Great Movies- Midnight Run

   Thirty years ago today, screen legend Robert De Niro lightened up, and gave us his second best '80s role(behind "Raging Bull"). That might not sound like a big deal to millennials more familiar with his work opposite Ben Stiller in the "Fockers" trilogy than say, "Taxi Driver" and "The Deer Hunter", but this was a welcome change of pace from packing on fifty pounds for a few scenes for America's favorite actor. That's right, De Niro was a god back then, and his gruff ex-cop-turned-bounty hunter Jack Walsh was my first brush with his brand of greatness as an appreciative eight year old.

   "Midnight Run" is one of those endlessly enjoyable movies that make you fall in love with movies, and it's reputation has grown from a modest summer hit to one of this era's essential viewing experiences. So, you've never even heard of Martin Brest and Charles Grodin? Don't know what Fistophobia is?? You've come to the right place. Put that cigarette out, and join me for a rollicking recap of a new classic.

   Jack Walsh is tired of tracking down Los Angeles lowlifes. He nearly gets his head blown off trying to do it in the first minute(I love it when a movie cuts right to the chase). Danny Elfman's bouncy score is one of the best sounds I've ever heard from the future "Batman" composer, and immediately sets the tone for total elation. Walsh's black leather jacket should be in the Smithsonian next to Indiana Jones' outerwear. When a character's wardrobe, however limited, is firmly established, the audience gets a strong sense of who he is.

   Joe Pantoliano has a problem. A former mob accountant skipped town with millions after the perpetually-frazzled Eddie Moscone posted $450,000 bail for him. His livelihood depends on getting Jonathan 'The Duke' Mardukas from NY to LA in five days- a "midnight run" in bail bondsmen lingo. Walsh wants $100,000, which should be enough to get out of this dirty, rotten business forever. We underestimate the importance of good character actors like Joey Pants who should be instantly recognizable for his roles in "Risky Business", "The Goonies", "The Fugitive" and "The Matrix". He brings a distinct energy to all of his scenes.

   Walsh does some detective work and quickly learns that the Duke is in demand. The mob will pay more than that putz bail bondsman. Here he meets Yaphet Kotto of "Alien" fame, as humorless FBI agent Alonzo Mosley. Jack is unimpressed and unintimidated by his government adversary, but would love a pair of those sunglasses.

And his identification.

   Jack finds the Duke living in New York City with his wife, and the audience is struck by how passive and non-threatening he is, making Walsh's trademark aggression seem totally unwarranted. The studio wanted the more-bankable Robin Williams for the role. They even pushed for CHER at one point("Moonstruck" was a big hit). Director Martin Brest fought for the underrated comedic gifts of Charles Grodin, and I'd like to thank him for it. Grodin worked in Hollywood for about 25 years, and if you haven't seen 1972's "The Heartbreak Kid", I strongly advise you to do so(forget the '07 Farrelly bros. remake). He abruptly quit acting to become a political commentator in the mid-'90s, back when that was a less inflammatory line of work. In recent years, he's returned to his roots(2016's "The Comedian" offers a brief "Midnight Run" reunion).

   You can't take a prisoner aboard an airplane if he doesn't want to fly. Jack doesn't know that. Grodin's preflight freak-out confirmed that he was the right man to play the politely devious Duke, around the twenty-five minute mark. Walsh's tight schedule gets torn up by his fussy target, as he now faces a MUCH longer trip. Like "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"(another late '80s classic, released the previous year), we have two guys that wouldn't spend ten seconds in each-other's company, if not for a highly irregular set of circumstances.

   The Duke loves to travel by train, if only he wasn't handcuffed to a tiny bathroom. Jack finds out that his coffee shop fantasy is a pipe dream(and that he's a lousy tipper) during a late night on the rails. His eating habits aren't that great, either. George Gallo's screenplay organically fleshes out the differences between the two men, and his pages of dialogue sound as natural as can be in the hands of these old pros.

   Meet Marvin Dorfler, Jack's ornery rival. When Walsh starts fucking things up(Eddie's words), this burly bozo is usually called in for backup. Marvin makes Jack look like an amiable chatterbox by comparison, and his attempts to upend our hero makes for an amusing subplot. John Ashton is best known as Sgt. Taggart in the first two "Beverly Hills Cop" movies, and should have had more opportunities in the big leagues.

