Running Scared (2006) Reviews

• A two hour thrill ride that doesn't relent for a minute.

  cshuman-12006-03-06

  This was an extremely graphically violent film with some gratuitous nudity. A lot of extremely well played roles. characters were simple with complex backgrounds. It kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire film wondering what was next. I left feeling like I had just had a two hour seizure. Every time you thought you had it figured out it threw a curve at you. From beginning to end it was fabulous and realistic. Paul Walker gave an excellent performance and you really got into his skin. The supporting cast was excellent, development of the characters rolled out in a believable manner with out a bunch of unnecessary revelations. I will buy this movie when it comes out on DVD. If you enjoyed Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction you will probably really enjoy this film.

• You'll be hooked within seconds

  jstachler2006-03-04

  I was a big fan of Tarantino after seeing "Resevoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction". "Running Scared" is certainly in that same vein, and it also reminds me of John Woo's "The Killer". But where this film lacks the dialog of a Tarantino film, it is a lot more visually stylish than anything QT has ever done. There are great transitions, effective dynamic time warping (speed up or slow down a shot, like a bullet flying through the air), and if you thought Maynard, Zed, and the Gimp were bizarre in "Pulp Fiction", wait until you meet the creepy married couple who through their sick hobby make every other evil character in this film look like Buddhist Monks. It's a fast, furiously-paced film, certainly aptly titled. A great cast, beginning with Paul Walker and Vera Farmiga. And certainly the main kids stand their ground, especially Cameron Bright. Also worth mentioning is the end title sequence animated by Gary Hebert. Bottom line, if you were disappointed by films like "Kill Bill" and "Sin City", films you really wanted to like but found them too cartoonishly clichéd, you'll be more than satisfied with "Running Scared". It's sharp and engaging.

• Keep me in suspense

  thekid10152006-03-10

  This movie is definitely more violent than the ones I normally go to (I'm a woman in her 50's)but I really enjoyed this one. It kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole movie. A couple of times I even jumped in my seat. Paul Walker was great - he seemed perfect for the part. I hadn't seen him in movies before but I'm definitely a fan now. The story has a definite twist which kept me interested. If you can get past the violence and some nudity, I'd really recommend it. Lot of action and suspense and a good story line. The theater was full when I went and the audience clapped for the movie at the end - which means most of them enjoyed it too.

• A massive surprise.

  drapertron2006-01-10

  Nobody makes movies like Running Scared any more. Five years ago, this film would've been toned down by whichever studio released it in order for it to receive the lowest certificate possible. Bravo, then, to writer/director Wayne Kramer for sticking to his guns and delivering one of the most uncompromising, memorable and downright brutal thrillers in recent memory. Joey (Paul Walker) is a small-time mobster hired to dispose of 'hot' guns for his bosses. One of these weapons (with particular value over all the others) falls into the hands of his son's best friend and is used to startling effect. Here is where the real fun starts. Joey can find neither the child nor the weapon in question, and he has only 18 hours before either the police, the Russian mafia or his own employers catch up with him. Walker is surprisingly impressive considering the strictly one-dimensional roles he played in movies such as The Fast And The Furious and Into The Blue. Here he plays Joey as someone well aware of his impending death should he fail, and throughout he is totally watchable and believable. No more will audiences giggle to themselves every time he delivers a dud of a line. The story occasionally flags, particularly in the middle of the film, but Kramer is not afraid to play with the camera-work to keep the audience's attention - whip-pans, CSI-style extreme close-ups, super slow-motion, sepia filters and colour bleaching are all used to give the film a gritty and somewhat unique look - take, for instance, the kitchen shooting about half an hour into the film, played from multiple viewpoints in both forward and reverse. The film's charcoal-dark tone may be too relentless for some viewers, and the paedophilia subplot could be considered as taking things one step too far, but as long as you've got a strong stomach and can face hearing lashings of creative swearing, there's a lot of enjoyment to be found here. Unbearably tense, visually inventive and superbly acted from start to finish, Running Scared is the first real surprise of 2006 - it pulls no punches and thrills from its excessively bloody opening to its foul-mouthed conclusion.

• Grand Guignol done with flair

  somf2006-03-04

  Those who dismiss this classic film, and it really is destined to be a cult classic are perhaps properly outraged by the characters that Wayne Kramer populates this film with. Drug addicts, hookers, mobsters, wife beaters, pedophiles, crooked cops and pimps cross the path of Oleg and Joey as they run through the city looking to stay alive. Tarantino comparisons will abound as with any clever and violent film these days, but Wayne Kramer imprints Running Scared with his own wonderful style. I watched Richard Roeper give this a thumbs down by saying that Kramer throws in everything but the kitchen sink, I wholeheartedly agree but consider that a compliment. The climactic finale that takes place in a hockey rink starts off reminding me of one of my favorite scenes from another cult classic Philip Kaufman's "The Wanderers" which was derived from "The Hustler", but it only starts off there, and then it becomes perhaps the best all out violent mess that has ever been filmed. I can't say enough about this film. I even thought Paul Walker was terrific. He shows promise that he has never shown before by eschewing the pretty boy shtick. I just watched the film a second time upon it's DVD release which is something I seldom do, and I realized that Kramer views the film as a fairy tale. The evil characters are so over the top. They are the creatures of the night that populate our nightmares as opposed to the evil actually populating the streets. The film is about legends and myth. If the bad guys are the ones portrayed in the film, the good guys are John Wayne. If this sounds a little strange just watch the ending credits carefully. People will discover this film. It is pure testosterone. But it sure kicks ass. I liked Wayne Kramer's the Cooler a lot as a simple character piece. I also enjoyed Mindhunters more than most, but now I anxiously await his next film. I think Wayne Kramer is going to create a great body of work over the next few years.