Running Time (1997) Online

Josh Becker's "Running Time" is a remarkably effective and economical heist flick shot in black and white with the illusion of being a single take. These stylistic anomalies may draw your attention at first, but "Running Time" is more than its experimental hook. It's a good, taut thriller with a sharp comic edge. It also has a refreshingly brisk pace (clocking in at about 70 minutes long).

Bruce Campbell is excellent in the lead role as Carl, an ex-con whose plan for the perfect heist is undone by the incompetence of his partner Patrick (Jeremy Roberts) and a general case of Murphy's law. Anita Barone also gives a winning performance as Carl's former high school squeeze, Janie.

"Running Time" is a fine film that deserves a wider audience. Help start the trend.

This movie is a must see for aspiring film makers. It's goal was to make a diverse film while trying to show movies are an art form within their own right.

I didn't appreciate this movie until about 70% of the way in though. The story was original but at the same time a rehash of a dozen bank robbery scenarios we've all seen. Everything that could go wrong does, our two main bad guys fight a lot and people start dying.

But that was only on the surface. The robbery storyline needs to be overlooked and the three main characters given our focus. Towards the end of the movie we begin to see they are much more dynamic than assumed. It's at this point where the story takes second stage and the dynamics of Carl, Patrick and Janie truly come forward.

I liked the artistic sense this film had a lot and being made to feel as if it was one continuous camera shot beginning to end was very cool. Some scenes had that old black and white feel and line delivery of the classics.

It did leave something to be desired though. For a low budget indi film it was great and I really feel the plot and characters had a lot more to offer. This would be an excellent movie to make a larger budget version of such as which was done with Desperado.

I think the biggest problem was trying to capture elements of much older movies and everything being done in one take. The supporting characters should have been developed more which would of allowed for a longer movie. A little work on the script here and there plus more willingness to do more than one take for scenes could have made it the success the low budget B&W film Clerks was....honestly the genres weren't too far off.

As a true film lover, indi film maker or simply a Bruce Campbell fan it's well worth seeing but best without expectations.

This is an amazing movie. I popped the DVD into my player expecting a typical Bruce Campbell b-movie, but "Running Time" turned out to be much more than that. It succeeds on every level. Bruce Campbell shines in the leading role. I just love this man. This has got to be one of his best movies, right up there with the "Evil Dead" trilogy and "Bubba Ho-Tep". Actually, the whole cast is great. I especially fell for Anita Barone who I'd like to see in a lot more movies in the future. I won't spoil it for you, but watch out for her first meeting with Bruce Campbell's character in the movie. It's hilarious.

"Running Time" is shot in beautiful black and white, which gives the movie a film noir feeling. The script is written very cleverly with some witty dialog and tight pacing. From the beginning we are drawn into the story. The old real time formula works here for a change, although the concept does sometimes lead to a few lengths here and there. Still, the movie is far from ever getting boring and at 70 minutes running time "Running Time" (haha) is maybe even a bit too short. Doesn't matter. For me this one is an overlooked sleeper. If you get a chance, watch it!

It's an idea with the potential to go wrong, but Hitchcock made it work with Rope, and now Josh Becker has done the same with Running Time; a film with the word 'cult' written all over it! The fact that this film is shot in black and white makes it stand out somewhat from the crowd of nineties films, but it's the way that it's filmed that is Running Time's claim to fame. Becker shoots the film in one continuous shot that follows around lead character Carl through one day. This idea worked brilliantly for Hitchcock, but I was worried that it might not work so well for a movie about a heist - but it really couldn't have worked better! As mentioned, the plot follows Carl Metushka - a man newly released from prison. He meets up with his buddy, and it soon becomes apparent that Carl hasn't decided to stay away from the life of crime. No, he and his friend have a heist planned and we watch as they pick up a couple of people needed for the heist, and proceed to do the actual robbery...but you can't expect a plan like this to go off without a hitch.

The fact that Running Time is filmed in one continuous shot means that it's very easy to get into. This is complimented by the running time, which is extremely short at just sixty five minutes, and means that the film really doesn't have time to get boring. Becker keeps things interesting with a constant flow of action, and some rather amusing dialogue, which ensures that the film constantly makes for fun viewing. One of my major reasons for seeing this film was because of the presence of B-movie maestro Bruce Campbell. Campbell has a lot of charisma, and this shines through excellently in this film. Campbell is a very handsome man, and Becker makes good use of that fact with his role here. The rest of the cast are secondary to Campbell, but good use is made of all of them, and they all give realistic performances. The film is a little preposterous as certain things, the ending especially, are a little silly -but it really doesn't matter as Josh Becker's experiment is a huge success and overall, I can't not recommend that everyone takes the time to track Running Time down!

