Running Scared (2006)

Trying to explain the wildly accelerated plot of this non-stop action thriller would be like convincing Quentin Tarantino to retell the saga of The Sopranos in 15-minutes or less. Don't misunderstand, Running Scared wastes little time on the nuanced details that make the violent, narratively precise, and intricately characterized world of The Sopranos so stylish and compelling. But boy, does it have style to spare, not to mention plenty of violence, narrative, and a cast of characters that all engage in a heady battle for your attention. Paul Walker has the unenviable task of fleshing out the role of a low-level mob flunky who's assigned to get rid of a gun that was involved in a bloody drug deal gone bad. When he botches even that little job, it's not just his wife who gets mad at him. Creepily threatened kids, put-upon women who save the day, and an array of pimps, hookers, sleazy gangsters and dirty cops straight ouuta central casting are all part of the intricate jumble of the story (not to mention bullet-time close-ups and a nifty scene that imparts the inherent danger of hockey pucks in a whole new light). It's hard to believe this outlandish piece of ultraviolence came from writer/director Wayne Kramer, the same creative mind that gave us the smooth little caper flick The Cooler. Don't think about that too hard though. Considering the madcap rush of Running Scared's wicked fun and inspired lunacy, you won't have the time to anyway. --Ted Fry Amazon.com

2.5 stars out of 4

The Bottom Line:

For its first hour or so Running Scared is a dark and skillfull film, but its cliched denouement (which brings up more than a few plot holes) and cavalcade of cursing (I'm no puritan, but I like my dialogue a little more interesting than "I'm ****ing going to ****ing murder you sick ****!") torpedo a promising film. January 1, 2009

1 Bad S Movie

This movie keeps moving, whether it be cursing, sex or violence.

The synopsis is correct for a change.

Per Cameron Bright, Mmm ...Mmm ...Mmm ...
Call me up anytime.

You need to watch this!
;) December 28, 2008

PAUL WALKERS A (VERY SEXY) MAN **DONT MISS THIS DVD**

THIS DVD WAS ONE OF MOST SURPRISING THAT I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME. PAUL WALKER MAY NOT BE GETTING THE RECOGNITION DUE HIM. HE OUT ACTS HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN, BRAD PITT AND MANY OTHERS. THIS IS A PAUL WALKER-COLLECTOR MUST HAVE! I CANT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THIS BLASTED GREAT DVD. YOU WILL WANT TO WATCH IT TWICE---- ONCE YOU CATCH YOUR BREATH! October 25, 2008

A Gangster Movie with a Twist...or Two

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker
Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake

RUNNING SCARED is one of the most original gangster movies to come along in several years.

Written and directed by Wayne Kramer (THE COOLER), this non-stop actioner with a surprise ending stars Paul Walker as a low level soldier with the Italian Mob, who finds himself caught in an untenable situation between crooked cops, the Russian Mob and his own bosses.

When a band of dirty cops, headed by Chazz Palminteri, break in on an illegal drug deal, a bloody shoot-out results with most of the cops left dead. Walker's boss entrusts him with disposing of the guns that did the deed, but before he can do that, his troubled next door neighbor kid (Cameron Bright) swipes one of them, uses it to shoot his nasty step-father, then takes off.

Now, Walker must retrieve that weapon, as well as the bullets fired from it, before the police can trace it back to the earlier incident.

In the meantime, young Cameron has major problems of his own. During his flight, he enters a surreal world, encountering a brutal pimp and his call girl, a couple into child pornography and the step-father who he shot.

Vera Farmiga co-stars as Walker's wife, forced to deal with the darkside of life in order to save Cameron.

This is one that you don't want to miss.

© Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD October 12, 2008

"john wayne was a ..."

i really enjoy paul walker and i picked up this dvd without knowing anything about the movie. from the opening scence to the end of this movie there is so much going on. violence, drama, sex, drugs, john wayne, police, child kidnappers and hookers make up the cast and plot of this movie.

the movie follows a gun that was supposed to be disposed of by the main character joey. joey's neighbor son finds the gun and then uses it in a crime and then runs away with it. now its a matter of finding the gun and the kid. sounds easy but around every corner something bad happens.

the movie has a pulp fiction meets sin city feel to it that works really well. October 11, 2008

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