Running Scared (2006) Online

2006 Paul Walker Cameron Bright Chazz Palminteri Wayne Kramer

Original Title :: Running Scared
Genre :: Movie / Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller
Year :: 2006
Directror :: Wayne Kramer
Cast :: Paul Walker,Cameron Bright,Chazz Palminteri
Writer :: Wayne Kramer
Budget :: $17,000,000
Type :: Movie
Time :: 2h 2min
Rating :: 7.4/10

A low-ranking thug is entrusted by his crime boss to dispose of a gun that killed corrupt cops, but things get out of control when the gun ends up in wrong hands.

Running Scared (2006) Online

After a drug-op gone bad, Joey Gazelle is put in charge of disposing the gun that shot a dirty cop. But things go wrong for Joey after a neighbor kid stole the gun and used it to shoot his abusive father. Now Joey has to find that kid and the gun before the police and the mob do.

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Paul Walker	-	Joey Gazelle
	Cameron Bright	-	Oleg Yugorsky
	Vera Farmiga	-	Teresa Gazelle
	Chazz Palminteri	-	Detective Rydell
	Karel Roden	-	Anzor Yugorsky
	Johnny Messner	-	Tommy 'Tombs' Perello
	Ivana Milicevic	-	Mila Yugorsky
	Alex Neuberger	-	Nicky Gazelle
	Michael Cudlitz	-	Sal 'Gummy Bear' Franzone
	Bruce Altman	-	Dez
	Elizabeth Mitchell	-	Edele
	Arthur J. Nascarella	-	Frankie Perello (as Arthur Nascarella)
	John Noble	-	Ivan Yugorsky
	Idalis DeLeon	-	Divina
	David Warshofsky	-	Lester the Pimp

Thomas Jane declined the role of Joey Gazelle due to scheduling conflicts. Paul Walker was a second choice.

Disheartened by the films low box office opening, Paul Walker returned home from dinner, only to discover that Quentin Tarantino had left a message on his machine, praising the film and Walker's performance. Walker was relieved, and happy, that someone like Tarantino had enjoyed the film.

Wayne Kramer was shocked to find out that the movie got the R rating on the first submission. He states in the DVD commentary that he thought that he would get NC-17, but he luckily didn't.

Most of the bloody gunshot wounds were done with squibs, with a handful of CGI one also added. In the commentary, Wayne Kramer mentions that Bruce Altman was terrified of the squibs because he's never been strapped to them before.

The medicine bottle that Oleg uses to find the address of Dez and Adele's apartment is a prescription for Zovirax, a medication used to treat Cold Sores.

Paul Walker's brother also appears in the film. In an early scene the path of a bullet is re-traced going from one house to another - the Paul Walker character appears in each house. The Paul Walker character sitting at the dinner table in one house is actually Paul Walker's brother.

In the script, Joe (Paul Walker) plays Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" on the car radio for Oleg, but the filmmakers were unable to secure the rights.

When Edele enters the security code at the front door of the apartment, the sound of the numbers pressed results in the first few bars of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".

Mads Mikkelsen was originally cast as Anzor 'The Duke' Yugorsky.

The f-word is used 330 times in this movie.

When Oleg says he listens to "Kvasha", this is a direct reference to not only the music type, but also Oleg Kvasha who first played for the NHL team Florida Panthers back in 1996. The first name "Oleg" also happens to be Cameron Bright's character's first-name: Oleg Yugorsky.

One of the main characters' name (Joey Gazelle) played by actor Paul Walker could be derived from a character in the graphic novel 'Stray Bullets' where Joey (Gazelle) is a little kid in a criminal domestic environment.

The film is not a remake of the 1986 film of the same name.

This is the second film starring Cameron Bright to feature a clip of John Wayne getting shot. In Running Scared, the clip is from The Cowboys (1972). In Thank You For Smoking (2005), the clip is from Sands of Iwo Jima (1949).

A mini comic book adaptation drawn by PJ Loughran was included in the Region 1 DVD releases by New Line Home Entertainment.

Elizabeth Mitchell (Edele) and Michael Cudlitz (Sal) are the only two actors in the movie who were also on the TV show "Lost".

