Director: Martin Brest
Cast: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto
Release Date: August 23, 2016
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Disc Rating: 8.5/10
Synopsis:
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 fantastic action comedy ‘Midnight Run’ follows an honest ex-cop turned bounty hunter named Jack Walsh who promptly accepts when offered a generous sum for a bounty which should be a simple Midnight Run job to pick up and bring back a white collar criminal known as The Duke. Unfortunately for Jack and his bounty, one problem after another and some unwelcome conflictions with an old crime boss who Jack happens to have a history with result in this simple job continually becoming more dangerous and troublesome. ‘Midnight Run’ is a fantastic treat of a comedy directed by Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop) and starring a phenomenal cast that includes Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, and Joe Pantoliano along with a number more; beautifully remastered for this fantastic Blu-ray release from Shout Factory and serving as release number 3 in their new Shout Select lineup.
Fans of this wonderful 80’s gem will almost surely want to make certain to pick up a copy of the ‘Midnight Run’ Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release from Shout Select to add to their collection. Sporting a brand new high definition transfer of the film from a new 2K scan of the interpositive that looks magnificent, in addition to a solid lossless audio presentation and a number of great new extras created specifically for this release including new interviews with Charles Grodin, Joe Pantoliano and more (more detailed information regarding the bonus content can be found in the special features section of the technical specification coverage below), altogether certain to make this one a definite must own for hardcore fans of the film who haven’t already picked up their copy of this gorgeous release.
Overall, any hardcore fan of the incredibly enjoyable ‘Midnight Run’ will undoubtedly want to pick up a copy of Shout Select’s new Blu-ray release of the film and have the ability to enjoy this humorous classic any time you please with notable high definition video audio presentations, not to mention some fantastic new extras. ‘Midnight Run’ is a smart, hilarious and even somewhat tense classic initially released in 1988 that still delivers in every way and it shines in all of its glory with this new Shout Select Collector’s Edition Blu-ray.
VIDEO:
The Shout Select Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of ‘Midnight Run’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation from a new 2K scan of the Interpositive and utilizing the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. This new high definition video presentation looks fantastic as a whole and delivers a sharp and detailed presentation from start to finish that still maintains a suitable amount of grain and never falters or suffers any notable faults throughout. Overall, this is a wonderful new high definition video presentation that should easily thrill fans of this enjoyable classic.
AUDIO:
The Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release features both a lossless 5.1 and 2.0 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. I opted for viewing with the 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtrack after some comparison between the two which didn’t result in a noticeable advantage one way or the other. This lossless multichannel soundtrack provides a consistently clean, sharp and solid audio presentation; although it doesn’t contribute a great deal in the way of surround activity, keeping the majority of content focused to the front aside from the score and a few other minor details that make their way into the rear speakers on occasion. Overall, this is a pretty decent 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtrack that while not incredibly hard hitting, still delivers a clean and notable audio presentation from start to finish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Shout Select Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of ‘Midnight Run’ includes some worthwhile and enjoyable bonus content, including a number of Interviews and more new to this release. Included on the release is ‘An Interview with Robert De Niro’ (running approximately 9 minutes in length), along with ‘We Got the Duke: An Interview with Actor Charles Grodin’ (running approximately 12 minutes), ‘Moscone Bail Bonds: An Interview with Actor Joe Pantoliano’ (approximately 14 minutes), ‘Hey Marvin! An Interview with Actor John Astin’ (17 minutes), ‘Midnight Writer: An Interview with Writer George Gallo’ (25 minutes), and ‘I’m Mosely! An Interview with Actor Yaphet Kotto’ (8 minutes) which is an Audio Only interview. A ‘Vintage Making of Featurette’ (approximately 7 minutes), and the ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (1 minute) for the film are also included.
*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.
Disc Rating: 8.5/10
‘Midnight Run’; is Now Available to own on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray From Shout Select!
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