Running Scared (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Paul Walker is 'Running Scared' in this crime drama written & directed by Wayne Kramer. Joey Gazelle (Walker), an enforcer for the Italian mob, is put in charge of disposing the gun that shot a dirty cop in an Italian vs. Black mob drug-op gone bad. But things go wrong for him after a neighbor kid steals the gun & uses it to shoot his verbally abusive stepdad. It's up to Joey to find the kid and get the gun before the cops and/or mob gets them first. This film has grit, brutal violence, sex, profanity, & intensity in spades. It's coherent enough. But really, the wheels come off near the ending. And it barely salvages itself, in retrospect.
Although Joey hides the gun in the drywall of his basement, his son's friend, Oleg (Cameron Bright), witnesses the hidden possession and takes a moment to steal it. He hopes to use it on his psychotic stepdad, Anzor (Karl Roden), that night. Worse yet, it seems that the stepdad is the nephew of a rival Russian mob boss (John Noble). And of course, he just happens to be in business with Joey's motley crew. The dirty cop (Chazz Palminteri) who was wounded (not killed) by Joey's gun in the botched drug-op is also hot on his case.
So now, we've got Joey, his son, the mother, the dirty cop, the neighbor, the mob(s), freaks, geeks, hookers, & even pedophiles ensnarled in this gun situation. If only Joey had followed his first instinct and thrown the gun in the river. It's up to Joey to retrieve the gun, or else a connection from the mobsters to the cops (and vice-versa) is clear. Stuck in the middle of this mess if Joey's wife, Teresa (Vera Farmiga). Terrified & angry at Joey for allowing all of this to transpire, she gets tangled up in her own atrocious subplot.
'Running Scared' offers a kinetic plot, lightning-fast pace, reckless intensity & gruesome violence. It's a genre film. If you like the 'F' word being uttered every 6 seconds, and if you like visceral displays of bone-crunching, gut-splurting, etc ... then you won't 'mind' this film and what it has to offer (I'm being completely serious right now. People LOVE this). I don't. But I can appreciate its perverse appeal to a certain audience. And it's executed smartly enough to warrant tepid recommendation. Its frenetic cinematography keeps you involved. The plot is unravels quite unpredictably. And the unraveling is intricate, crazy, & bombastic.
There's a sick sequence (when Teresa discovers that Oleg's been kidnapped by pedophiles). Everything about the segment is creepy. The unassuming pedophiles themselves, their childlike lair, the way in which the children are disposed, & the way in which Teresa justifiably handles the creeps ... it's all unbelievable to watch & it's a scene I'll never forget. This aside, there are plenty of faults: 1) 5 minutes in, there's an inconceivable oral sex scene that takes place on a laundry machine, with children situated nearby; pure gross exploitation. 2) A suspension of disbelief is called upon in several instances towards the end. 3) The twists, turns, & melodramatic subplots get to be a bit much. As the film goes on, it worsens. Still -- I wouldn't NOT recommend 'Running Scared' to a certain crowd.
Although Joey hides the gun in the drywall of his basement, his son's friend, Oleg (Cameron Bright), witnesses the hidden possession and takes a moment to steal it. He hopes to use it on his psychotic stepdad, Anzor (Karl Roden), that night. Worse yet, it seems that the stepdad is the nephew of a rival Russian mob boss (John Noble). And of course, he just happens to be in business with Joey's motley crew. The dirty cop (Chazz Palminteri) who was wounded (not killed) by Joey's gun in the botched drug-op is also hot on his case.
So now, we've got Joey, his son, the mother, the dirty cop, the neighbor, the mob(s), freaks, geeks, hookers, & even pedophiles ensnarled in this gun situation. If only Joey had followed his first instinct and thrown the gun in the river. It's up to Joey to retrieve the gun, or else a connection from the mobsters to the cops (and vice-versa) is clear. Stuck in the middle of this mess if Joey's wife, Teresa (Vera Farmiga). Terrified & angry at Joey for allowing all of this to transpire, she gets tangled up in her own atrocious subplot.
'Running Scared' offers a kinetic plot, lightning-fast pace, reckless intensity & gruesome violence. It's a genre film. If you like the 'F' word being uttered every 6 seconds, and if you like visceral displays of bone-crunching, gut-splurting, etc ... then you won't 'mind' this film and what it has to offer (I'm being completely serious right now. People LOVE this). I don't. But I can appreciate its perverse appeal to a certain audience. And it's executed smartly enough to warrant tepid recommendation. Its frenetic cinematography keeps you involved. The plot is unravels quite unpredictably. And the unraveling is intricate, crazy, & bombastic.
There's a sick sequence (when Teresa discovers that Oleg's been kidnapped by pedophiles). Everything about the segment is creepy. The unassuming pedophiles themselves, their childlike lair, the way in which the children are disposed, & the way in which Teresa justifiably handles the creeps ... it's all unbelievable to watch & it's a scene I'll never forget. This aside, there are plenty of faults: 1) 5 minutes in, there's an inconceivable oral sex scene that takes place on a laundry machine, with children situated nearby; pure gross exploitation. 2) A suspension of disbelief is called upon in several instances towards the end. 3) The twists, turns, & melodramatic subplots get to be a bit much. As the film goes on, it worsens. Still -- I wouldn't NOT recommend 'Running Scared' to a certain crowd.