   Don't you love pay phones? Cell phones are wonderfully convenient in real life, but a little too convenient for the fictional lives of film characters. If Jack was free to call or text anytime, anywhere, then we wouldn't have a movie(or at least a much less interesting one). I doubt he could afford one of those bricks that Gordon Gekko was gabbing on. My movie would be set in the 20th Century, before those mobile distractions took over the world.

   "Why weren't you popular with the Chicago police department?" Jack would rather not discuss his past, on the longest bus ride of his life. De Niro may not be the king of comedy, but his obvious annoyance over the Duke's subtle-yet-honest antagonism is hilarious. Smokers, just remember one thing- there's people all around you, that are trying to live healthy lives.

   We have "Midnight Run" to thank for memorializing the ferocious Dennis Farina. Jimmy Serrano is the Vegas mob heavy that wants the Duke six feet down in the dirt. He also ran Jack out of Chicago when he was running things there(for reasons that are slowly revealed). I love how nearly everything that comes out of his mouth is a threat of some sort, frequently directed at incompetent disciples. Philip Baker Hall is his calm right hand whose advice probably should have been taken more often. Farina fell in love with acting(and the movie biz in general) after being hired as Michael Mann's technical adviser for 1981's "Thief". Previously, he was a Chicago cop for fifteen years. Incredible.

   Mafia assassins are waiting to whack the Duke at a bus stop, until Alonzo and the local authorities intervene. They try it anyway, and the ensuing gunfight allows John and Jack to escape in a stolen FBI car(Mosley loses his badge AND his transportation). This is a good time to mention that Martin Brest made the two best action-comedies EVER, and the other one was 1984's "Beverly Hills Cop".

   Jack is forced to stop by the Chicago suburbs to ask the ex-wife he hasn't seen in nine years for enough cash to continue the journey in this heartbreaking scene. His 13 year old daughter got so big(that'll happen in a decade). The audience instantly realizes how much Walsh has lost over the years, and just how lonely his life has been. The awkwardness of the impromptu reunion couldn't be more real, as Jack has no idea what to say. He has no right to take that babysitting money. His ex mercifully offers some of hers, along with the use of a Station Wagon she doesn't need. Watch for how Walsh fixes John's coat before they get in it, an oh-so-subtle/blink-and-you'll-miss indicator of a growing respect between them.

   I'm certain that this film wouldn't have the surprising depth it has, if not for De Niro and Grodin finding moments that wouldn't otherwise be there, in an environment created by Brest's perfectionism. Most movies today can't be bothered with such quiet character-building exchanges, and these two maximize the potential of every one. Jack ran away from a corrupt police force, and John never knew he was working for the mob. He's not a criminal. That changes things, even if Jack is reluctant to admit it.

   Marvin rescues John and Jack from Serrano's goons(so much for a relaxing breakfast of Chorizo and eggs). There's more hired killers in a helicopter, as if the put-upon pair needed another obstacle. The action spills into a nearby river where John is faced with a big choice- will he save Jack or himself?

   "Midnight Run" was filmed in California, New York, Illinois, Arizona and Nevada. Brest moved the production to New Zealand for this watery ride because the Salt River was way too cold. You'd be hard-pressed to find another movie with this many varied settings. It may not have made for an easy or fun four-month shoot, but film is forever, and Brest recognized the importance of capturing the flavor of these locations to really drive home the length and the scope of this cross-country trek.

   Now, Jack is really agitated. He's hungry, he's dirty, and the Duke ISN'T afraid to fly after all(who lied to who first?). With no money and no transportation(Walsh resorts to his second of three car thefts), John has a brilliant idea to get the duo fed and back on track.

   Red's bar has a counterfeit bill problem, in a very funny scene that puts Grodin's dry delivery at center-stage. What follows is a mad dash for a freight train for more male bonding(after some more fierce bickering, of course). Jack's watch story is another example of how this film mixes humor and heart with extraordinary ease. Too many of today's offerings can't even get one half of that equation right.

