Midnight Run

Jack Walsh has a rough life as a bounty hunter, as he has the unenviable task of recapturing all sorts of disgruntled criminals who’ve run out on his boss, bail bondsman Eddie Moscone. As if this were not bad enough, he has to fight over the felons with similarly scruffy (and ill-tempered) colleague Marvin Dorfler. Having brought in a shotgun-toting criminal, Eddie is so pleased that he fast-talks Jack into taking a very special case. Jonathan Mardukas was a Mob accountant, at least until he embezzled $15 million from Chicago mob boss Jimmy Serrano, gave it to charity, then skipped out on his six-figure bond.

Jack has his misgivings, but the lure of a $100,000 payday is too big to ignore. A little basic detective work gives him a phone number in New York City, but before he can hop over to the Big Apple a very serious FBI agent, Alonzo Mosely pays him a call. In direct terms, Mosely warns Jack not to interfere with the FBI’s plans to bring Mardukas in as a star witness against Serrano. Jack makes it to New York, but before he’s out of the airport Serrano’s thugs make contact and make their own interests known.

A few more nifty detective moves later, Jack has the “Duke” in custody and safely aboard a commercial flight back to L.A. In short order, by wiretap and informer, both the FBI and Serrano get wind of Jack’s prize and prepare their own plans. Back aboard the aircraft, Jack finds out that Jonathan was not kidding when he said he couldn’t fly—his fear of flying is, well, so extreme that Jack is forced to haul him over to Grand Central Station for a slow train to L.A.

Expecting Jack and the “Duke” to show up at the airport, Eddie panics when the plane shows up empty. He calls in Marvin Dorfler to go pick up the “Duke,” promising him the same fee he’s giving Jack—$25,000. Not knowing Eddie is lying to him, Marvin still figures it’s a big payday, and rushes off to find his prize. Marvin finds the pair aboard the Amtrak train, but Jack makes him sorry for his efforts. Jack knows that it’s only a matter of time before Serrano and the FBI get on his trail, so it’s off to the bus station. As the trip continues, the “Duke” continually gets on Jack’s nerves, asking about his plans, his background, his health, and so on.

Serrano gets wind of Jack’s change of transportation, and prepares a little assassination party for Mardukas at the Chicago bus stop, only to have it crashed by Agent Mosely with a gang of FBI agents trailing behind. In the ensuing confusion, Jack escapes with the “Duke” in tow, appropriating Mosely’s car in the process. With no other way to go, Jack looks up his ex-wife Gail for an uncomfortable reunion, seeing as how she’s married to a corrupt cop (who helped force Jack out of the Chicago Police Department) and he hasn’t seen her or his daughter Denise in nine years. He manages to get some cash and car from her, now driving cross-country, or at least to Amarillo, Texas, where his money runs out. He gets Eddie to wire $500 to Amarillo, which again tips off Serrano, and further enrages Eddie. Yet again, he puts Marvin Dorfler on the trail. —DVDverdict.com