Made in the same all-in-one-take method that Hitchcock (who is thanked in the end credits) created for ROPE, RUNNING TIME is actually more inventive on some levels. Hitchcock shot his film on a stage at Warner Bros., but Becker's is made out in the streets of Los Angeles. Granted, Hitchcock didn't have the highly mobile, lightweight camera equipment available to Becker, but it couldn't have been easy shooting RUNNING TIME (amusing, punning title) from moving cars and on Los Angeles streets.

The script is taut and well-written, and occasionally quite amusing as the hold-up men squabble amongst themselves during the robbery. The movie is also unexpectedly romantic in a tough, ultra-film-noir manner (the hero and heroine have sex before they recognize each other from high school).

Becker also varies the style impressively at times, from a rock-steady, documentary-style approach at the beginning, to a more surrealistic sequence during the robbery, as the camera shifts wildly from one perspective to another.

The film didn't have much theatrical distribution, and is evidently available on video only from the director, but video stores should stock it. This is one of those movies whose reputation will increase in the years to come.

Nicely made black and white movie with some very nice acting.

Carl (Bruce Campbell), once a popular highschool student gets released from prison after serving 5 years for a heist gone bad. Outside, his friend and partner Patrick awaits his release so they can go rob a bank, but when he meets the girl he left behind in highschool 15 years ago he stands with a difficult choice of having to choose the money or her.

The movie was just over an hour and since it seemed very live we get to see all the actors really putting in a great effort to make this movie good.

Very enjoyable, oddball little shortie. When Carl got out of the pen after five years for theft, he and his idiotic best friend went directly into another heist. From the very start nothing went anywhere except the wrong way for these bungling losers. These stupids even hired a junkie as the getaway driver. Gad! When this caper went totally awry I thought Carl and his buddy should have had a lot more trouble getting away from the crime scene. They merely ran down pretty much deserted streets with no one chasing them even though three shooters were only seconds behind at one point. Although fun to watch the entire thing was just too unbelievable; no way these jackasses could have escaped the area without giving themselves away. Anita Barone was fine as the broken hearted hooker who badly needed to put her trust in someone.

Recently released convict Bruce Campbell decides to pull a daring heist with a small group of losers. Their objective is to steal money that is used by the prison for laundry services. Campbell, who learned of this while working the laundry room, is the would-be mastermind of the poorly planned job. Also along for the ride is an old high school love (Anita Barone) that Campbell may still have deep feelings for. "Running Time" was supposedly shot in one continuous take. I really do not believe this could have been made that way looking at the various locations throughout the Los Angeles area that were used. With that said, "Running Time" starts off very well but then just kind of drags its feet as the second half progresses. Campbell, arguably doing the best work of his career, steals the show and Barone's late appearance adds an interesting wrinkle that probably was not needed. Like the film itself, Campbell and Barone look great in this black-and-white product. Ultimately though the substance is lacking and "Running Time" likely would have been better as a short film than a cinematic feature. Highly interesting to an extent, but still not quite a touchdown. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

The film being shot in black and white, real time(I actually watched the clock and it all lines up), and in one shot gives this movie a realism, and grittiness that is really cool.

If not for the fact that the movie had some recognizable actors you might almost believe it was real.

Bruce Campbell is as cool as ever in the lead roll, and the supporting actors are really good.

I especially liked the relationship between Bruce Campbell and Anita Barone who plays his love interest. By the end of the movie I really found myself pulling for them to end up together.

I gave this movie 7/10 stars, if I could say anything negative about it, it would only be that the movie was pretty short at under 70 minutes.

I almost watched this one with him, but since we were in for a calm evening I rather refrained from it.

This movie makes your adrenalin rush, for the camera and action is almost moving constantly. As other reviewers have already pointed out this is a movie shot in one continuous flow, making it feel like one shot though technically speaking it was edited. Because of this it also plays in real time and it is an awfully packed and complex story for its running time of ca 65 minutes. Whole life stories are condensed in it. At least the ones of the main character Carl and his girlfriend lost and recovered, Janie.