   You may be unaware that Martin Brest has been on a self-imposed exile from the entertainment industry since the epic failure of 2003's "Gigli". A talented, tenured filmmaker got caught in the crossfire that was the Bennifer backlash. His unwillingness to try again has always perplexed me. This man knew what Hollywood success felt like. Perhaps, Brest, and his badly bruised ego, just tired of the whole fickle beast("Meet Joe Black" bombed, too). He's a reclusive, enigmatic figure that has never publicly spoken about his huge highs and lows. We could probably learn a thing or two from his unique perspective. For knowledgeable film fans, his sudden retirement is damn-near tragic.

   John gets picked up by a persistent Marvin and Jack ends up in FBI custody, at the conclusion of another wild chase. Dorfler didn't come all this way to not get paid, and it won't be a lousy twenty-five grand(Eddie offered him considerably less than Jack for the job). Instead, the Duke will be in the mob's hands before nightfall, as we're hurtled toward the suspenseful conclusion.

   Jimmy Serrano comes face-to-face with his slippery former employee in the back of a limo. He wants to let the Duke know personally that he will die tonight. His wife will, too. Farina is scary here. It annoys me when modern comedies serve up soft villainy. The bad guys don't know they're in a comedy. There should always be menace when your main antagonist is onscreen.

   Jack has a deal to make with Alonzo- forget about all that FBI impersonating I've been doing the last few days and let's nail Serrano together. He's the REAL bad guy. Walsh has enough dirt to force an airport meeting, knowing that his old enemy won't want to leave any loose ends. Those computer discs could easily contain enough information to put Serrano and all of his associates away for a long time, and kidnapping the Duke should make it a life sentence. Get this man a wire.

   It may have taken ten years, but Jack finally gets the cuffs slapped on the man that ruined his life. He gets to feel like a cop again. This FBI ambush mirrored real-life events, for it wouldn't be long before organized crime(of the Italian variety) was completely dismantled by crafty Feds that decided these designer-suit-wearing psychopaths had been doing whatever the hell they wanted for long enough. The rise of technology was the worst thing that ever happened to these soon-to-be rats that abandoned their so-called code of silence, the moment a permanent stay in prison became a strong possibility. John Gotti was wearing an orange jumpsuit before Bill Clinton became President, and his equally immoral pals disappeared by the end of the decade. So, enjoy your annual viewing of "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos", but let's be glad that these miscreants only exist on film and television in the 21st Century.

   It would have been a nice coffee shop. Jack lets the Duke go, and if you can think of a finale between two heterosexual men as touching as this farewell, please let me know. "The Shawshank Redemption"? Probably a toss-up. Charlie and Raymond Babbitt saw each other again in two weeks. Jack and John might meet up again in the next life. Walsh would have made his deadline, which is good enough for him. The ever-enterprising Mardukas shows his appreciation with a $300,000 money belt he had been hiding the whole time. It's not a payoff, it's a gift, that will allow Jack to move into a very respectable neighborhood. Maybe he got himself a new watch.

   "Looks like I'm walking". One of the best last lines ever in a movie. I'd follow Jack Walsh on another adventure right now, but it looks like he's retired. An improbable sequel has occasionally been rumored, as recently as six years ago. I'm guessing the script never came out right. I had no idea what a bounty hunter was until De Niro entered my life, and I'll watch "Midnight Run" a million more times before I'll ever watch a reality show about it. This movie is two hours and six minutes of pure pleasure. There isn't a moment where I wasn't engaged or entertained. De Niro, Grodin and Brest captured lightning in a bottle with a simple, flawlessly-executed formula. Go watch "The Bounty Hunter" and "Hot Pursuit" if you don't believe me. Great movies are like a perfect storm. "Midnight Run" is one of the world's greatest films.

