“Midnight Run touches on one of the great mysteries of the movies: How is it that the tritest material can come to life when touched by the right director and the right actors? ”
Character actors par excellence and TPFC favourites Charles Grodin and Yaphet Kotto both sadly passed away earlier this year, so in tribute we’re breaking TPFC convention and are holding our first ever re-screening.
Charles Grodin stars as Jonathan Mardukas (aka ‘The Duke’) a mild-mannered lawyer who rips off his mafia client for the greater good - with Robert De Niro as the uptight bounty hunter, Jack Walsh, tasked with transporting Mardukas across America while keeping out of the clutches of both the mob and the FBI.
Co-staring a reliably taciturn Yaphet Kotto as FBI agent, Alonzo Mosely; a reliably manic Joe Pantoliano as bails-bondsman, Eddie Moscone; and a reliably chilling Dennis Farina (for whom we originally screened Midnight Run in tribute to waaaay back in 2013) as mob boss Jimmy Serrano, Midnight Run is quite simply an absolute blast from start to finish. A seemingly throwaway comedy-thriller, it fairly zips along on the strength of its brilliantly witty screenplay and the chemistry between the two leads, but which ultimately packs a real emotional punch when the final credits roll.
We at TPFC HQ fervently believe that more people should see this lost 80s gem. So, we’re showing it again.
You can read full details of post-lockdown, socially distanced screening arrangements here.
