A tough bounty hunter. A sensitive criminal.

Starring: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Well if you don't shut up, pretty soon you're gonna suffer from fistaphobia." – Jack Walsh to "The Duke"

Why watch this? The exchanges between Grodin and De Niro are priceless.

Plot Summary: Gruff bounty hunter, Jack Walsh, agrees to a seemingly easy job: retrieve a mob accountant from New York and bring him back to Los Angeles. However, the accountant, Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas, turns out to be a demanding and eccentric individual with a fear of flying, forcing the two men on an arduous cross-country journey by various modes of transportation. As they travel, they are pursued relentlessly by the FBI, who want The Duke to testify against his former boss, and by the mob, who want to silence him permanently, all while facing off against a rival bounty hunter.

Dad's Preview: This is a superb buddy and/or road movie. It focuses on two polar opposite characters: one is a tough bail bondsman, Jack; the other, a meek, soft-spoken mob accountant known as "The Duke". Suffice it to say this film is packed with FBI agents, the Mob, car chases, and train rides. That said, I really enjoy the small scenes: scamming cash from Red's Bar, Jack's hurried visit to his estranged wife and daughter, and the film's perfect ending. What really impressed me was the humor, especially from non-comedic actors De Niro and Grodin - they play so well off each other.

City Lights Films; Universal Pictures