Great Movies- Die Hard

   Thirty years ago today, a barefoot Bruce Willis changed the face of action cinema. If you weren't around the year that Ronald Reagan cleared out the Oval Office for his Vice President/successor George H.W. Bush, you're probably unaware that "Rambo III" was widely expected to rule that summer. The director of "Predator" and the smirking star of TV's "Moonlighting" had other ideas, though. It's difficult to describe how game-changing this flick was to somebody that wasn't there, but this was as big an upset as Hollywood has ever seen. Sly and Arnold were god-like("Red Heat" got out-grossed, too), and Bruce had only made ONE movie(1987's "Blind Date") when he got invited to the most ill-fated Christmas party in history. This wasn't supposed to happen. If "Lethal Weapon" whet our appetites for more human heroes, John McClane came blasting through the window with a firehose tied around his waist, demanding sequels and the total devotion of every red-blooded American male lucky enough to be alive. He sure got it.

   "Die Hard" is among the most recent crop of titles to be selected for preservation by the National Film Registry. I was very pleased to hear that. Join me as I explain in great detail why you should be celebrating the anniversary of this celluloid landmark as enthusiastically as I am. Welcome to the party, pal.

   The greatest action movie of all time started it's life as a proposed sequel to the 1968 Frank Sinatra drama "The Detective"(don't bother). Sinatra played Joe Leland, and crime novelist Roderick Thorp pitted the aging NYC cop against a gang of German terrorists that take over his daughter's office Christmas party in an L.A. skyscraper. But Frank was too old for that sort of "Towering Inferno"-style heroism in the '70s, and declined. The next ten years would find this pitch presented to Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sly Stallone, Nick Nolte, Richard Gere and Mel Gibson. None of them wanted to make fists with their toes. The movie gods were smiling when a 32 year old Bruce Willis got the call in the spring of '87, because he IS John McClane(Jeb Stuart and Steven De Souza supplied the rewrites of Roderick Thorp's novel "Nothing Lasts Forever"), one of the most iconic heroes ever gifted to the movie-loving masses.

 

   It's now impossible to imagine another actor taking that first-time limo ride with Argyle. Bruce knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to climb the Hollywood hierarchy, and it's always exciting watching a young talent take a huge step forward. I'd watch McClane and his East Coast swag for two hours even if he wasn't killing anybody, that's how real and relatable he is. A flesh-and-blood human being with a failing marriage, he's clearly harboring some resentment toward the ambitions of his careerist wife Holly Gennaro. Bonnie Bedelia just couldn't turn down that big job offer with the Nakatomi Corporation, despite John's old-fashioned ideas about their relationship. Maybe we'll finally get to see them happy one day, in that oft-discussed '77-set prequel.

   Of course, a hero is only as good as the bad guys lined up in front of him. Alan Rickman was an undiscovered Shakespearean theatre actor that had never held a gun before, and he'd have the Best Supporting Actor Oscar(that went to Kevin Kline) for being the epitome of elegant villainy in a more just world. I knew Hans Gruber was a great foil the moment I laid eyes and ears on him at eight years old. He effortlessly oozes menace, and his icy, cultured persona is the perfect contrast to McClane's dirty, working-class disposition.

   Our wife beater-wearing protagonist hears gunfire and sees Euro-trash rounding up Holly's coworkers. He retreats in a panic. He's no fearless muscleman, and I can't stress enough how refreshing this was. How's a barefoot vacationing cop supposed to stop a band of viscous international criminals that leave nothing to chance?

   Don't let his passion for men's fashion fool you. Hans WILL pull the trigger, as poor Mr. Takagi finds out here. This interrogation is preceded by a brief bio of the Nakatomi founder and CEO as we learn about his company's greed across the globe. God, Rickman could have read us the phonebook and made it compelling. Hans needs the code to the vault that contains $640 million as his plans sharply come into focus. He'll have to do it the hard way. "Argyle, please tell me you heard the shots and are calling the cops right now".

   It's my belief that a villain's right-hand man should be a raving lunatic. I don't think Karl cares that much about negotiable bearer bonds. He wants blood. He admits it. This guy's been waiting his entire life to terrorize innocent people at gunpoint on Christmas Eve. Alexander Godunov is one of many colorful supporting players that max out the entertainment value.

   The fire alarm is called off, and John is tracked down on the under-construction upper floors by the phone-line-cutting creep Tony(Karl's brother). I love this scene. McClane doesn't spring into action until he absolutely has no other choice, and he could have just as easily broken his neck in that stairwell tumble. We have our first dead terrorist(Andreas Wisniewski) at the 35 minute mark, and McClane has a machine gun.

