I always thought that Walsh declined the money his daughter offered and drove off, but watching it again I thought I saw the cash in his hand as he's holding the steering wheel. Not a big deal, but it's bugging me.
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Absolutely not. He tells her four times, "I can't." All these posts about, "he has a big wad of cash, her hands are empty," etc. are continuity errors. Jack's actions with his daughter are true to his character. He can't take her money.
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Thanks, gaijinmick. Our conclusion comes from following the great writing, not a propmaster error.
shareThe first few times I saw this movie I believed he didn't take it and that it was out of character. The more I saw it the more I started to question whether he did or didn't. Tonight, I inspected that part of the movie and he most definitely took the money.
Now, some say it was a continuity issue, maybe it is, which would make that scene the most flawed scene in the movie. He had no money in his hands before he opened his door. His daughter comes out and tries to hand him A ROLL of bills. He declines twice but, while declining the second time, we see him make a motion that looks like he is reaching up and taking the money along with sound effects to match. He gets in the car and starts to drive off with what appears to be that same ROLL in his hand.
This looks too obvious to be a mistake. It may have been written this way just to show how desperate and sad his situation/character was.
I always like to think that after Jack set up his coffee shop and became a more normal peaceful person he developed a relationship with his daughter, and he didn't take her money,I'm watching the scene now
shareYes.
Not only did he take the money, I think it was important to the daughter that he did take it. She hadn't seen her dad in 9 years, and he shows up in trouble. Giving him that money was hugely important to her.
It was $180. Even if he screwed up and didn't get the Duke to LA, he could still pay her back. If he got the 100k that he was hoping for, he could pay her back with a college fun worth x100 that.
I think the most important thing after the movie would be for Jack to be in his daughter's life.
$180 in 1988 would have been enough money to drive to LA and back. He only made it to Texas. Add $40 from the wife and you can even have a motel plus dinner. No way he took the money.
shareWow, I feel old. That little girl, Jack's daughter Denise (Danielle DuClos), is now 40 years old.
shareI watched this again, very closely, the other day.
It does appear to be a continuity error, because it sure looks like he has the money once he gets in the car, and she no longer does.
My guess - and this is just a total guess - is that they filmed a version where he did take the money, but Martin Brest changed his mind and decided against it, so they re-filmed the scene - minus the final part where DeNiro gets into the car.
Because I completely agree with everyone else in this thread who feels that there's no way, based on the character they wrote for this film (and how DeNiro played him), that he ends up taking that money from his daughter.
Just my $0.02.
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Wait a minute... who am I here?
What is the big deal about him borrowing some money from his ex-wife and daughter? I am sure he paid them back less than a week later (with some extra thrown in) and bought them a brand new car to replace the one he took. Walsh was desperate and broke when he swallowed his pride to just ask his ex for a favour. He obviously took his daughter's money. You can see it on screen for yourself.
"I will not go down in history as the greatest mass-murderer since Adolf Hitler!" - Merkin Muffley
Count me in the "it would be totally out of character for him to take the money"
That said, it's obvious he's holding a wad of cash in his hand that matches what she was offering him
It also looks like she's empty-handed as they drive away
I think Doom's right: there was a version where he took the money, and they accidentally edited it into the final cut
EDIT: I just found & read what's supposedly an original screenplay online, and there it's spelled out that he DID take the money.
But the scene plays out differently; he says, "I can't," but then reconsiders. In the final cut we've seen, DeNiro keeps saying he can't, then kisses her head. He didn't take the money in the final cut.
The scene is written differently (is longer) in the script. In post-production the director probably changed his mind how it should play out and instead of going back to re-shoot, he simply cut the scene. So the money Jack is holding in his hands while driving away is in fact his daughter's money. But he never intends to keep it.
There you go, if you have time and will to read it. Source: http://www.weeklyscript.com/Midnight+Run.html
EXT. GAIL BROONER'S DRIVEWAY - DAY
Walsh exits the house and cuffs the Duke inside the LTD.
Denise follows, approaching her father. She has a stack of
bills in her hands.
DENISE
It isn't much. About a hundred and
eighty dollars. Baby-sitting money.
Take it.
WALSH
I can't do that, sweetheart.
DENISE
Please...
(A beat)
Daddy.
Walsh looks at her. There's so much to say. No time. He takes
the money. Nods. Gets into the LTD. Pulls out quickly. Denise
remains on the lawn, watching them descend into the distance.
INT. LTD - DAY
Walsh is silent, watching his daughter fade from sight in
the rearview mirror.
THE DUKE
You have a beautiful daughter, Jack.
WALSH
I'd just like to be quiet for a while.
Walsh continues to drive. Then, out of nowhere, pulls a U-
turn.
EXT. STREET - DAY
The LTD SWINGS completely around. Heading back the way it
came.
EXT. GAIL BROONER'S HOUSE - DAY
Denise watches the LTD returning. Suddenly, from behind her,
her stepfather, Gail's husband, TED BROONER, pulls his car
into the driveway.
INT. LTD - DAY
Still at a distance, Walsh slows to a stop. He watches the
sad sight. All of what he could have been. Ted, well dressed
and unaware of Walsh's presence, puts his arm around Denise,
leading her back to the house. Just before she disappears
inside the doorway, she turns, giving her real father a
farewell glance. Walsh, in a trance, watches the door close.
The Duke sits quietly. With a start, Walsh drives up to the
house. He gets out of the car.
EXT. GAIL BROONER'S HOUSE - DAY
Walsh crosses the lawn. Approaches the front door. Out of
his pocket, he takes the money that Denise gave him. Puts it
in the mailbox. He turns and heads back to the LTD. Drives
off.
I am glad they changed it to the present cut. Putting her money in the mailbox would be a nitwit idea because she might not even get it back. I like the "swallowed his pride" idea better, since it shows Walsh is at the end of his rope. Plus, knowing the ending now, we figure he will pay Denise back with a college education of her choice.
"I will not go down in history as the greatest mass-murderer since Adolf Hitler!" - Merkin Muffley
I was thinking more along the lines of Jack taking the money so his daughter wouldn't be hurt again. The final cut he didn't take the money because he didn't think it was right to borrow money from his daughter and even if he justified it the ex would have been upset.
shareJack took the money. It's up there on the screen. What you suppose about Walsh's character is irrelevant. Borrowing $180 for a few days is not that big a deal.
"'Extremely High Voltage.' Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer SimpsZZZzzzZZZ--" - Frank Grimes
Any cash in his hand is money his wife gave him. No, he did not take the money his daughter offered him.
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