Midnight Run Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Midnight Run Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 19, 2016

Martin Brest's "Midnight Run" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Koch Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an archival promo piece and promotional materials as well as new interviews with Charles Grodin, Joe Pantoliano, John Ashton, George Gallo, and Yaphet Kotto. In English, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"Is this moron number one? Put moron number two on the phone."

Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro, Heat) is an ex-Chicago cop who struggles to make ends meet as a bounty hunter in LA. When bail bondsman Eddie Moscone (Joe Pantoliano, The Fugitive) hires him to find Jonathan Mardukas a.k.a. the Duke (Charles Grodin, Ishtar), an accountant who has stolen $15 million from the mafia and given the majority of it to the poor, Walsh concludes that he is one job away from retirement. With the $100,000 fee Moscone promises to pay him, Walsh plans to open a small coffee shop. But the Duke is also wanted by the FBI and Las Vegas-based mafia boss Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina, Snatch). So before Walsh starts looking for him, he is approached by FBI special agent Alonzo Mosely (Yaphet Kotto, The Running Man) and told not to get involved with him, and a couple of Serrano’s goons (Richard Foronjy & Robert Miranda) who offer to reward him handsomely if he brings them the accountant.

Walsh quickly discovers the Duke in New York City, phones Mascone to tell him to prepare his check, and then the two board a plane to LA. However, when the Duke causes a scandal, Walsh is forced to change his plan.

Meanwhile, after Moscone learns that Walsh and the Duke have missed the plane to LA, he hires rival bounty hunter Marvin Dorfler (John Ashton, Beverly Hills Cop) to finish the job. Mosely and his boys also go after Walsh, hoping to get the Duke and with his help put Serrano behind bars.

Martin Brest’s thriller Midnight Run follows a familiar formula -- two very different protagonists go on the road and discover that they have a lot in common. As time passes by, they begin to respect each other because they realize that life has been equally unfair to both of them. The bonding process is what makes the film so fascinating to behold. There is a terrific chemistry between the two men that makes even seemingly ordinary sequences quite fascinating to behold.

George Gallo’s script is outstanding. The dialog is very fresh, clever and hugely entertaining. The exchanges are also remarkably well distributed between the different characters. In fact, some of the best lines are uttered by secondary characters (see Farina and Ashton) whose time in front of the camera is limited.

The editing is equally good. The action quickly moves from one location to another and the film maintains a very steady tempo. Additionally, the mass sequences are timed very well -- it never looks or feels like they were shot simply to fill up gaps.

Brest and cinematographer Donald Thorin carefully chose a number of picturesque locations throughout the United States that make the film look very beautiful. For one specific sequence -- the river shootout -- they had to travel to New Zealand. (A few years later, the two also collaborated on Scent of a Woman, a remake of Dino Risi's classic film Profumo di donna).

The film’s soundtrack was created by Oscar nominated composer Danny Elfman (Good Will Hunting, Planet of the Apes).

Midnight Run Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Martin Brest's Midnight Run arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Koch Media.

The release is clearly sourced from an older master, almost certainly the same master which British distributors Second Sight Films accessed when they prepared their Blu-ray release in 2015. However, the very obvious traces of filtering corrections that are present on their release are missing here. As a result, many close-ups and wider panoramic shots are better defined, and depth is certainly more pleasing. The biggest difference, however, is that the very distracting smearing that pops up on the previous release is missing. This being said, the limitations of the current master remain obvious. Grain is now visible, but it is not as well distributed and resolved as it should be. Noise is also visible and destabilizing detail (see screencapture #20). Light traces of built-in sharpening are also visible, though I should make it clear that the severe edge-enhancement that is present on so many catalog titles that have come out through Universal Studios is not present here. Generally speaking, colors remain stable, but there should be a better and bigger range of healthy nuances. Overall image stability is very good. There are no large debris, damage marks, or cuts, but a few tiny flecks can be spotted here and there. Ultimately, ideally Midnight Run should have a much better balanced organic appearance, but for this to happen the film obviously needs to be rescanned. On the other hand, despite the various limitations on display, this presentation does have some pleasing organic qualities that have been wiped out from the previous release. Currently, it is the best presentation of the film on the market. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Midnight Run Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Its basic characteristics are identical to that of the LPCM 2.0 track from the British release. It is obvious that it has not been fully remastered and it times depth seems a bit inconsistent. The dialog is still quite easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

Midnight Run Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making of - an archival promo piece with raw footage from the shooting of the film and clips from interviews with cast members. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• German Trailer - original German trailer for Midnight Run. In German, not subtitled. (3 min).

• U.S. Teaser - original U.S. teaser for Midnight Run. In German, not subtitled. (2 min).

• U.S. Trailer - original U.S. trailer for Midnight Run. In German, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Bildergalerie - a collection of official posters and lobby cards from around the world, as well as stills from the film and photographs.

Interviews

• Charles Grodin - in this brand new video interview, actor Charles Grodin recalls how he was approached by Martin Brest to play the Duke in Midnight Run and discusses his contribution to the film. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• John Ashton - in this brand new video interview, actor John Ashton remembers how he became an actor, how he was approached to play Sgt. Taggart in Martin Brest's Beverly Hills Cop, and how he was cast to play Marvin Dorfler in Midnight Run, and discusses the shooting of key sequences from the film. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Joe Pantoliano - in this brand new video interview, actor Joe Pantoliano explains how he entered the film business and how his life changed after he did, and discusses the character he plays in Midnight Run, his interactions with Robert De Niro and Martin Brest, etc. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Yaphet Kotto - in this brand new audio interview, actor Yaphet Kotto recalls how he approached to play FBI agent Alonzo Mosely in Midnight Run and discusses Martin Brest's directing methods. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• George Gallo - in this brand new video interview, recalls how Midnight Run came to exist and his interactions with Martin Brest. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Cover - reversible cover.

Midnight Run Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Currently, this recent German release of Martin Brest's Midnight Run has the best technical presentation of the film. It appears to have been sourced from the same dated master that Second Sight Films accessed when they prepared their release last year, but it does not have the various obvious traces of filtering corrections that are present on the British release. As a result, the film has a more pleasing appearance. Additionally, all of the new supplemental features from the previous release are included. I am going to recommend Koch Media's release, but you should keep in mind that Midnight Run can and should have a much more convincing organic appearance. For this to happen, however, it needs to be remastered. RECOMMENDED.