The last name on the prescription bottle Oleg gets the child predator's address from is 'Hansel'. In the cautionary Brothers Grimm fable: 'Hansel & Gretel', the children also barely escape the villain by outwitting them.

When joey and oleg go back into the diner to find the gun that oleg has placed in the toilet, There is a police officer sitting at the table having dinner. Upon entry to the diner, Joey looks around he dosnt say anything and nods to the officer sitting down. Signifying that he must have know the officer, due to being an undercover officer himself.

User reviews

GawelleN

This was an extremely graphically violent film with some gratuitous nudity. A lot of extremely well played roles. characters were simple with complex backgrounds. It kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire film wondering what was next. I left feeling like I had just had a two hour seizure. Every time you thought you had it figured out it threw a curve at you. From beginning to end it was fabulous and realistic. Paul Walker gave an excellent performance and you really got into his skin. The supporting cast was excellent, development of the characters rolled out in a believable manner with out a bunch of unnecessary revelations. I will buy this movie when it comes out on DVD. If you enjoyed Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction you will probably really enjoy this film.

Gold as Heart

I was a big fan of Tarantino after seeing "Resevoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction". "Running Scared" is certainly in that same vein, and it also reminds me of John Woo's "The Killer". But where this film lacks the dialog of a Tarantino film, it is a lot more visually stylish than anything QT has ever done. There are great transitions, effective dynamic time warping (speed up or slow down a shot, like a bullet flying through the air), and if you thought Maynard, Zed, and the Gimp were bizarre in "Pulp Fiction", wait until you meet the creepy married couple who through their sick hobby make every other evil character in this film look like Buddhist Monks. It's a fast, furiously-paced film, certainly aptly titled. A great cast, beginning with Paul Walker and Vera Farmiga. And certainly the main kids stand their ground, especially Cameron Bright. Also worth mentioning is the end title sequence animated by Gary Hebert. Bottom line, if you were disappointed by films like "Kill Bill" and "Sin City", films you really wanted to like but found them too cartoonishly clichéd, you'll be more than satisfied with "Running Scared". It's sharp and engaging.

Fohuginn

This movie is definitely more violent than the ones I normally go to (I'm a woman in her 50's)but I really enjoyed this one. It kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole movie. A couple of times I even jumped in my seat. Paul Walker was great - he seemed perfect for the part. I hadn't seen him in movies before but I'm definitely a fan now. The story has a definite twist which kept me interested. If you can get past the violence and some nudity, I'd really recommend it. Lot of action and suspense and a good story line. The theater was full when I went and the audience clapped for the movie at the end - which means most of them enjoyed it too.

kinder

Nobody makes movies like Running Scared any more. Five years ago, this film would've been toned down by whichever studio released it in order for it to receive the lowest certificate possible. Bravo, then, to writer/director Wayne Kramer for sticking to his guns and delivering one of the most uncompromising, memorable and downright brutal thrillers in recent memory.

Joey (Paul Walker) is a small-time mobster hired to dispose of 'hot' guns for his bosses. One of these weapons (with particular value over all the others) falls into the hands of his son's best friend and is used to startling effect. Here is where the real fun starts. Joey can find neither the child nor the weapon in question, and he has only 18 hours before either the police, the Russian mafia or his own employers catch up with him.

Walker is surprisingly impressive considering the strictly one-dimensional roles he played in movies such as The Fast And The Furious and Into The Blue. Here he plays Joey as someone well aware of his impending death should he fail, and throughout he is totally watchable and believable. No more will audiences giggle to themselves every time he delivers a dud of a line.

The story occasionally flags, particularly in the middle of the film, but Kramer is not afraid to play with the camera-work to keep the audience's attention - whip-pans, CSI-style extreme close-ups, super slow-motion, sepia filters and colour bleaching are all used to give the film a gritty and somewhat unique look - take, for instance, the kitchen shooting about half an hour into the film, played from multiple viewpoints in both forward and reverse.

