This movie is adored, I realize that. It's fine, but nothing about it seems very special to me, and some parts are just bad. What makes this stand out from any other conflicting personality type movies? Again, I don't think it's bad, just unremarkable.
shareITS THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN DE NIRO AND GRODIN THAT MAKES THE MOVIE SPECIAL TO ME.
shareI think the OP is smoking crack. A great movie
sharefor sure, just watched it for the second time - been like 15 years since i had watched. Not a GREAT movie but still one of the best buddy comedies from the 80's
shareAgreed. I mean, AGREED.
shareBingo. When I think of great examples of on-screen chemistry between actors/characters, this is at or very close to the top of my list. While De Niro has played some great characters in some amazing movies, Grodin could have easily stolen every scene they shared, especially the comic ones, but was generous enough to allow the space for their interactions to live, breathe and shine. "*White collar* criminal."
shareBurk, don't listen to the naysayers, I saw it last night and it was meh....... you're right, it's unremarkable.
shareJust rewatched few days ago. I think De Niro & Grodin, good script and outstanding score by Danny Elfman makes it above average buddy-movie.
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Funny, what pjl69, Nanook and Kowalski said (with which I also agree) is very close to Roger Ebert's take on the film when it first came out.
It was a mundane, unremarkable plot elevated by the actors and their interplay.
He said something similar about "Titanic," which he characterized as a pedestrian, by-the-numbers love story propped up by the amazing spectacle of Titanic's demise.
I’m fond of Midnight Run but I don’t love it. Martin Brest makes great two-handers in which two unlikely folk are forced together for a period and both learn something. He peaked with his next film Scent Of A Woman, and Meet Joe Black was great. Those were both written by genius Bo Goldman.
Midnight Run feels underwritten by comparison. The actors did a lot of ad-libbing. The result is an uneven film that gets a tad sluggish at times, but has some great little moments of comedy and drama.
It all builds to a great climax in the airport, though, and a nice flourish at the very end.
Every time John Ashton is on screen the film shines. I just wish the whole film felt like that.
FAIR ENOUGH...BUT...MIDNIGHT RUN IS BETTER THAN SCENT OF A WOMAN AND MEET JOE BLACK COMBINED.
shareBullshit.
shareAgreed with Kowalski. Well, semi agreed. I've never seen "Meet Joe Black". One has seen "Scent of a Woman". "SOAW" was pretty good. You know, it was ok. I actually thought Al Pacino overacted a bit in it. "Midnight Run" is a good flick. It's loose, it's funny. Very nice supporting performances from Dennis Farina and John Ashton. Plus, a sort of moral (or lesson) in it as well. Jack realizes The Duke is right and lets him go at the end. ANyway, as it happens, one saw "MR" again a couple of weeks ago. I thought the same thing as years ago. Good flick. Still makes me laugh. And yes, better than "SOAW".
shareYou might prefer it to Scent Of A Woman but it objectively is not better.
shareI looked up his filmography, and didn't know some of the movies I liked were his. He really does like the two handers, doesn't he,lol. I see a similar tone in his movies now that I'm aware of that. I'm a huge fan of Spies Like us.
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I honestly didn't even know it existed until a few years. I just caught on TV one night & it was really entertaining.
I have rewatched it since. It's one of the best damn "buddy cop" movies ever made in my opinion. Different side of Deniro that I'd rarely seen. He was absolutely fantastic.
I was honestly not expecting to like it as much as I did.
Better than Lethal Weapon?! Lol, I know you said "one of", but it doesn't play like a buddy cop movie to me, because Grodin is a prisoner and as such doesn't get to take the reigns like a biddy cop dynamic. 48 hours is similar in structure.Like i said, Its good, but this is almost cult level loved, which is what strikes me as odd. Incidentally, this renewed topic has made me want to watch it tonight, do maybe I'm not giving it enough credit.
shareI think it's a bit unfair to compare any buddy cop movie to Lethal Weapon. That's the Gold standard of the genre imo.
Also, I would've honestly NOT enjoyed it as much IF I went in knowing it was so highly regarded.
It's a fantastic movie but I think one of the main reasons I enjoyed it so much is cause I went in blind. I honestly didn't know ANYTHING about it going in.