Strange Companions of the Silver Screen Quiz

Answer: Midnight Run

Released in 1988, "Midnight Run" featured Robert De Niro as Jack Walsh, a bounty hunter tasked with locating a Mafia accountant Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas - played by Charles Grodin - who had jumped bail.

Despite a search by the FBI, Walsh finds Mardukas with ease and captures him, embarrassing the FBI. Walsh though then faced having to transport Mardukas across America to claim his fee for capturing Mardukas.

However, the FBI and Mardukas' former Mafia associates, along with a rival bounty hunter, all have plans to stop the pair reaching Los Angeles. Despite being pursued, Walsh and Mardukas strike up an unlikely friendship, getting to know each other as they make their way to Los Angeles.

Answer: Lethal Weapon

Released in 1987, "Lethal Weapon" starred Danny Glover as Roger Murtaugh, a by-the-book detective, close to retirement. However, Murtaugh is forced to work with a reckless young partner, Martin Riggs (played by Mel Gibson), who seems not to care whether he lives or dies after the death of his wife.

Tasked with finding out the truth behind the death of the daughter of one of Murtaugh's friends - with whom he served during the Vietnam War - the pair for an unlikely alliance, intent on defeating a group of ex-Vietnam veteran soldiers, smuggling drugs into the USA.

After "Lethal Weapon" was released, a number of sequels were made, with the addition of Joe Pesci as Leo Getz, who Riggs and Murtaugh encounter in "Lethal Weapon 2" when they are assigned to protect him against a gang of drug smugglers. In the following "Lethal Weapon" films, Getz tries to befriend Riggs and Murtaugh, though he is often the butt of their jokes.

Answer: Strangers on a Train

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1951, the film "Strangers on a Train" centred on two men who meet at random on a train, one with a perfect plan to do away with his despised father.

When wealthy socialite Bruno Antony meets a professional tennis player named Guy Haines, Antony proposes a theory that he murders Haines' wife Miriam so that he can marry another woman. In return, Haines has to kill Antony's father, whom Bruno hates. Since Anthony and Haines would be suspected of committing the crimes, but have solid alibis for their whereabouts, the murders would be put down to having been committed by someone else.

To Haines' shock, Antony actually murders Haines' wife, believing he had made a deal with Haines to carry out their plan. However, when Haines gets cold feet about killing Antony's father, he finds himself blackmailed by Antony who threatens to frame Haines for the murder of his wife.

Answer: The Odd Couple

Based on Neil Simons play of the same title, "The Odd Couple" revolved around recently separated Felix Unger, who after a suicide attempt moves into an apartment where his friend - Oscar Madison - lives.

It isn't long though before obsessive, neat freak Felix is at odds with Oscar's slovenly ways. What is even worse is Felix is still thinking about his ex-wife Frances, despite Oscar trying to set him up with another woman who lives with her sister. Eventually Felix moves out of Oscar's apartment after an argument with Oscar, prompting Oscar and his friends to go off in search of Felix. Eventually, Felix and Oscar both realise that in living together, a bit of both their lifestyles has rubbed off onto the other.

Interestingly, Walter Matthau also played Oscar in the original Broadway production of "The Odd Couple", alongside Art Carney in the role of Felix. Although Frank Sinatra, Tony Randall (who did play Felix in the TV version of the film) and Dick Van Dyke were all at one point linked to the role of Felix, the role eventually went to Jack Lemmon.

In addition to the sequel, named "The Odd Couple II", Lemmon and Matthau also appeared in, "Grumpy Old Men" and its sequel, "Grumpier Old Men" as two neighbours at odds with each other.

Answer: Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Released in 1993 "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" is a tale of a cat and two dogs left with a friend whilst a family goes on vacation. However, when the family does not come back after a few days, the trio set off to find their owners. On their journey they encounter numerous threats from wild animals to humans, all the while unaware that their owners are trying to find them.

Based on Disney's "The Incredible Journey", which itself was based on the novel by Shelia Burnford - and also closer to Burnford's storyline - the names of the three animals were changed for the 1993 version. Whilst Sally Field voiced the cat Sassy - aptly named given Sassy's demeanour - veteran actor Don Ameche voiced Shadow, an old but wise Golden Retriever. In addition, Michael J. Fox voiced not only Chance - a naïve, young American Bulldog - but also acted as the film's narrator.