The film's charcoal-dark tone may be too relentless for some viewers, and the paedophilia subplot could be considered as taking things one step too far, but as long as you've got a strong stomach and can face hearing lashings of creative swearing, there's a lot of enjoyment to be found here. Unbearably tense, visually inventive and superbly acted from start to finish, Running Scared is the first real surprise of 2006 - it pulls no punches and thrills from its excessively bloody opening to its foul-mouthed conclusion.

Thetahuginn

Those who dismiss this classic film, and it really is destined to be a cult classic are perhaps properly outraged by the characters that Wayne Kramer populates this film with. Drug addicts, hookers, mobsters, wife beaters, pedophiles, crooked cops and pimps cross the path of Oleg and Joey as they run through the city looking to stay alive. Tarantino comparisons will abound as with any clever and violent film these days, but Wayne Kramer imprints Running Scared with his own wonderful style. I watched Richard Roeper give this a thumbs down by saying that Kramer throws in everything but the kitchen sink, I wholeheartedly agree but consider that a compliment. The climactic finale that takes place in a hockey rink starts off reminding me of one of my favorite scenes from another cult classic Philip Kaufman's "The Wanderers" which was derived from "The Hustler", but it only starts off there, and then it becomes perhaps the best all out violent mess that has ever been filmed.

I can't say enough about this film. I even thought Paul Walker was terrific. He shows promise that he has never shown before by eschewing the pretty boy shtick.

I just watched the film a second time upon it's DVD release which is something I seldom do, and I realized that Kramer views the film as a fairy tale. The evil characters are so over the top. They are the creatures of the night that populate our nightmares as opposed to the evil actually populating the streets. The film is about legends and myth. If the bad guys are the ones portrayed in the film, the good guys are John Wayne. If this sounds a little strange just watch the ending credits carefully.

People will discover this film. It is pure testosterone. But it sure kicks ass. I liked Wayne Kramer's the Cooler a lot as a simple character piece. I also enjoyed Mindhunters more than most, but now I anxiously await his next film. I think Wayne Kramer is going to create a great body of work over the next few years.

Inertedub

I wasn't expecting much from this movie with Paul Walker as the star attraction, but this movie was thoroughly entertaining and I would highly recommend seeing it.Paul Walker gives a good performance although Cameron Bright steals the show even though I've always saw the kid as creepy after seeing him in The Butterfly Effect. The action in this movie is non-stop and it keeps you guessing up to the very end. I enjoyed how the movie was shot with New Jersey as a backdrop, the movie covered a lot of ground and used various locations that added to the intrigue. This movie provides a nice twist on modern day mob movies. I do agree with a review that I read that said that the gun floating around served as a maguffin (not sure if I spelled that correct) the action provides a high level of entertainment and excitement.

Tekasa

This movie is probably one of the best I've seen in a long while. The action scenes were in your face and looked pretty damn realistic. The special effects were freaking awesome and the director did some really cool stuff which will blow you away. The acting was very believable and the plot worked very well. It reminded me of Training Day the way the story unfolded while we went along for the ride. The plot is freaking awesome and I can't wait to get the DVD. An AWESOME movie!! Definitely must watch this again. The thing to remember when you watch this movie is that it's a ride just sit and enjoy it. I've never felt a need to promote a movie but this one is too good to let others miss it. It is painful to watch in some scenes and at times you're actually totally disgusted once you figure out what's going on. It's crazy the emotions that this movie brings out.

Urllet

When I saw the trailer for this movie on TV, I thought it looked interesting. The way the movie was shot and the effects were showed off somewhat, and that's what appealed to me the most about the trailer.

I thought I was going to see a gangster flick, great, but I got something else, which turned out to be better. I would call it an odd mix of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Go, Goodfellas, and Kill Bill. Based on content, cinematography and story. I was enticed throughout the entire movie, and it kept me from yawning. I loved the story, the characters, and the twists and turns this movie provided.

The acting was quite good and believable. Paul Walker impressed me in this one, and I ate up the gangster and cop stereotypical roles as well. The kids did well also, except the main character's son is a bit annoying simply because he never listens to his parents, but this is not due to his acting but the character he plays.