First at all though I'd love to talk about the cinematography and its effects on the audience, which must be me. Since there is this constant move and since the camera has to be positioned inbetween the interacting actors, I got the feeling of being much more immediately involved in the whole story than usually. I became a sort of silent, close witness of it all. And to push this effect even beyond this, at times the camera angle would change drawing me really into the character's standpoint, especially after Carl is shot and his dizziness gets reflected by the camera's constantly tumbling around.

Back to the story, basically it's about a well planned heist that goes horribly wrong. The main character is Carl who is being released from prison when the movie begins. During the ensuing 65 minutes the audience witnesses the heist, learns about Carl's relationship to Patrick, an old pal, who helped him organize the heist, a former girlfriend, Janie, gets shagged and then recaptured and maybe lost again, wrongs dating back from schooldays get resolved, even the question why Carl and Patrick ended up as criminals gets touched. The underlying current is a theme of reunion and reconciliation. In this whole scheme Carl undergoes the greatest evolution, from the hard-boiled ex-con to the sincere and responsible lover.

Sometimes when the lights go up I imagine what would happen after the movie's ending and in this case, though in reality they wouldn't stand a chance, I imagine that Janie and Carl would be happy because both of them discovered something precious, something to give them hope.

This is a movie that deserves more recognition; well written, acted and presented, this quirky little film stands out. Bruce Campbell drops the cheese for a moment and demonstrates that he can in fact act. I'm a big fan and I have to admit it was great to see that the man has built a career on hammy low budget flicks The 'one shot' filming is pulled off very well and adds a sense of urgency. In fact, it's quite fun trying to spot the cuts! The black and white managed to add rather than detract unlike many other indie movies.

Sure, it's not perfect and some of the characters could have benefited from a little further rounding - more than a few actions and moments didn't quite ring true. The plot wasn't the most unpredictable. However, overall the positives far outweigh any slight gripes. This movie was thoroughly enjoyable; an absolute pleasure to watch.

I recently bought a copy of Running Time on DVD simply because I am a huge Bruce Campbell fan and thought I had seen most of his movies. I was a bit hesitant at first when I heard that the filmaker's attempted to make this movie in one continuous shot. I thought that that would make for a boring hour and a half (it's actually just over 70 minutes). Much to my suprise, I loved it. I was hooked 5 minutes in. The acting was very crisp and the story was very original in that it is more of a love story than a crime drama. The fact that it was shot on 16mm in B&W also makes it that much better. The tone is set from the get go and the pace is perfect. The few cuts that the movie does have are hard to catch even if you are looking for them.

I was also very entertained by the audio commentary on the disc. It was like listening to a couple of guys BS about making a movie. It's not at all like those other commentaries where the director sits and talks about how such and such looks like a silent movie actor over and over again or how having this star was at the top of their draft.

In closing, check it out. It's a fun flick that is worth watching more than once. Oh, and if anyone out there is listening...

Bruce Campbell would make a perfect Superman!!!!!!!!(Nicolas Cage? Honestly????)

I Found this film on DVD in the bargain bin for $4. The only reason I bought it was because it stars Bruce Campbell and the premise seemed cool...I was right. This movie was really good. I did notice one part, though, where I think a cut was snuk in there (if snuk is a word..). The camera zoomed in on someone so close as to make the screen go black, and then zoomed out again as he walked by. Other than that though, i really really like this movie.

Well what can I say.. Being a big Bruce Campbell fan, I actually made the effort to order this on DVD from the US.. it only being available there... and it was a great film.. Not once for the entire 70 minutes did my mind wander from the action nor did my eyes stray from the screen.. A script that is both humorous and suspense-full, directing was nigh on flawless, and the seeming illusion of one single take is maintained amazingly throughout this whole film, achieving what both Rope and Nick of Time failed to do.. Full credit to Josh Becker for both great script writing.. and full credit to Kaye Davis for superb editing.. and all the actors, especially Bruce, Jeremy and Anita.. for making it highly believable.. So, what are you waiting for its on DVD with full commentary from Josh and Bruce and its a bargain! BUY IT NOW! This deserves wider recognition that it has received.. Buy, watch and enjoy (and be amazed!)

