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Review #47 of 365
Film: Running Scared (2006) [R] 110 minutes
WIP: $11.75
When 1st Seen: 26 February 2006
Where Viewed: Metropolitan Metrolux 14, Loveland, CO
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Review Dedicated to: Kevin D. of Gig Harbor, WA
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DVD | soundtrack |
Fans of Running Scared (1986)—the comedy starring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines, the David Hemming-directed Running Scared (1972), Running Scared (1980) starring Ken Wahl and Judge Reinhold—fear not for this Running Scared (2006) is not a remake of any of these films. If anything, not having seen the series though, it sounds most like a 1986 British television show reported by IMDB to be about a “…young girl [who] finds herself on the run from an evil villian organising inner-city protection rackets.” This Running Scared (2006) is an entirely different film, and I use the word ‘different’ intentionally for a couple of reasons I will describe later. To begin, I spent the first ¾ of the film wishing I were seeing Eight Below for a third time vs. sitting through this film to its completion. Or, better yet, since the ticket agent had actually issued me a ticket to see Chronicles of Narnia maybe I should have seen it for a 4th time vs. this incomprehensible mish mash mosh of a film. Moreover, I was also thinking, “What was Paul Walker thinking when he took this role? Was this supposed to be his contrast follow-up to Eight Below to show his versatility and prevent him from being typecast as a nice guy, PETA member, do-gooder?” Eventually, however, there were some startling twists and turns that rounded out making this a pretty good movie after all although it is also one of the most incredibly violent and gory movies I’ve seen since last year’s Sin City. Paul Walker, minus a relatively ineffective attempt at a New Jersey accent, was quite powerful in the film as the mobster hit man, Joey Gazelle with a very secret past. Also quite compelling in the film was the 13-year old Canadian actor, Cameron Bright—perhaps the male equivalent of Dakota Fanning--who plays Oleg Yugorsky, next door neighbor to the Gazelles and best friend of Joey’s son Nicky (Alex Neuberger). Vera Farmiga plays Joey’s no-nonsense wife Teresa, and Chazz Palminteri plays a cop gone bad. The cast is literally chock full of some of the more interesting characters seen on film in recent memory: from the seemingly clandestine Mama Bear and Papa Bear couple with an excruciatingly dark secret to Oleg’s stepfather, Anzor Yugorsky (Karel Roden)—a former member of the Russian American Mob with an unending passion for the heroism of John Wayne to the degree of having an enormous tattoo of the Duke plastered over his entire back—to Sal "Gummy Bear" Franzone (Michael Cudlitz) who plays Joey’s oldest and ‘dearest’ friend. And, believe me, there were quite a few more worth mentioning. As hard as it is for me to believe given my initial impressions, this film has the potential to be a huge cult classic with quoted lines for decades to come once it reaches mass audiences via DVD in a few months. Meanwhile, it also might create a huge following for glow-in-the-dark hockey?!?! Who knew?
As promised, here are two things that made Running Scared (2006) really different: (a) the cinematographic special effects used throughout the film to portray events that had previously happened only this time in slow motion have the promise of being used time and again in future movies similar to the time freezing effect used in The Matrix which have now been used in dozens of films, and (b) the crazy little animated closing credits film that seems to distill the entire movie down to its most raw, gruesome, ghastly, substantive elements. It is unclear what this has to do with the movie overall, and served more as a curiosity than anything else, but my sense is that this too will become a new and often replicated practice. All in all, if you can find it in your stomach to stay the course for the entirely of this film, it ultimately delivers and packs a wallop of a punch. It is rated R for a reason, and I would encourage parents and guardians to heed this rating. The topics are meant for adults and the levels of violence, blood, and gore are extreme.
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Running Scared [DVD] (2006) DVD
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