For myself, Martin Brest’s MIDNIGHT RUN is the greatest buddy action-comedy ever made. The pairing of Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin was perfect for the 1988 film, that saw DeNiro’s grumpy bounty hunter Jack Walsh, on the hunt for Grodin’s ‘The Duke’, just so he can ‘get out of the miserable fucking business forever‘. Along with a superb quotable script from George Gallo and a supporting cast that included Joe Pantoliano, Dennis Farina, Phillip Baker Hall, John Ashton and Yaphett Kotto, MIDNIGHT RUN really is an absolute classic.
Last year in an interview, De Niro hinted that a sequel was in the works which will see Walsh finally back on the big-screen for another MIDNIGHT RUN. Now word is RUSH HOUR director Brett Ratner is being tapped by Universal, to helm the sequel that has a script currently being written by David Elliot and Paul Lovett. De Niro will definitely return but the brilliant Charles Grodin has not appeared in a film for over 6 years, making his involvement doubtful.
Ratner has never impressed critics with his career output over the years, including myself, but his box-office revenue speaks for itself. He was also set to be involved in the recent Oscar ceremony as producer, but controversial comments he made in an interview during promotional work for his last effort TOWER HEIST, forced him stand down.
Source: Deadline