"Come out to the coast..."

   There was a period where John McTiernan was among the top ten directors in the world. Fifteen years later, a string of flops and a bizarre wiretapping scandal spelled the end for the talented New Yorker(Wiki it). That was unfortunate, but we're here to talk about "Die Hard", and his total mastery of location and pacing. The whole movie takes place in one endless night, and we spend 95% of it in or around the Nakatomi building. Fox Plaza is a character in the movie, and McTiernan turned this seeming constraint into an asset and a selling point, cranking up the urgency and consequences of his electric cat-and-mouse-game. The claustrophobic setting lends a constant tension as McClane is forced to find creative ways to move around the bowels of the building. There's no going home to rest and regroup. Lord knows he could use a new undershirt.

   The last thing Sgt. Al Powell wants to do is get involved in a high-stakes hostage situation while on his way back to his pregnant wife on Christmas Eve. He's a movie cop, though, so he has to investigate that persistent crank-caller over at Nakatomi. There couldn't be an actual incident taking place that requires police presence on the happiest, most laidback night of the year, right?

  
McClane waxes Heinrich and Marco, and if you can think of a cooler mid-movie moment than the bullet-riddled body of a terrorist psycho being dropped from a skyscraper window onto a car windshield four-hundred feet below, please let me know. After a few hours in hell, John at least has the attention of his West Coast counterparts in the LAPD. Powell is his new best friend, and only real ally on the most harrowing night of his life.

   Chief Dwayne T. Robinson was such an incompetent member of law enforcement, that Ebert gave the movie two stars because of him(Roger was dead wrong, and I interpret his three-and-and-half star review of "Die Hard 2" as an apology). You probably remember Paul Gleason as the dickhead principal in "The Breakfast Club", so he got in two great '80s movies. Dwayne is unimpressed by McClane's derring-do. He could be a fucking bartender for all we know(a pre-fame Willis actually was).

   Hans has his first chat with his mysterious party crasher. A troublesome security guard that thinks he's John Wayne or Rambo. "Yippie-ki-yay, motherfucker" is McClane's response to being called a cowboy whose seen too many movies, and his battle cry throughout the series(the second film contains the best use of the phrase). This memorable exchange is proof that "DH" has a much better script and dialogue than most actioners.

   Those macho L.A. assholes think they can storm right in, completely oblivious to the fact that their heavily-armed perpetrators are prepared for war with an invading SWAT team. McClane makes use of his new C-4 explosives and wipes a few more henchmen off the face of the earth. Dutch DOP Jan de Bont("Speed", "Twister") deserves an honorable mention for his career-making collaboration with McTiernan. The franchise would become synonymous with sick explosions and this scene contains the first three.

   You can add Hart Bochner's Ellis to the list of exemplary side characters. This coked-up yuppie sleazebag would be the villain in any movie that doesn't also feature twelve terrorist-robbers. You just KNOW that he sexually harassed Holly on a daily basis. Ellis thinks he can outsmart Hans with some slick bigshot banter, and gets a bullet in his big head after giving up McClane's identity and getting nothing but a thirst-quenching soda in return.

   Special agents Johnson and Johnson(no relation) arrive on the scene to arrogantly assess the situation. Robert Davi is in charge now. These guys can live with losing 25% of the hostages in a gung-ho chopper "rescue" effort, just in case you needed another reason to distrust the government. Bad guys wear suits. Remember that.

   John and Hans meet face-to-face when Gruber decides to check on the status of his detonators himself. He fakes an American accent and pretends to be an escaped hostage at the first sight of McClane, a clever example of the character's ingenuity. John isn't stupid, though. Bill Clay? Gruber's goons show up for some serious gun-blazing when he drops the ruse. McClane manages to cap one more of his associates before Hans and Karl shoot the glass. Even the most poker-faced viewers wince at the thought of our hero running off that office floor barefoot with another serious handicap.

Ouch.