I went to see the movie last night, and the theater was completely empty! Either people don't see movies on Saturday nights anymore, or people didn't feel that they wanted to see this film. I have no idea why. It's a shame, like most other reviewers have pointed out, that this movie did not do better at the box office.

Go see this if you like action movies with an interesting plot.

Vozilkree

This movie was non-stop. It was full of action. It was intense, and at times surprising. I can see Paul Walker is trying to shed his pretty boy image. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It reminded me of a cross between Pulp Fiction and A history of violence with a twist. There were some moments that down right shocked me. This movie is not for anyone under the age of 17. And if this is your first date with someone...this is not the right choice...it could lead to some awkwardness. The acting was good. I wonder if the studios are gearing Paul Walker for something more. He just might be our next Matthew McConaughey. If you like gritty movies...than you are gonna enjoy this.

Undeyn

I'll admit I knew absolutely nothing of this film until I walked into the cinema. I saw no ads on TV or blurbs on the internet. And as far as I knew it was a remake of the movie with Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines. Well, it's not! It's actually a rather bizarre actioner. I'll get to that in a minute.

First of all, if you are kind of annoyed at the lack of good, old-fashioned R-rated action movies these days then this film will definitely set the balance straight. There are many, many, MANY gory, and even sometimes shocking, deaths in this film that make A History of Violence look like an episode of Sesame Street.

It plays like one of Robert Altman's multi-story character dramas. At the very beginning we are treated to a bloody gunfight in a motel room after a drug deal goes sour. Head thug Tommy 'Tombs' Perello (Johnny Messner) instructs henchman Joey (Paul Walker) to dispose of his gun. He was going to right after dinner but the battered kid next door nicks it to shoot his abusive father and legs it across Brooklyn. Joey must then find him and make up a story to prevent a zillion plot threads (involving crooked cops, rival Mafia families, evil pimps, child rapists/killers) from snapping.

The gun itself is a curious MacGuffin. It passes through the hands of many people who's lives all connect. There doesn't seem to be any main story as the film spends equal amounts of time developing every one and although it seems interesting it also feels like loads of different films crammed together. It's constantly meandering and going in another direction and revealing twist after twist. Yes, it keeps the film interesting but by the time the main twist comes at the end you're too exhilarated too care. Running Scared is probably one of those films that improves upon repeat viewings.

Besides the schizophrenic story, what really brings the film down to a slightly above-average experience is the fact that director Wayne Kramer uses every editing technique he can think of despite whether they are appropriate or not. They may be technically impressive but they lack class and pull the film into a kind of Michael Bay-Area, where it doesn't belong.

I was also kind of weary of the fact that it headlines Paul Walker. I've never liked any of the teen-oriented movies he's been mugging in but I have to say that this is definitely his most demanding role yet and he tries really, really hard to convince. But I'm still undecided about him. If he can pull off this kind of this kind of role again and ditch the pretty-boy image I'll forgive him for previous crimes.

But the highlight of the movie is Cameron Bright who plays Oleg, the abused kid. He's a way better child-actor than Dakota Fanning and can express loads of different emotions even with a blank face. The amount of nasty stuff his character goes through is probably unfamiliar and difficult for a child-actor to understand but he handles it extremely well and his scenes with Paul Walker are faultless.

Don't put the lack of publicity for this film put you off. It's not perfect but it's far from being a failure. Like I said, it'll probably be better on a second viewing but the first one will still be a thrilling experience.

Arar

I never have been a Paul Walker fan, but when i found out the talented Wayne Kramer was making a new movie i had to go see it. I enjoyed this movie very much. Many people say that it was too violent and profane. I think the violence and use of profanity fit the movie's dark atmosphere very well. I think this is one of the best action/mobster movie of the year so far, if the movie is still playing near you and you are over 13 i think you should give this one a try, the movie is full of twists and turns, although i think the final twist should of been left out and i think some of the vulgar language could of been left out, but those are minor issues.So if you are looking for a fun, action packed, dark,edgy, and very stylish film i suggest you go see Running Scared.

