Number Rolled: 90
Movie Name/Year: Running
Scared (2006)
Tagline: Every
bullet leaves a trail.
Genre: Action
Length: 121
minutes
Rating: R
Production Companies:
New Line Cinema, Media 8 Entertainment, True Grit Productions, VIP 1
Medienfonds, VIP 2 Medienfonds, MDP Filmproduktion, International Production
Company, Pierce/Williams Entertainment, Zero Gravity Management
Producer: Tony
Grazia, Andreas Grosch, Stewart Hall, Sammy Lee, Matt Luber, Andrew Pfeffer,
Michae A. Pierce, Brett Retner, Andreas Schmid, Kevan Van Thompson, Jeff G.
Waxman
Director: Wayne
Kramer
Writer: Wayne
Kramer
Actors: Paul
Walker, Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga, Chazz Palminteri, Karel Roden, Johnny
Messner, Ivana Milicevic, Alex Neuberger, Michael Cudlitz, Bruce Altman,
Elizabeth Mitchell, Arthur J. Nascarella, John Noble, Idalis DeLeon, David
Warshofsky, Jim Tooey, Thomas Rosales Jr., Jan Kohout
Blurb from Netflix:
Low-level mobster Joey Gazelle is tasked with disposing of a gun. But when it’s
stolen and used in another crime, he must reclaim the gun quickly.
Selina’s Point of View:
It’s always a little sad to watch a movie starring an actor
that’s died since filming it. It makes it a little easier when you don’t have
to say anything bad about the performance.
Paul Walker (Furious
7, Brick Mansions, Pawn Shop Chronicles) was a decent actor, but in Running Scared he was out of this world.
I cared about his version of Joey Gazelle. He was also blessed with a great
supporting cast, even the kids. Cameron Bright (Motive, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Walled In) didn’t
have as many lines as you would think, so he had to get his character’s point
and motivation across with physical cues. That’s a difficult thing for an adult
actor, but he was only approximately 13 at the time the film came out. I’m
super impressed that Bright was able to keep up with the rest of the cast.
Wayne Kramer (Mindhunters,
This Film is Not Yet Rated, Blazeland) really nailed the script and the
directing. I’m not at all familiar with the rest of his work, but now I want to
be.
At the start of the film, I really thought I was just
watching a generic, somewhat artistically filmed, action flick. I wasn’t in the
mood for an action movie, and I didn’t expect a damn thing from it. By the end
of the film, I was entranced by my TV and sitting on the edge of my seat.
There was some artistic camera work that I felt actually
took away from the story, but for the most part that artistic touch tended to
add to the general feel of the movie. Also, in some movies, starting at the end
and then showing how they got there isn’t a good idea. I feel this movie was
one of those. The suspense factor would have been through the roof if I hadn’t
seen that end scene in the beginning of the film.
One more thing.
Below, we have the Rotten Tomatoes scores listed, like we do
in all our reviews. I would like to note the significant difference between the
opinions of the critics and the opinions of the audience. There’s nearly a 30%
difference, which is huge. I was curious about the discrepancy, so I actually
read through a few pages of reviews by the critics.
The consensus seems to be that the movie was violent. Yeah.
That’s not a typo. The majority of the “rotten” labeled reviews from critics state
that the critic didn’t like the movie because it was violent.
Let me take a moment here to explain why that pisses me off.
This is a rated R action film. In none of the advertisements
does it claim to be anything different.
In fact, there are three different movie posters for this
film. In one, Paul Walker is holding a gun, while people cower in terror behind
him. Another one shows Walker holding a gun, but looks like it’s for a Fast and Furious (2001-) movie. In that
one, beneath him are images of a man screaming, and the same two people
cowering in terror. In the last one, Walker is holding a gun while people are
cowering and there’s another man holding a bigger gun behind him.
What the fuck did the critics expect that the violence level
threw them off? This is not a rhetorical question. If you’ve got an idea, let
me know, because I am fucking baffled.
So, here’s the deal. If you’re looking to watch something
about tiny blue creatures dancing to a magical tune, this is not the movie you’re
looking for. If you’re looking for a violent action film, this is one of the
best you can find. Try not to expect fluff.
Cat’s Point of View:
If I were asked to sum up this movie in one word, it would
be ‘intense.’
The movie opens with a sense of ‘what the hell did I just
get myself into?!’ and then just keeps charging from there.
It’s relentless, gritty, super violent, and just a hair away
from being Rated NC-17. It was miraculous that it managed the R rating.
Apparently, even writer-director Wayne Kramer (Crossing Over, The Cooler, Pawn Shop Chronicles) is said to have
been shocked that it managed the lesser.
I saw so many familiar faces from both the large and small
screens. I also have a fresh temptation to prod the showrunners of The Walking Dead (2010-), or its
after-show, to find a situation where Abraham’s Michael Cudlitz (Tenure, Stolen, Inside Out) finds a
stash of gummy bears in honor of his role in this movie.
Cameron Bright (Ultraviolet,
Little Glory, Final Girl) was a great choice for the creepy-quiet Oleg. He
was excellent with his kicked-puppy look. It really sold his story, even though
he had little dialogue. I also loved Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Goats, The Judge) in this. She was a real badass mom.
I have to say that Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost, V, Once Upon A Time) takes the cake for the creep-factor in
this one.
It all boils down to one person, though. Of course, I’m
referring to Paul Walker (Flags of Our
Fathers, Takers, Hours). I’ve long been a fan of his, may he rest in peace.
I don’t even care that he tended to gravitate to the same sorts of roles over
and over – he was excellent at what he did.
Watching his films, now, is a bit like having a visit with
an old friend. For this role, he was a loud and foul-mouthed gangster of a
friend; but who’s counting?
I’d forgotten that I’d seen this one before – though, that
was nearly a decade ago when the movie was released to DVD in 2006. It wasn’t
by any means a reflection on the film, itself. I think my only problem with it
would be the occasional patches of shaky-cam.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed the whole visceral ride.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 40%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 79%
Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 5/5
Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4.5/5
Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 3.5/5
Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score
– 4/5
P.S. Comic
Book-type drawings during the beginning of the credits.
Movie Trailer:
