out of things to say about Grodin’s acting, as he so reliably plays a certain breed of white collar professional to such memorable comic effect, but I think this movie really plays to his strengths of precise, even-toned line readings. There are a lot of big laughs in the movie, and they frequently come from Grodin attempting to apply a certain logic to a totally unreceptive De Niro. Listen to this exchange, about both characters seething from their respective betrayals at the hands of the other:
If you’re not chuckling at least a bit, I can’t help you. But the exchange also reveals a certain truth about both characters, about their need to maintain a certain integrity and to be able to look at themselves in the mirror even when they’re working at cross purposes.
This is directed by Martin Brest, and scratches the same action comedy itch as his earlier hit, Beverly Hills Cop. This is probably a “better” movie, in that it juggles the intricacies of its plot more deftly, and with a better sense of timing in producing the complications that meet our heroes. It also has a better rounded cast, filling almost every scene with a nicely textured performance. But at the same time, there’s something to be said about the earlier movie’s effectiveness as a star vehicle, an entire movie tailored to capitalize on the formidable charisma of prime era Eddie Murphy. (While I wouldn’t call it a favourite, I do revisit it with some regularity.) Brest isn’t a good action director in the technical sense, but what he does well in both movies is find ways to fill in the gaps of the action scenes with the niceties of the performances. Savour the banter between Judge Reinhold and John Ashton as they’re pinned down by the villain’s henchman in that movie, and savour the interplay here between Ashton, De Niro and Grodin as they’re attacked by hired killers in a helicopter. This was the only scene I really remembered from my viewing years ago, and I’m pleased to report that I still laughed. I will say that this movie needed better action comedy music. Danny Elfman occasionally does a zany action theme, but for the most part the score consists of generic blues rock. There are no synth stylings by Harold Faltemeyer, no “Axel F.”, no “Bit By Bit” from Fletch, not even a “Shakedown” by Bob Seger from Beverly Hills Cop II.
I watched Beethoven late last month and was in the mood for more Grodin, and voila, Midnight Run appeared on the Criterion Channel. While there are likely more reasonable explanations, I can only assume that their employees have been breathlessly following my online activity and as such will take full credit. Of course, this is on the service as part of a Yaphet Kotto retrospective. This may not be the best representation of Kotto’s full talents, but he is effective as a gruff FBI agent, his deadpan reactions hiding his bone-deep exasperation from the proceedings, even as they occur in completely different parts of the country. Such is the power of Charles Grodin that he can annoy across state lines.
Midnight Run (Brest, 1988)
When compared to some of the other performances that Robert De Niro was giving in his prime (roughly 1973 to 1997, although there are worthwhile films before and after), his work in Midnight Run might seem low key, maybe even underwhelming. Certainly he hits a lot of the same notes as he did in his easy paycheque period, which started roughly with Meet the Parents. (For the record, I think he’s pretty committed in that movie, but you do see a certain shtickiness develop.) You get a lot of the raised eyebrows, a lot of the indignation and a hell of a lot of the profane outbursts. But what I think grounds his work here is the sense of weariness he brings to the role. This is a character who has been in an unrewarding line of work for far too long, whose integrity is not valued by the disreputable characters he’s often surrounded by, and whose morale has been steadily broken down as a result. If anything, the performance this has most in common with is not another De Niro character, but the one played by Robert Forster in Jackie Brown, another man in the bail bonds business who is just too damn tired of the bullshit he’s waded through for years.
It’s also wise for De Niro to turn down his intensity here, as it allows us to focus on the performance by Charles Grodin as the deeply aggravating but ultimately honourable man he’s tasked with transporting across the country. I’m starting to run out of things to say about Grodin’s acting, as he so reliably plays a certain breed of white collar professional to such memorable comic effect, but I think this movie really plays to his strengths of precise, even-toned line readings. There are a lot of big laughs in the movie, and they frequently come from Grodin attempting to apply a certain logic to a totally unreceptive De Niro. Listen to this exchange, about both characters seething from their respective betrayals at the hands of the other:
"You lied to me first!"
"What the... You lied to me first!"
"Yes! Yes. But you didn't know I was lying to you when you lied to me down by the river. So as far as you knew, you lied to me first!"
"How can I argue with this guy. I don't know what the **** he's talking about."
"What the... You lied to me first!"
"Yes! Yes. But you didn't know I was lying to you when you lied to me down by the river. So as far as you knew, you lied to me first!"
"How can I argue with this guy. I don't know what the **** he's talking about."
If you’re not chuckling at least a bit, I can’t help you. But the exchange also reveals a certain truth about both characters, about their need to maintain a certain integrity and to be able to look at themselves in the mirror even when they’re working at cross purposes.
This is directed by Martin Brest, and scratches the same action comedy itch as his earlier hit, Beverly Hills Cop. This is probably a “better” movie, in that it juggles the intricacies of its plot more deftly, and with a better sense of timing in producing the complications that meet our heroes. It also has a better rounded cast, filling almost every scene with a nicely textured performance. But at the same time, there’s something to be said about the earlier movie’s effectiveness as a star vehicle, an entire movie tailored to capitalize on the formidable charisma of prime era Eddie Murphy. (While I wouldn’t call it a favourite, I do revisit it with some regularity.) Brest isn’t a good action director in the technical sense, but what he does well in both movies is find ways to fill in the gaps of the action scenes with the niceties of the performances. Savour the banter between Judge Reinhold and John Ashton as they’re pinned down by the villain’s henchman in that movie, and savour the interplay here between Ashton, De Niro and Grodin as they’re attacked by hired killers in a helicopter. This was the only scene I really remembered from my viewing years ago, and I’m pleased to report that I still laughed. I will say that this movie needed better action comedy music. Danny Elfman occasionally does a zany action theme, but for the most part the score consists of generic blues rock. There are no synth stylings by Harold Faltemeyer, no “Axel F.”, no “Bit By Bit” from Fletch, not even a “Shakedown” by Bob Seger from Beverly Hills Cop II.
I watched Beethoven late last month and was in the mood for more Grodin, and voila, Midnight Run appeared on the Criterion Channel. While there are likely more reasonable explanations, I can only assume that their employees have been breathlessly following my online activity and as such will take full credit. Of course, this is on the service as part of a Yaphet Kotto retrospective. This may not be the best representation of Kotto’s full talents, but he is effective as a gruff FBI agent, his deadpan reactions hiding his bone-deep exasperation from the proceedings, even as they occur in completely different parts of the country. Such is the power of Charles Grodin that he can annoy across state lines.