Conjukus

The gangster Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) is in charge of getting rid of the guns that killed dirty cops in a transaction of drugs between Italian mobsters and Afro-Americans. However, Joey hides the guns in the basement of his house instead of throwing in the river, and his ten years old son Nicky (Alex Neuberger) and his best friend Oleg Yugorsky (Cameron Bright) witness Joey hiding the gun. When Oleg's abusive stepfather Anzor Yugorsky (Karel Roden) beats his mother Mila (Ivana Milicevic), Oleg steals the weapon from the basement and shoots Anzor, running away home with the gun. Along the night, Joey, the Russian and the Italian mobster and the dirty cops chase the little boy trying to retrieve the gun and disclose who ordered the boy to shoot his stepfather.

"Running Scared" is a great surprise and pure action, recalling the style of "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs". The camera work is stylish and amazing, and the gore story in spite of having many clichés is engaging with great lines. Paul Walker is excellent in this type of role, and I particularly loved the scene of Teresa Gazelle (Vera Farmiga) with the two pornographers, when she calls 911. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "No Rastro da Bala" ("In the Tail of the Bullet")

Danrad

I am reading through all these good reviews of this movie and I'm surprised. I don't understand why people love this movie.

Much like Paul Walkers son in the movie, Running Scared has a serious case of ADD. You start off with the Italian mob, dirty cops and some horrible acting. Then you through in a Russian tweaker that beats his wife and kids. Add some cracked out bums, a "Mack Daddy Pimp", and a hooker with a soft spot for little kids with hand guns. Then top it all of with child molesters, glow in the dark hockey players and Paul Walkers favorite roll - the undercover cop. The film makers must have just sat down and said "We should put every cool thing we've ever seen in an action movie and put it in ours, that will be awesome." Well they were wrong, Running Scared is more comical then thrilling. If Will Ferrel played Paul Walkers roll this would have been the comedy of the year.

Now I have no problem using the F bomb, but it can't be in every sentence. Its like a 17 year old kid with a drinking problem wrote this movie. Get out your high school English book and use some other words.

One note to Paul Walker, never fake an accent again. You sound retarded.

And I'll F'ing smack the next F'ing guy that compares this F'ing movie to great F'ing movie like Training F'ing Day.

Anayanis

I'm not quite sure why I went to see this film, It has been poorly marketed apart from the slightly misleading trailers on t.v., I have seen no other advertising for it and the fact that I could not find one single review for it was entirely off putting. However, I went along with a friend, who is not a big action movie fan and was more unsure than myself of what we where going to see. What we did see was one of the most shocking, gripping, disturbing and quite frankly oddest films we've seen in a while. Paul Walker (who by the way was on top form and giving his best performance to date) plays a bottom of the ladder criminal. Walker is told to get rid of a 'hot gun' that was used to shoot a 'dirty cop' during a drug deal gone wrong. He stashes it in his basement without the knowledge that he is being watched by his son and his son's friend Oleg (played by the staggering Cameron Bright). Oleg steals the gun and shoots his own abusive father with it. Oleg in-turn goes on the run, it is then a race against time for walker, who needs to get the gun back so it can't be traced back to him or his goons. This film has a very original feel to it whilst at the same time borrowing from recent directors. For example the action sequences are superb but look like they've been pulled from a John Woo movie. When the action and shocks stop the film does drag a little. It feels like the writer had a load of different ideas for scenes in his head but wasn't quite sure how to sow them together. So what you left with is a film that is excellent in parts, drags in others and has some surprising moments of genius. Quite how well some of the delicate subject matter is going to be received is left to be seen, but I just hope that Running Scared is not dismissed as "another action movie Paul walker vehicle", it is not without it's fault's, but it does not deserve to be ignored.

Laitchai

I can say it was entertaining throughout, but for all the wrong reasons. It started out like an average Hollywood criminal Action Movie and proceeds to spin completely out of control. The Screenwriter must have wanted to include every hot topic out there, there were drugs, guns, domestic abuse, child abductions, Pimps & street walkers, crooked cops, the Italian Mob, the Russian mob, Corrupt hockey players(???), a meth lab exploding and even a family dog at the end. All this held together by the acting talents of Paul Walker.