Answer: Hell in the Pacific

Directed by John Boorman and released in 1968, "Hell in the Pacfic" featured Lee Marvin - simply listed as an American Pilot in the credits - who finds himself stranded on a tropical island in the Pacific Ocean. However, the pilot soon finds he is not alone as Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda - from the Japanese Imperial Navy - is also living on the island.

Every time Kuroda devised a way of aiding his survival, Marvin's pilot tries to either steal it for his own use or ruin it. Although both have the opportunity to kill or capture the other, neither of them takes this route. Instead they reach an alliance to build a raft to make good their escape.

Although the original film released ended abruptly - when it looked like the pilot and Kuroda may kill each other, an alternate ending had them walk away from one another leaving their fate unknown.

On an interesting note, both Marvin and Toshirô Mifune (who played Kuroda) served in the armed services during World War Two, with Marvin serving in the US Marines and Mifune the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service.

Answer: Two Mules for Sister Sara

Starring Clint Eastwood as a mercenary cowboy named Hogan - working for Mexican rebels - alongside Shirley McClaine as the titular Sister Sara, "Two Mules for Sister Sara" was first released in 1970.

When Hogan is tasked with scouting out a fort in Mexico that is controlled by the French, he comes across a nun being assaulted by three cowboys. Killing the cowboys, he rescues the nun. Hogan though grows suspicious of the nun when she starts smoking his cigars and drinking his whiskey as they journey to meet the rebels. It is then the nun reveals she is really a prostitute, with knowledge of the fort's layout, who also wants to help the rebels.

Teaming up, they then assist the rebels in their struggle to gain control of the fort; in return the rebels promise Hogan he can take a portion of the valuables that the French have held in a strongbox within the fort.

Answer: Life of Pi

Based on Yann Martel's novel of the same name, "Life of Pi" is the story of a young man from India who finds himself shipwrecked along with a tiger.

The film begins with Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel relating his life story to the novelist Yann Martel (played by Rafe Spall). In the story, he relates that as a young man his father once owned a zoo in India that had to be closed down.

When Pi's father decides to move to Canada to start a new life, they leave on a Japanese ship. The ship though sinks in a storm, leaving Pi in a lifeboat with a zebra; Pi attempts to rescue what he believes to be a survivor, only for him to realise it was the zoo's tiger named Richard Parker.

When a hyena that had been hiding under a tarpaulin on the lifeboat kills the zebra - along with an orangutan Pi had also rescued - Richard Parker attacks the hyena, killing it.

After building a makeshift raft, to keep his distance from the tiger, Pi then helps to feed him by catching fish for him to eat, and despite being a vegetarian himself, Pi ends up eating the fish as well. When his raft though is destroyed by a whale, Pi begins to get the tiger to accept him, and together they attempt to reach safety.

Answer: Trading Places

Released in 1983, "Trading Places" is a film about a homeless man and upper class managing director who find their lives altered for the sake of a bet between two brothers named Randolph and Mortimer Duke.

When the Duke brothers decide to have a wager over a debate about nature v. nurture, they witness an altercation between a street beggar named Billy Ray Valentine (played by Eddie Murphy) and the Dukes' managing director Louis Winthorpe III - played by Dan Aykroyd.

After framing Winthorpe for theft, adultery and drug dealing, the Duke brothers replace him with Valentine. Meanwhile, Winthorpe is forced onto the streets where he meets a prostitute.

When Valentine though learns about the Dukes' plans, he teams up with Winthorpe to bring the brothers down, ruining them financially with a forged report on frozen orange juice.

Interestingly, the Duke brothers also turn up in another Eddie Murphy film entitled, "Coming to America". In the film, they are homeless and living on the streets when Murphy's character - Prince Akeem - offers them money to help them start a new life.

Answer: Shanghai Noon

Starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, "Shanghai Noon" was released in 2000.
After blaming himself for the kidnapping of a Chinese princess, Chon Wang (Chan) pleads to join the Imperial Guards sent to rescue her.

Whilst on a train in America, Wang finds it is attacked by a gang of train robbers led by Roy O'Bannon - played by Owen Wilson. When O'Bannon is overthrown as the gang's leader, Wang rescues him by giving him a pair of chopsticks to dig himself out of the hole his gang had buried him in.

Eventually the pair join forces and head off to Carson City, attempting to rescue the princess from the Chinese traitor that had arranged her abduction.

A sequel to the film, "Shanghai Knights" saw Chan and Wilson reunited, this time heading to London in order to gain revenge on a man responsible for murdering Wang's father.