Midnight Run

[Chet Roivas 5]

Midnight Run is a thoroughly terrific film, but I find it fascinating because with a different cast and a different director, it could have been awful. It's perhaps the ultimate "lightning in a bottle" film. Other filmmakers have tried to capture the atmosphere and tone of Midnight Run, but I don't think anyone has come even close to succeeding. A brilliant one-off, well worthy of discussion.

[CarlosFerreira 20]

That's interesting. I have to confess I watched it recently, and it left me cold. The attempt at comedy doesn't work for me, and I didn't find it especially compelling. But I would be more than happy to be proved wrong - an episode discussing it would be very welcome.

[Chet Roivas 5]

The attempt at comedy doesn't work for me

 

I don't disagree with this, which is why it's such a strange brew. Several of George Gallo's screenplays are uncannily similar (the terrible Eddie Griffin comedy Double Take in particular) but Midnight Run is spectacularly likeable, expressly because of the interplay between the leads. I've read the shooting script and I'm amazed that it ever got produced; the film is a success despite that screenplay rather than because of it.

 

It's not a film that cracks me up either; I just find it to be incredibly warm, it makes me smile and unlike you, I find it pretty gripping from start to finish. I return to Butch and Sundance for similar reasons, and I'm not 100% sure that I'd vote to put that film (or Midnight Run) into the Canon. Would love to hear a chat about it though.

 

Siskel and Ebert's review is pretty much bang on for me http://siskelandebert.org/video/5GSYDB8GG744/The-Dead-Pool-Midnight-Run-Die-Hard-1988 (starts at 8:00).

[T.D. 61]

Interesting choice; if the logistics ever worked out, Devin and Amy should try and get the great TV critic Alan Sepinwall to guest on the episode. "Midnight Run" is his favorite film, and he's written about on several occasions.