Walker, is a common thug in deep with the mob and is told to get rid of a gun after a deal goes bad. Instead he hides the gun in his basement where his son & the son's best friend are hiding. Moments later there are shots fired at the son's friends house, there the stepfather is shot in the shoulder and the kid is "running scared." From there, we meet a bunch of colorful characters, the Kid,with his stolen gun bumps into a crack-head, a pimp, the cops, his step dad, child abductors, The Mob, and his mother blows up at the end.

I recommend you do see it just to see how bad a movie can be... I'm still reeling in disbelief.

Moogugore

A would be down and dirty crime thriller attempts to lift the style but none of the substance from Training Day / Man on Fire / Collatoral. The resulting car crash of a movie, presided over by the ever charmless Walker, is a long cavalcade of nasty, brutish and utterly irredeemable violence and squalor. The gutless finale revealing our anti-hero to in fact be a law-upholding undercover cop goes even further raise the bile in my gut. So much for the courage of the film-makers convictions. Of particular offence were the racist string of Russians, pimps and child-abusers on screen long enough to manipulate a braying audience to cheer their demise at the end of a succession of phallic firearms. Insipid, manipulative, contrived rubbish from start to finish.

Rleyistr

Shotgun showdowns, oral sex, racial epithets, family violence, and more swearwords than real words... all in the first twenty minutes?? If this sounds like an ideal situation to you, you'll love Running Scared. However, if you don't consider tricky camera shots and copious amounts of blood compensation for an unlikeable cast, convoluted plot line and overall horrible film experience, this is probably not for you. Paul Walker plays a tough talking' New Jersey low level mobster with a dislike for Russians and proper grammar...and thank God it's Paul Walker, otherwise the irony of the last twist (He's really an undercover cop? Who knew?) would have been entirely lost. He spends most of the film swearing at his family and generally sprinkling blood and violence around New Jersey like so many daisies. His primary target is Oleg, his son's best friend, who is acutely capable of staring blankly but little else. I would attempt a more thorough plot summary, but it's really not important since everyone dies in the end. Oleg's mother? She kills herself in a meth-lab explosion. Oleg's father? He dies in a mob-related blood bath on an ice hockey rink. The albino pimp in pinstripes that calls himself a mack daddy? His throat is slit by the ever-capable Mr. Walker. The pedophiles couple that films child pornography and then kills the children? Oh, they're shot by Mr. Walker's trashy but lovable wife. This film was over-the-top in all the wrong ways, filled with entirely violence and language so gratuitous, it bordered on the absurd. Don't go to this movie, don't waste your money.

Mullador

I wish I could post like I had on the Board, but I am entitled to 1000 words so here is a summary: Action over Substance -- All action, little character development, I didn't care whether any of the characters lived or died, they had no background.

Stashing the Guns -- An obvious unlocked wall panel with roughly thirty weapons sitting in there? Come on! We were led to believe Walker had an expertise for getting rid of weapons and he just stacks them in his basement, he would've been discovered by then as the murders and tainted weapons rose.

What are the odds that the kid who took the gun picked the most important one out of a stack of roughly thirty firearms. Not believable.

Horrible stereotypes and ill-researched lingo -- The pimp, hookers, Mexicans, thugs, thieves, weirdos all were obvious clichés appearing as if they had been fabricated by a man with the intelligence and street knowledge of an 8th grader.

John Wayne -- An attempt to create a memorable character that failed before it began; the audience never knew enough of why this guy loved The Duke so damn much.

Why was the gun so damn precious -- it was passed like a nugget of gold, I suppose one has to have firearm know-how in order to understand why EVERY hood in town wanted the gun.

Child Pornographers? -- An attempt to shock the audience with a moment of pure disgust -- like Marcellus Wallace's rape scene in Pulp Fiction.

Russians? Why not add them into the mix, we have no idea where they came from but whatever, they've been thrown into every other crime drama film to gum up the works, why not here.

End scene, the Mexican Standoff -- not enough information about the Mob or the Russians to care whether or not they lived or died or who won the battle.

I can't believe Walker came out of that mess of excessive violence with a few abrasions and nothing more.

Horrible pimp with a horrible Scarface reference -- felt like a Junior High School kid's idea to throw that in.

