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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Running Scared
By Craig Younkin Published February 23, 2006
US Release: February 24, 2006
Directed by: Wayne Kramer
Starring: Paul Walker , Cameron Bright , Vera Farmiga , Chazz Palminteri
R
Running Time: 119 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $6,855,137
Directed by: Wayne Kramer
Starring: Paul Walker , Cameron Bright , Vera Farmiga , Chazz Palminteri
R
Running Time: 119 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $6,855,137
B
An incredibly bloody, brutal, guns-blazing good time.
"Running Scared" is set in New Jersey where a small time hood named Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) has managed to stay pretty well connected as a lackey to the Perello mob family. The film begins with a drug deal gone wrong when masked robbers come in and try to make off with the stash. They are all killed by the same gun, only to the chagrin of the mob; the guys wearing the masks are off-duty corrupt cops. Joey is told to ditch the gun on his way home. Instead, he takes it home with him and places it in a secret compartment in his house. Joey is not just a low-level employee; he is also a husband and a father. His son Nicky (Alex Neuberger) has a friend named Oleg (Cameron Bright), the product of a prostitute mom and loony, abusive dad. Oleg sees Joey put the gun away, and when no one is looking, takes it back to his house with him.
His father is Anzor Yugorsky (Karel Roden), a John Wayne fan and drug addicted outcast of the Russian Yugorsky mob. When put into a compromising situation, Oleg shoots his father and makes off into the night. Joey hears the shots and soon realizes that the gun that could implicate his bosses is in the hands of a 10-year old boy. The night becomes a frantic search as Joey, his wife Teresa (Vera Farmiga), and Nicky desperately try to find Oleg. Only at the same time, the Yugorsky mob thinks that Anzor being shot was a planned hit. This puts Oleg at risk from both mobs, in addition to the creepy New Jersey "night-life,? and a corrupt detective (Chazz Palminteri) who wants to use the gun in order to set the Perellos and the Yugorskys against one another.
This movie is an incredibly bloody, brutal, guns-blazing good time, excessive in almost every form, with a particular emphasis on modern-day style and gritty atmosphere. The opening sequence alone is phoenomenal with guys who have just been shot flying back in slo-mo, erratic camera movements, and bloody violent action. Director Wayne Kramer, who directed the really well-made "The Cooler," shows a particular flare for his action set pieces, even setting the final showdown in a hockey rink decked out in neon lights. He also doesn?t shy away from nudity, which is a good thing cause Vera Farmiga on top of a washer is a beautiful thing. This is also one of those flicks in which profanity increases the conversations, which can be really suspenseful at times. Kramer?s flick is intriguing for the dark places it chooses to go. "Running Scared" is seedy and disturbing in all the right areas, and never lets up when it comes to pulse-racing, heart-pounding adrenaline. This is a movie that knows how to thrill and at times it?s so intense that all we can do is look on in shock.
The plot takes on a sort of "imperfect man against an evil world" sort of theme. Joey, in particular, struck me as being a very westernized hero ? a man who has some skeletons in his closet but whose a good man despite his rough past. Paul Walker, who last week I said doesn?t have a dramatic bone in his body, is a total surprise here. This is the best performance he?s ever given, as he intensely keeps pushing Joey further and further towards the edge. Joey also has more than enough to occupy his time, with pimps, prostitutes, crack-addicts, abusive fathers, thugs, and pedophiles popping up everywhere you look. This movie leaves you cheering for two reasons; it gives you a chance to root for the "less than good-guy", or if you're not into that, there are some really applause worthy scenes in which the crap of society finally get what?s coming to them.
Kramer, who also wrote this flick, doesn?t waste a page on long, drawn out dialogue, especially when he can bring in another pimp, prostitute, crack-addict, abusive father, thug, and child-molesting married couple. Kramer?s story is that there are no imperfect people, but there are those with simple human characteristics and those without, and so the film, in a way, becomes an angry outcry against the crap of society. That children are subjected to this kind of stuff everyday is dispiriting, but outlaw justice, whether it be from a cowboy ("Unforgiven" for example) or New Jersey thug, will always hold a particular place in the hearts of the American people. There are moments in this movie that got a huge applause during the screening.
