``Midnight Run'' A monumental buddy movie where two great actors have great chemistry.

De Niro x Grodin: Chemistry born from the play of two great actors

Martin Brest's plan is perfectly accurate. Created by Robert De Niro, who is ``acclaimed as a great actor, but cannot attract customers by his name,'' and Charles Grodin, who is ``a talented actor, but cannot attract customers by his name.'' The chemistry between the two actors cast a great spell on the film.

For example, there's a scene where two people pretend to be FBI agents at a bar and steal real money by pretending it's counterfeit money in a fake test. The two of them work together so perfectly that we can't help but smile, but in reality, most of the play is improvised. Martin Brest believed in the talent of the duo and embraced improvisation in a big way.

"Midnight Run" trailer

The scene where Grodin asks De Niro on the train, ``Do you have any experience with animals? The chickens in the Indian village were fat,'' was also improvised. When Martin Brest told him to ``think of something that would make De Niro laugh,'' Charles Grodin uttered the most bizarre line. The two feel completely relaxed and talk to each other like they have been friends for many years, saying, ``I wonder if we could have been friends in the next life.'' The setting in which Jack is always concerned about his watch was also De Niro's own idea, based on deep consideration of the role. George Gallo's outstanding scenario has been refined into a lighthearted and stylish conversation drama, thanks to the superb chemistry between the two leads.

For this performance, Robert De Niro was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, and pioneered a new field in comedy. Charles Grodin, who was a low-key actor, later went on to star in Beethoven (1992). Midnight Run was an important turning point for these two great actors.

Text: Rui Takeshima

A pop culture writer who wants to be kicked by Hit Girl. Host of the web magazine " POP MASTER ".

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"Midnight Run"

Blu-ray: 4,200 yen + tax / DVD: 1,429 yen + tax

Publisher: NBCUniversal Entertainment

(C) 1988 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

* Information as of April 2020.

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