Running Scared
2006
* * *
Small-time mobster Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) is the guy who "cleans up" for his fellow mobsters. After an intense gunfight with some dirty cops, he's given a gun to get rid of. However, a few hours later, the kid next door (Cameron Bright), Joey's son's best friend, takes the gun, goes over to his house, and shoots his abusive father. Who also happens to be involved in crime. Now, Joey has to save the kid, find the gun, and keep his own family safe while somehow managing to not get caught, beaten, and killed by the other side of the mob, a crooked cop (Chazz Palminteri), and his own friends; his wife (Vera Farminga) also gets involved in the twisted happenings, adding to his problems. And thus begins the most unrelenting night he will ever know...
In early 2006, an absolutely extraordinary thing happened. On February 17, a movie called Eight Below was released. The star was Paul Walker. Remarkably, not only was it actually a good movie, but the anchor in the human scenes was Walker. This guy, known for his flat, wooden performances, suddenly out of nowhere gives this great portrayal of a passionate, likeable, and slightly eccentric guy in a movie that's really good.
But that's not all. Then, something even more surprising happened. Exactly one week later, he had another good movie and gave another great performance. All of a sudden, people began to realize --- woah, this guy can actually act! Woah!
This crime thriller, written and directed by Wayne Kramer, is absolutely riveting from the opening frame to the closing shot. His tight script, edgy direction, strong characters, and fast pace get you right away and never lets go. The dramatic scenes are more intense than most entire thrillers --- and don't even get me started on the suspense and action scenes. The editing is the modern wacko style, but it actually works here. It doesn't feel like, say, Domino, where everything was just the director showing of. This is MTV-editing done right. The energy and intensity is ratcheted up by Mark Isham's score. And I do have to say, the opening and closing credits are awesome. All in all, this is one heck of a thriller.
It's helped a lot by its cast, but especially by Walker, who gives a compelling, realistic, and terrified performance that is absolutely believable in the circumstances; he also creates a genuine character through his acting. And Farminga is equally superb as his wife.
Of course, all that intensity has its downside: the lack of humor. Now, the movie does have a sense of humor, but it's so black and rare that it does little to relive the tension. On top of that, there are so many disturbing (and disturbed) characters and situations that it becomes oppressive. The movie needed a bit more humor to keep everything from being so sick and ugly.
Oh, and speaking of sick and ugly, I don't know how this actually managed to get an R rating. The violence, the language, the sex and nudity is all so far beyond what should be allowed in an R film that it's disturbing on multiple levels. I can not believe anyone on the MPAA actually thought this was passable for that rating. I felt ill on more than one occasion.
As an additional warning, the movie is not believable. In fact, in the moment, some parts feel harder to take than they do in reflection. A lot of the plot holes are covered by the pace and emotional grip the movie puts you in, but it's still impossible to actually accept that this could happen in reality. (however, what does seem to be the biggest plot hole actually makes perfect sense if you think about it)
Also, the ending feels a little off. It's okay, but it just doesn't feel right.
However, it is two fast-paced, absolutely riveting hours of entertainment. It may be ugly, sick, humorless, and illogical, but on a visceral and emotional level, it is brilliant, and as exhilarating as any thriller out there. I felt myself literally shaking at times. It could have been better (in fact, with a bit a reworking in a few places, it could have been a classic), but it's still an exceptionally well done film that's worthwhile if you're interested.
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