The Man

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

Although the producers of Midnight Run could sue The Man for petty theft, the truth is, it doesn't steal any more than all the other mismatched buddy movies Hollywood has unimaginatively churned out. In these kinds of paint-by-numbers potboilers, the plot is about as original as a high school yearbook quote, which means it's the chemistry between lead actors that seals the deal. And that's what saves The Man. Samuel L. Jackson maintains his usual high standards, but it's Eugene Levy who'll keep you clutching your gut from the opening scene. Levy plays a dental product salesman who's mistaken for an undercover federal agent (played by Jackson). Before he can comb his eyebrows, the cowardly bystander is thrust into a mission to recover stolen money and nab some cop killers. Once Levy becomes the center of Jackson’s sting operation, it's "Gentlemen, start your car chases!" Luckily, the banter between Levy and Jackson—and one scene in which Levy escapes trouble by convincing the bad dudes that Jackson is his “bitch”—saves this from becoming the same off-the-shelf Hollywood movie we've seen a billion times before.

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