"Running Scared" is far from flawless. One standoff in a diner is particularly disappointing because it sets up a great amount of intensity and then cuts away from the action at the last second. There are also some plot holes, great leaps in credibility, and the ending could have been a little tighter as far as the writing goes. Only those problems are anchored by a steady wave of kinetic and involving action, plus Paul Walker and the rest of the cast, including Vera Farmiga, Cameron Bright, Karel Roden, and Chazz Palminteri, who all do terrific work in making "Running Scared" the year?s first hardcore guilty pleasure action flick.
His father is Anzor Yugorsky (Karel Roden), a John Wayne fan and drug addicted outcast of the Russian Yugorsky mob. When put into a compromising situation, Oleg shoots his father and makes off into the night. Joey hears the shots and soon realizes that the gun that could implicate his bosses is in the hands of a 10-year old boy. The night becomes a frantic search as Joey, his wife Teresa (Vera Farmiga), and Nicky desperately try to find Oleg. Only at the same time, the Yugorsky mob thinks that Anzor being shot was a planned hit. This puts Oleg at risk from both mobs, in addition to the creepy New Jersey "night-life,? and a corrupt detective (Chazz Palminteri) who wants to use the gun in order to set the Perellos and the Yugorskys against one another.
This movie is an incredibly bloody, brutal, guns-blazing good time, excessive in almost every form, with a particular emphasis on modern-day style and gritty atmosphere. The opening sequence alone is phoenomenal with guys who have just been shot flying back in slo-mo, erratic camera movements, and bloody violent action. Director Wayne Kramer, who directed the really well-made "The Cooler," shows a particular flare for his action set pieces, even setting the final showdown in a hockey rink decked out in neon lights. He also doesn?t shy away from nudity, which is a good thing cause Vera Farmiga on top of a washer is a beautiful thing. This is also one of those flicks in which profanity increases the conversations, which can be really suspenseful at times. Kramer?s flick is intriguing for the dark places it chooses to go. "Running Scared" is seedy and disturbing in all the right areas, and never lets up when it comes to pulse-racing, heart-pounding adrenaline. This is a movie that knows how to thrill and at times it?s so intense that all we can do is look on in shock.
The plot takes on a sort of "imperfect man against an evil world" sort of theme. Joey, in particular, struck me as being a very westernized hero ? a man who has some skeletons in his closet but whose a good man despite his rough past. Paul Walker, who last week I said doesn?t have a dramatic bone in his body, is a total surprise here. This is the best performance he?s ever given, as he intensely keeps pushing Joey further and further towards the edge. Joey also has more than enough to occupy his time, with pimps, prostitutes, crack-addicts, abusive fathers, thugs, and pedophiles popping up everywhere you look. This movie leaves you cheering for two reasons; it gives you a chance to root for the "less than good-guy", or if you're not into that, there are some really applause worthy scenes in which the crap of society finally get what?s coming to them.
Kramer, who also wrote this flick, doesn?t waste a page on long, drawn out dialogue, especially when he can bring in another pimp, prostitute, crack-addict, abusive father, thug, and child-molesting married couple. Kramer?s story is that there are no imperfect people, but there are those with simple human characteristics and those without, and so the film, in a way, becomes an angry outcry against the crap of society. That children are subjected to this kind of stuff everyday is dispiriting, but outlaw justice, whether it be from a cowboy ("Unforgiven" for example) or New Jersey thug, will always hold a particular place in the hearts of the American people. There are moments in this movie that got a huge applause during the screening.
"Running Scared" is far from flawless. One standoff in a diner is particularly disappointing because it sets up a great amount of intensity and then cuts away from the action at the last second. There are also some plot holes, great leaps in credibility, and the ending could have been a little tighter as far as the writing goes. Only those problems are anchored by a steady wave of kinetic and involving action, plus Paul Walker and the rest of the cast, including Vera Farmiga, Cameron Bright, Karel Roden, and Chazz Palminteri, who all do terrific work in making "Running Scared" the year?s first hardcore guilty pleasure action flick.
Craig's Grade: B
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