   McClane picks bloody shards of broken glass out of his mangled feet in a bathroom, and displays a vulnerability that we just don't see in this genre. This is an important scene, that further separates "Die Hard" from all of it's pale pretenders. John knows he's been a jerk, and tells Al to find his wife when it's over and tell her that he's sorry. He doesn't think he's making it out of there. Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and JCVD couldn't emote like this if their lives depended on it. Neither could Arnie, with all due respect. Willis was a fantastic actor when he wanted to be. Just when it seems like John is tossing in the towel, he ties his filthy shirt around his left foot, and soldiers on. What was Hans doing upstairs?

   Theo, the crew's unusually calm computer hacker, lucks out when the FBI's attempts to shut off the power inadvertently opens the vault that Hans has been salivating over. After they blow up everything and cruise away in an inconspicuous ambulance hidden in the parking garage, those buffoons outside will spend months sifting through the rubble while Gruber is on a beach earning 20%.

   We can't forget about Dick Thornburg. First, William Atherton tried to put the Ghostbusters out of business. Now, he's threatening Holly's nanny with deportation and shoving a microphone in front of six year old Lucy McClane because beating channel 5 in the ratings take precedence over basic human decency. This nasty newsman was deplorable enough to be invited back(by director Renny Harlin) for 1990's "Die Hard 2".

   McClane is forced to throw down with Karl, after realizing that the roof is rigged to explode. A bullet is just too easy(although John takes one in the shoulder), and Karl is eerily confident in his ability to best our hero in hand-to-hand combat. He seems to have the prerequisite martial arts background, but McClane attacks like a wild dog with all the energy that he has left. You can feel the desperation and hatred on both sides in a literal fight to the death, and the late Michael Kamen has to be considered one of the more underrated composers(he also scored all four "Lethal Weapon" movies). Btw, the Asian candy thief(Al Leong) that tortured Martin Riggs gets his comeuppance.

   Cary Grant ran away from a crop-duster in 1959's "North by Northwest". Three decades later, Bruce Willis raised the bar considerably. McClane jumping off that flaming rooftop with a firehouse tied around his waist is right up there with Indiana Jones running away from a boulder. The sheer awesomeness of it needs no explanation, nor does his bad-ass re-entry through a window that just doesn't want to break. I love this movie so damn much.

No CGI here, kids.

   Hans has his most important hostage as utter chaos rains down outside. McClane's battle-scarred body is bathed in so much blood and sweat that he looks genuinely scary. He only has two bullets left, and the other one is for that Huey Lewis-lookalike that manned the lobby desk until the cavalry showed up. I hope you're not still kidding yourself about James Bond, Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt. Only one man can withstand this much pain and laugh in the face of the evil bastard that caused it.

Happy trails, Hans.

   Al Powell gets to be the hero in the closing moments, when it turns out that Karl's crazy ass survived the earlier carnage. He draws the gun he told John he'd never be able to use again after the mistake he made as a rookie(he shot a kid). Reginald VelJohnson's innate likability in the most popular film of the year, should been enough to insure a full-fledged movie career. Instead, sitcom stardom beckoned in '89, and he spent the next ten years battling an even more loathsome villain- Steve Urkel. I'm sure Al helped make John's eventual transfer to the L.A. police department as smooth as possible, since Holly will never even think about a divorce(or will she?). Future filmmakers, take note- minor characters matter.

   Needless to say, Bruce Willis wouldn't ever be a studio's last resort ever again. He spent much of the '90s attending Planet Hollywood openings with Sly and Arnold, and appearing in more movies than anyone that isn't an obsessive film fan could possibly keep track of. Naturally, that included "Die Hard 2", which super-producer Joel Silver ordered into production after the original tripled it's budget at the U.S. box office and dominated the rental charts(it also helped that "Lethal Weapon 2" turned out great). I always enjoyed getting caught up with McClane, until he blew up half of Moscow as an invincible 56 year old with his CIA agent son, but I swore I wouldn't get into any of that. His first adventure will forever be held up as a perfectly constructed piece of popcorn cinema. I'm part of the growing movement to have it declared the greatest Christmas movie, on top of it's '80s action supremacy. Or I could just put it a lot more simply- "Die Hard" is one of the world's greatest films.