'Midnight Edition' is a forgotten title from the 90's about a newspaper journalist and a convicted killer that I never got around to seeing until now thanks to a kind soul on YouTube. I can say I didn't expect the world from this dtv OOP tale, but I was certainly hoping it would be a better drama than the end result. Audiences might recognize Will Patton in a rare leading role and Michael DeLuise (NYPD Blue, Sipowicz's son Andy).
After two years in Miami that included abandoning his wife & daughter, Jack Travers (Patton) returns to his hometown, family and the small time paper he started writing for. Meanwhile Darryl Weston (DeLuise) has gone on a mini crime spree. Jack gets to survey the local brutal murder scene and splashes it on the front page. He then visits Weston in prison who's gonna be sent to death row, writes up articles that find success nationally and thinks he's found his meal ticket. The only thing left open to question is who's using who more.
This isn't new ground as I know I've seen a handful of films that share this sycophant relationship between two sordid characters and media types are a popular source. That alone doesn't kill the mood here. It's a heavy dose of absurdity as fueled by our main character. The killer has all his cards on the table - he's a damaged piece of trash that elicits no shock when he begins lying then goes on a hunt for sympathy ... but Jack? He starts out being a questionable sort of guy, slides right into unlikable before a descent straight to pathetic.
'Midnight Edition' isn't a total loss, but afterwards I understood why it's largely been left in the past. You get some fine acting from Patton burning bridges, driven by ego, greed or both. DeLuise shows an equal amount of charm, violence & over the top behavior to be a bonafide sociopath. You just have to be content with a formula plot that never feels authentic and a silly ending doesn't help.
After two years in Miami that included abandoning his wife & daughter, Jack Travers (Patton) returns to his hometown, family and the small time paper he started writing for. Meanwhile Darryl Weston (DeLuise) has gone on a mini crime spree. Jack gets to survey the local brutal murder scene and splashes it on the front page. He then visits Weston in prison who's gonna be sent to death row, writes up articles that find success nationally and thinks he's found his meal ticket. The only thing left open to question is who's using who more.
This isn't new ground as I know I've seen a handful of films that share this sycophant relationship between two sordid characters and media types are a popular source. That alone doesn't kill the mood here. It's a heavy dose of absurdity as fueled by our main character. The killer has all his cards on the table - he's a damaged piece of trash that elicits no shock when he begins lying then goes on a hunt for sympathy ... but Jack? He starts out being a questionable sort of guy, slides right into unlikable before a descent straight to pathetic.
'Midnight Edition' isn't a total loss, but afterwards I understood why it's largely been left in the past. You get some fine acting from Patton burning bridges, driven by ego, greed or both. DeLuise shows an equal amount of charm, violence & over the top behavior to be a bonafide sociopath. You just have to be content with a formula plot that never feels authentic and a silly ending doesn't help.