No research done in street lingo, other directors have portrayed gangsters and thugs properly, I guess this writer was l-a-z-y.

Its tough to buy that EVERYONE in a ten mile radius is evil -- Walker and the kid never ran into anyone remotely normal.

Too many evils in the course of a night -- child porn, gambling, murder, prostitution, grotesque torture sequences, crooked cops, Russians, not to mention everyone seems ready to commit homicide and is waiting for the opportunity.

The cops didn't play a crucial enough role and even when it seemed as if they added SOMETHING to the plot, the primary cop involved was blown up, quite randomly.

Bad monologues -- John Wayne and the one by Paul Walker, the emotional one, or lack thereof. Just faulty writing ability.

This director needs to research better, he needs to not try so hard to shock the audience at obvious stages in the film and needs help with dialogue. Every character can't be Tarantino-style cool and memorable.

It was trash, all in all, its made for the ignorant who can excuse lack of realism, lack of a decent screenplay, underdeveloped characters, and a plot that it supposed to be blindly accepted as believable with no buildup or structure.

Marilbine

Running Scared is a highly-stylized action piece that is so over-the-top, it's laughable. Coming off as Leave it to Beaver meets the Twilight Zone, director Wayne Kramer bombards us with a world of unending sleaze creating a new low in cinematic theater. Looking about as tough as your average boy-band wannabe, Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) bumbles his way through the film as a low level thug trying to obtain a gun that was used to kill a dirty cop, and finds himself bringing peace and joy to everyone in his wake. He is this reality's version of Ward Cleaver because, as a drug running thug, he brings his family up in a well adjusted household full of love and warmth. Instead of coming home from a hard day at the office, he comes home after a botched drug deal/ shootout and explains the whole thing to his wife as if it is an everyday experience. And in this world, it is. Everyone is somehow a full and willing participant in a seedy enterprise: the men are either pimps or dealers and women are whores, strippers or housewives. There isn't a household or a street corner where someone is cooking up dope, getting beaten or shot, or engaged in crime. However, what separates the good criminals from the bad, are that the ones we cheer for all have hearts of gold, which seems to be the message the screenwriter wants to convey.

The special effects in this film are interesting, but the story and acting are so completely amateur that it comes off as an absolute farce. Who cares for these characters when they are all scum? Certainly nobody in the theater that I viewed this film. Of 40 people, 25 had walked out before the hour mark and the rest of the audience was laughing riotously at each implausible scene.

One note of interest, pay attention to actor, Chazz Palminteri who portrayed the shapeshifiting Detective Rydell, as he morphs from Bela Lugosi, to Ed Sullivan to Richard Nixon! Running Scared isn't just the title...it's the audience's reaction as they exit the theater.

Beardana

Alright, this movie is among the tops on my list. Lately, I have only witnessed some bad movies(the list is to long to name). Note: This is not a Torintino movie, the blood is added to get the gore lovers to see it, not that is bad or anything, just be prepared. I can name so many things about Running Scarred, but I am just going to break it down. The story, action, cast, and whole moral are just terrific. If you are reading this to see this movie. So if you are in the mood for some blood, guns, action, drama, suspense, mystery, no better time to watch. I say go for it. Just please see it, I promise it will be worthwhile, and not a waste of money at all. The website is not that bad if you want to preview the movie(trailer gives a little bit to much away). I loved it, and hopefully you will too.

Phallozs Dwarfs

I can honestly say, without a doubt in my mind, that "Running Scared" was the absolute worst movie I have ever seen, and I have seen some awful movies. The camera work was miserable and pointlessly erratic, and the acting was terrible. The plot seemed to be a convergence of all the overused clichés in movie-making. The only reason I stayed for the whole movie was I thought "there is no way this movie can get worse, it has to get better." Yet, I was wrong. I urge you, do not go see this movie, and definitely do not pay to see it. I got to see it for free and I still feel like I was ripped off. Anyone who pays to see this movie is only encourage production of more P.O.S. movies such as this one.

