Running Scared Review
Posted by Chad Webb on 03.04.2006
Paul Walker cuts loose on the mean streets with guns, drugs, and the mob.
Paul Walker: Joey Gazelle
Cameron Bright: Oleg Yugorsky
Vera Farmiga: Teresa Gazelle
Chazz Palminteri: Detective Rydell
Johnny Messner: Tommy "Tombs" Perello
Michael Cudlitz: Sal "Gummy Bear" Franzone
Alex Neuberger: Nicky Gazelle
Ivana Milicevic: Mila Yugorsky
John Noble: Ivan Yugorsky
David Warshofsky: Pimp Lester
Written and Directed By: Wayne Kramer
Release Date: February 24, 2006
Running Time: 122 minutes
Rated R for pervasive strong brutal violence and language, sexuality and drug content.
By Chad Webb
Have you ever heard the phrase "don't put all your eggs in one basket?" The cast and crew of Running Scared definitely put all of their eggs and then some in the basket to spawn an action suspense thriller that will produce more shocks and jolts than a surprise wedding proposal or a 50th birthday party. This film will never let the audience stop to take a breath, like a adrenaline pumping track race, it sprints from start to finish with no clear answer of what the conclusion may be.
As a small time mobster, Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) was given the job of disposing the guns that were used in various killings. Playing it risky, Joey doesn't really get rid of the weapons, but hides them in his basement. One day after a bungled drug deal, Joey proceeds to hide the guns, but does not realize that his son Nicky (Alex Neuberger) and his friend Oleg (Cameron Bright) were watching. Oleg then steals one of the most important guns from the stash, which will mean Joey's demise if he does not get it back. When Oleg uses the gun on his stepfather (John Noble), it sends Joey's whole world into upheaval with a determined cop (Chazz Palminteri), the Russian mob, pimps, hookers, and any other awful person one can think of. Joey must find Oleg and conceal the gun before anyone finds out, or his future and the future of his wife (Vera Farmiga) and child could meet an untimely death.
As the low-level mob flunky Joey Gazelle, Paul Walker has definitely hit both sides of the extreme in terms of his roles. Earlier this month, he starred as an Antarctic tracker who loved sled dogs. This is not the same person that displayed one-dimensional performances with Into the Blue, and The Fast and the Furious because Walker has never shined brighter than he does in Running Scared. He is a loving father, who takes his son to hockey games, and a devoted husband that can't wait to get home with his wife. Walker travels to the deepest and darkest parts of town with a crazed look in his eye of vigor that is dead set on accomplishing his goal.
Another sexy surprise was given by Vera Farmiga as Teresa Gazelle, who slips into the position of a wife with natural expressions that convey depth and nerves of steel. This is a woman who knows how to take control of a situation, as she never hesitates to point her finger at her husband and set him straight, or confront some peculiar child molesters. Her dedication as a mother is equally as energizing as her the allure she exhibits with her seductive body that provokes her husband and the viewers. Thankfully, she will grace the screen more in 2006 as she takes a starring role in Martin Scorsese's The Departed.
Also holding his own is Cameron Bright, who plays an extremely disturbed child named Oleg that never smiles. Bright uses that deadpan persona to his advantage and establishes his young talent with authenticity and potential. Chazz Palminteri is exposed with such a baleful demeanor, and his actions as a obsessed detective seem so malevolent that it is impossible to ignore and be blown out of your seat by one liners like "I have the toughest mob in the world, I'm the law."
Wayne Kramer holds nothing back in his latest venture with unique camera work that rewinds, fast-forwards, and covers every angle of certain scenes so that we never miss a beat. His aim is all over the place, and possibly sloppy at times, with close-ups and attractive color effects to give the characters' journeys a gritty, explicit, and gloomy tone. After his 2003 Las Vegas gambling drama The Cooler, which did not generate much of a splash, Kramer made sure that his fans never got bored by adding infinite amounts of gore and profanities.
Apparently, many critics have started a trend of comparing writer/director Wayne Kramer to acclaimed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. Either these critics know movies, or they have netsurfed their way to New Line Cinema's official site for the film, which flaunts a quote from Tarantino in large writing that states, "This is why they call them MOTION PICTURES! With Running Scared, writer/director Wayne Kramer does a broad jump into the director pantheon of action film greats like Walter Hill and Robert Aldrich. No matter what you read or hear, nothing will quite prepare you the thrust and viscera of this night at the movies. This is filmmaking from the pelvis." It is obvious that the Kill Bill creator is fond of Wayne Kramer, and I might add that this is a better film for him to endorse than Hostel. For the record, Wayne Kramer does encompass impressions of Tarantino. He is not the first draw inspiration from him, and he unquestionably will not be the last.
The more I watched Running Scared, I thought Paul Walker was running around like the video game character we control in the Grand Theft Auto video game. The city these people live in, matches regularly with that of the video game cities of San Andreas, Liberty City, or Vice City with the pimps hookers, mob bosses, and other members of the criminal underworld. Running Scared is not a thoughtless or playful idea, but a ruthless and revolting march down a road of interminable excitement. Truth be told, if this film was altered and re-titled as a video game adaptation, it would have been torn apart by critics.
I have been somewhat vague in my explanation of the plot, sub-plots, and sub sub-plots, but elaborating further would prevent one from hating or craving the unusual twists and hyperactive effects. This film is far from a masterpiece, but it competently secures itself together with separate stories as if it were the bastard son of hyperlink movies such as Crash or Traffic. If one wants to find plot holes, I'm sure they are visible, and while some say that Running Scared is too grotesque, impractical, or unrealistic, it prides itself on that foolishness. The goal was avoid concentrating on realism by utilizing a James Bond manner of thinking, which is combining fascinating characters, high velocity violence, and an uncontrollably loony storyline to form an entertaining movie experience.
The 411: I have seen mainly two sides of the spectrum for this film, that being you’ll either hate it or love it. For those who like it, I recommend going to the official site for some neat stuff. There was a game on the site, which had explicit video game scenes, but people have started to complain, and now they want it taken off. I enjoyed this film for its craziness of camera effects, the inexplicable storyline, and the innovative violence that punches you right in the stomach. This is arguably Walker’s best work to date, and it probably won’t be in theaters long, so I would see it soon, or if you feel lucky you can wait and buy the DVD.
