Cult 101: Midnight Run (1988) 4K Restoration
Director: Martin Brest Run Time: 126 min. Rating: R Release Year: 1988
Starring: Charles Grodin, Dennis Farina, John Ashton, Robert De Niro, Yaphet Kotto
Country: United States
Language: English
Cult 101 at Gateway Film Center
A celebration of the best cult films of all time.
About the film:
“De Niro and Grodin are just brilliant together.” – Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) is a tough ex-cop turned bounty hunter. Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas (Charles Grodin) is a sensitive accountant who embezzled $15 million from the mob, gave it to charity and then jumped bail. Jack’s in for a cool $100,000 if he can deliver The Duke from New York to L.A. on time … and alive. Sounds like just another Midnight Run (a piece of cake in bounty hunter slang), but it turns into a cross-country chase. The FBI wants The Duke to testify, the mob wants him for revenge, and Walsh wants him to just shut up. If someone else doesn’t do the job, the two unlikely partners may end up killing each other in this hilarious, action-filled ride from producer/director Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop).
The restoration was done from a 2022 scan of the original camera negative. The 4K release features improved picture quality with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and accurate shadow detail, particularly noticeable in day and night scenes.
About the filmmaker:
Martin Brest (born August 8, 1951) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for directing commercially successful and critically acclaimed action-comedy films such as Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Midnight Run (1988). He also directed Scent of a Woman (1992), which earned Al Pacino an Academy Award for Best Actor. Brest’s career is often cited as having been significantly impacted by the critical and commercial failure of his film Gigli (2003).
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