Release Date: February 24, 2006
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive strong brutal violence and language, sexuality and drug content
Written and Directed by: Wayne Kramer
Starring: Paul Walker, Chazz Palminteri, Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga, Johnny Messner, Alex Neuberger, Karel Roden, Ivana Milicevic, Bruce Altman, Elizabeth Mitchell
Plot:
For over a decade Joey Gazelle has successfully juggled his conflicting roles as both loving family man and a low-level employee of the Italian Perello mob in Grimley, New Jersey. However, when Joey ignores the mob's explicit instructions to dispose of a gun used in the fatal shooting of a corrupt cop during a bungled drug buy, he unwittingly puts his entire family in immediate danger.
Review:
Ridiculous! That very first word of this review is the perfect way to describe Running Scared. Mostly everything in this film is completely unrealistic and over the top. Running Scared is exaggerated to the point that nothing here can be taken seriously. The film is brutal, bloody, bad mouthed, but its also other things like kinetic, entertaining, well directed. There is no doubt that Running Scared has flaws because it has more of that than brains sometimes, but it takes crime films back to when they were downright dirty.
This is the latest feature from Director Wayne Kramer who also made 2003's The Cooler. With Running Scared Kramer has an eye for a dark, gritty crime film with a simple plot. Its the events that this film comes across that makes it all that interesting. Many scenes are memorable and original as have never been seen on screen. Other scenes are stupid and intentionally funny, but silly as well.
Either way, Kramer wrote and directed this film and he does a lot better with the latter which could be what saves Running Scared. His direction here is a lot like Tony Scott's, except even with a faster pace. There are flaws beyond your imagination, but the film moves so fast that you have no time to complain. This film knows that none of this is reality, however, it does know that it will grab the viewer and hold their attention for its entire running time.
Coming to the cast, Paul Walker is the lead actor believe it or not. The man that is known for The Fast and the Furious films, actually delivers his best performance. However, this shouldn't be saying much because Walkers performance here is good, but its filled with bad language. He certainly won't any awards for this performance, but for him this is an accomplishment. Along with Walker stars Vera Farmiga who plays Walkers wife in the film. There are many interesting characters in Running Scared, featuring one that is obsessed with John Wayne.
Running Scared has signs of a bad film, but that it is not. Even with all its over the top sequences, the film knows what its doing and it knows that it should not be taken seriously. There are some scenes in Running Scared that are stupid and one that even has a criminal using a line from Scarface, "Say hello to my little friend!". This is laughable and silly, but pays homage to that film and other popular crime motion pictures.
For this type of genre, Running Scared does awfully good while being awfully flawed. As the film comes to its conclusion, even its final scene is ridiculous. Without giving anything away, it makes you think something is going to happen, but instead the opposite happens and I quite frankly, actually predicted it. With this it actually pulled the final straw of the insane possibilities that can occur when you watch Running Scared.
Running Scared is original, entertaining and always interesting, this is what makes it worth a recommendation. This is by no means a solid film of any sort, but even with its brutal, insane and straight-forward approach, its enjoyable. Running Scared is good filmmaking with far fetched scenes and it still turns out to be a film that grabs the viewer tightly. Once Running Scared comes to its conclusion you might even be ashamed for enjoying it so much, but one things for sure, this film is never dull.
