Plot
Bounty hunter Jack Walsh (De Niro) is enlisted by bail bondsman Eddie Moscone to bring accountant Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas (Grodin) back to L.A. The accountant had embezzled $15 million from Chicago mob boss Jimmy Serrano (Farina) before skipping the $450,000 bail Moscone has posted for him. Jack must bring The Duke back within five days, or Eddie defaults. Eddie says the job is easy, a "midnight run," but Jack demands $100,000. Jack is then approached by FBI Agent Alonzo Mosely (Kotto), who wants The Duke to be a witness against Serrano. At Kennedy airport in New York, Serrano’s henchmen Tony (Foronjy) and Joey (Miranda) offer Jack $1 million to turn The Duke over to them.
Jack takes custody of The Duke and calls Eddie from the airport, not knowing that Eddie’s line is tapped by the FBI and Jerry (Kehoe), Eddie’s assistant, is secretly working for Serrano. When The Duke has a panic attack on the plane, Jack is forced to travel via train. When Jack and The Duke fail to show up, Eddie brings in rival bounty hunter Marvin Dorfler (Ashton) to find them. Marvin uses Jack’s credit card number to find out where they are and then has the card canceled. Jack is able to get the drop on Marvin and leaves the train, but without funds, he is forced to rely on other means to get across the country, including stealing cars, borrowing his ex-wife’s (Phillips) car in Chicago, and hitchhiking.
The Duke tries to get to know Jack, who eventually reveals that he had been an undercover officer in Chicago trying to get close to Serrano. Refusing to take money like other corrupt officers, Jack is setup and forced to leave town.
In Arizona, Marvin catches up with them and takes The Duke away from Jack, who is found by Mosely. Jack realizes that Marvin intends to turn The Duke over to Serrano. Marvin tries to get $2 million from Tony and Joey for The Duke, but the plan backfires. Jack bluffs that he has computer disks created by The Duke with enough information to put Serrano away. At McCarran Airport, Jack meets up with Serrano while wearing a wire and being watched by the FBI. Marvin, at the airport to fly home, spots The Duke and interrupts the exchange. Marvin punches Jack and unknowingly disables the wire. At the last minute, Jack yells that Serrano has the disks; the FBI closes in, arresting Serrano and his henchmen. Moseley turns The Duke over to Jack with enough time to return him to L.A. by the deadline.
In L.A., Jack calls Eddie to tell him that he has The Duke, but that he is letting him go. Before parting, The Duke gives Jack $300,000 in a money belt he had been hiding. Jack flags down a taxi and asks the driver if he has change for a $1,000 bill, but the taxi drives away, so he starts walking home.
Read more about this topic: Midnight Run
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