Running Scared is a fast adrenaline rush, but it ain't a pretty picture; bloody, violent, profane and brutal, and to make it even more disturbing, there are children in the middle of it. This is the kind of film that will give parents a week of nightmares, but for the movie goers, Running Scared may not be such a bad film. It is fairly compelling as a drama, suspenseful as a thriller and it is smarter than many of its contemporary flicks in the genre.
Paul Walker in his strongest performance yet plays Joe Gazelle. He deals drugs with his buddies. At the beginning of the movie, they are ambushed by three guys in hoods, two are killed moments later in a bloody shootout. They turn out to be police. Joe is given the task of disposing of the murder weapons, so he hides them in his cellar. That night, there is a shooting next door which is where his son's best friend lives. When Joe goes to investigate, he realizes that not only has one of the guns ended up in the hands of the friend, but he has run away with it. Joe knows if the cops find the weapon, he is in trouble, so with the help of his son, he goes looking for the armed kid, but the cops are looking too, whose gonna get there first.
Although not a terribly confusing story, Running Scared is full of sharp twists and turns, perhaps one two many. The movie generally maintains focus on the central plot, but just occasionally it slides its attention towards some unneeded material. The ending is one of the more bloody that I've seen recently, Writer/director Wayne Kramer tries to make it more original setting it in the oddest of locations for a hail of gunfire. I think his camera work is impressive and he uses a lot of photography tricks in very stylish ways, very similar to Kill Bill, or Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead.
Once again, I will warn you that this is not a pretty picture. If you want mindless breezy fun, then perhaps this might be too extreme for you, but if you want something a bit stronger and less superficial, then this is one you might enjoy.
Paul Walker in his strongest performance yet plays Joe Gazelle. He deals drugs with his buddies. At the beginning of the movie, they are ambushed by three guys in hoods, two are killed moments later in a bloody shootout. They turn out to be police. Joe is given the task of disposing of the murder weapons, so he hides them in his cellar. That night, there is a shooting next door which is where his son's best friend lives. When Joe goes to investigate, he realizes that not only has one of the guns ended up in the hands of the friend, but he has run away with it. Joe knows if the cops find the weapon, he is in trouble, so with the help of his son, he goes looking for the armed kid, but the cops are looking too, whose gonna get there first.
Although not a terribly confusing story, Running Scared is full of sharp twists and turns, perhaps one two many. The movie generally maintains focus on the central plot, but just occasionally it slides its attention towards some unneeded material. The ending is one of the more bloody that I've seen recently, Writer/director Wayne Kramer tries to make it more original setting it in the oddest of locations for a hail of gunfire. I think his camera work is impressive and he uses a lot of photography tricks in very stylish ways, very similar to Kill Bill, or Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead.
Once again, I will warn you that this is not a pretty picture. If you want mindless breezy fun, then perhaps this might be too extreme for you, but if you want something a bit stronger and less superficial, then this is one you might enjoy.