Nightscar

I went into this movie knowing nothing at all about it (despite working in a cinema)and it totally blew me away. The violence is turned up to 11 from the opening scene. If you like the Sam Pekinpah/John Woo/Robert Rodriquez style of violence, then you'll love this. Shot using a mix of ultra-cool slow-mo, reverse time, bullet-tracing effects and just about every other possible trick, the movie is a real visual treat. One particularly bloody sequence is even shot under UV light so the gore has less impact on the viewer thus passing the censors. A technique used previously in Kill Bill. Writer/director Wayne Kramer has clearly been influenced by the extremes of Asian cinema from such directors as Takashi Miike and has brought this style of film-making boldly to western audiences (which is why this won't be to everyone's taste). Kramer is clearly a talent to watch out for proving himself to be a great director shooting from his own solid script and getting strong performances from the cast, young and old. Paul Walker gives his best performance yet, playing against type and convincingly putting aside his good guy image. This film will likely get overlooked due to very little publicity but I urge anyone with a love for cinema (and a strong stomach) to track down and watch this film. You won't be disappointed. A future cult classic.

LiTTLe_NiGGa_in_THE_СribE

Erhmmm, there are actually people that enjoyed this crap? djeez...

I for one am not a fan of the action film genre but I would enjoy any Steven Seagal garbage over this monstrosity. Dish me Ultra Violet again or a 4 hour special covering the making of Aeon Flux..Please! anything but this! This was not even an action- thriller. They invented a totally new genre upon releasing this turd out into the wild. Its name most suitably being the WTF-did-I-just-watch - genre.

Abysmal, amateur (yeah, really!), over-the-top drivel with the most impressively unlikable cast and ditto 'story'. This is one of those movies where they forgot that style is supposed to serve the story. Not the other way around. I've been reading people comparing this to movies by Tarantino..are u out of your bloody minds? Those movies have just about everything that this one has not; Class, great dialog, freshness, good acting and direction not to mention a compelling story. This was nothing more than a sequence of brutal events held together by the waterbased glue that is amateur acting at its finest, cinematographly polished to make it shine like a turd in the dark.

When I left the theater about 45 minutes into this turkey, I had to queue behind a long line of leaving others. The people that didn't leave, thought there was a fire. Upon leaving the building I could hear a bunch of guys trying to get their money back, their popcorn-buckets still filled to the rim. They truly felt robbed, as did I. What a mess..

Styphe

I can't believe I was 2 hours on this absolute rubbish. Maybe I need a believable plot or decent actors, but I guess that's asking too much. The paedophiles were there pure and simply for shock value. But it more sick than shocking. We have a mag, Total Film, who do an abridged script of films. This one would be easy. Naughty family guy, cocks up. Everything bad that could happen does happen. Every lowlife ever is included (Latinos, mafia, bent cops, paedos, pimps, prostitutes....have missed any??) oh, but it's all OK 'cos the naughty family guy was in fact an undercover FBI agent, more bad stuff happens, but everyone is happy in the end........PHHEEEWWWW!!!!!!!!!!! And what is it with the yanks and Ruskies, give us a break. I'm surprised it wasn't A-rabs, with A-rab prostitutes marrying A-rab hit men from A-rab mafia families with bent coppers in the mix as well. Please.......

If you haven't seen this film then DON'T. Give whatever you would have spent on it to a good cause. This film is dreadful, lazy and predictable. My wife gave up half way through and went to bed. My biggest regret was that I didn't join her.

Welen

Do you want to sit on the edge of your seat for 2 hours? If you do, see this movie. Period. This plot constantly switches views, aspects, emotions and events. It keeps you running all the way to the end of the movie. ALL THE REVIEWS I HAVE SEEN ONLINE ARE POOR AT BEST. MODERN DAY MOVIE REVIEWERS ARE ARTSY-FARTSY, RIDE THE MODERN WAVE WHATEVER IS IN, IS IN, MORONS. This movie kicks butt on a pure level. I promise you will be thrilled you saw this movie. If you like it, tell your friends, drag them to the theatre to see it. Buy it when it releases to DVD, and support this movie. Do not download it. This movie is RAW and not for children or the faint of heart. Make sure you support this movie if you liked it.

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