I must say that this is one of the best movies I have seen in quite a while. First off, I am a huge Bruce Campbell and Josh Becker fan. I think they both did a bang-up job on this movie. The black and white format gave the movie a certain feeling that fit it to a "T". Not to mention the one scene-one take mentality of Becker. Excellent! If you haven't seen the movie (possibly due to it's 50 dollar starting selling price) you must get it or find a friend who owns it... then steal it.

I have had the pleasure of seeing Josh Becker's film "Running Time" on several occasions. I never get tired of this film. Shot in black and white with a running time (no pun intended) of 70 minutes, the film was presented as a single shot film (no obvious cuts) a style also called "real time". "Running Time" is the first successful attempt at making a "real time" feature length film since Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller, "Rope"(1948 ). Another film that attempted, but failed, at using real time was the feature film "Nick of Time"(1995), directed by John Badham and starring Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken. But where that film failed due to too many "jump cuts", "Running Time" succeeded, and with honors. Watching the film gave one the sence of watching a single, seemless shot. "Running Time" also saw what is to date Bruce Campbell's best performance in a feature film. Watching "Running Time" was what I'd call a real good time. The Couch Potato Critic, The Octopus Magazine

It seems obvious to me that the creators of this film realized early on that they were working with script that is cliche, predictable and wholly uninteresting. So, instead of trying to make the story itself interesting, they decided to shoot it in what they must have believed to be an interesting way. Long takes, few cuts, real time, real mess.

These sort of films may be attention grabbing from an experimental veiwpoint, but don't offer much in the way of good storytelling. Movies are traditionally cut and edited the way they are for a very good reason...it works. While some may consider this style of filmmaking challenging and artistic, I think lazy is more on point: strap a steadicam operator with a rig, have him run around following the action for an ungodly amount of time and it only takes you two days to edit, wow!

The negative effects of shooting a film in such a way far outweigh the possible benefits. Sickening camera shifts (think Blair Witch), stagnant camera angles, and uneven acting performances are all inevitable results. Plus, it seems to me that the value of such extended takes come as a result of their scarcity. P.T. Anderson understands this, and while he almost always incorporates a long take or two in his films, they serve as juxtapose the more traditional shooting style and, are therefore interesting.

While "Running Time" may be a fascinating filmmaking exercise, this bizarre and ineffective shooting style, when combined with a poorly written script make this movie practically unwatchable and certainly unenjoyable. It appears as if the creator of this film was making it solely for himself and not for a viewing audience, which is fine, but these sort of pieces are better suited for film school projects than feature film releases.

"Running Time" is more a cinematic stunt than a movie. It provides intellectual diversion but little emotional involvement. All of the edits in this "continuous take" project are obvious, but it is great fun to watch Bruce Campbell do what he does so well. Anita Barone is especially good in what is essentially an underwritten part as Janine, the whore with the heart of gold. As an added bonus, the movie is shot with all-Steadicam and gave me both a headache and an upset stomach. I haven't had both of those while watching a film since "Galaxy of Terror"! I soldiered on 'til the end because I wanted to see what happened next, so I'll declare "Running Time" a cut above a mild diversion.

I can't believe how good this movie turned out to be. I can't believe I got it for $3.39! I've always been a big fan of Bruce Campbell and he really shines here. It's also amusing hearing him use foul language. I thought the best scene was in the bank when they were robbing the place. It was intense. See this movie today!!!

This is one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. The story was boring, the dialogue was atrocious and the acting hammy. I'm not sure if this movie was the result of a film school homework project, but it certainly played like one. It is not even particularly successful in its central conceit of trying to appear as a single continuous take. The whooshing horizontal camera pans are a cheap and unoriginal way of hiding cuts.

I watched this movie purely based on the IMDb ratings it got. And once again I got completely fooled. 7,2 ratings? Seriously? Did we watch the same movie? I even read that for some the movie was not long enough... Well to me it could not end faster. The story is really bad. Those must be the worst criminals I have ever seen. Planning a heist like they did is completely ridiculous. When they run away after the heist I had the feeling my grandmother could run faster then them. And the cars that are supposed to be chasing them, do they have a 5 mile per hour limit or what? No really, the story is just bad. And why do we still make black and white movies? I don't get it. I could make a better movie with my 200 dollar handycam. And in color... Bruce Campbell should stay in the genre he was good at, and that's Evil Dead. This movie was a complete waste of my time.

Oh dear, this movie was bad for various reasons. I was expecting to see a very low score for this film and was a bit surprised by the over-all score.Sorry, but to rate this highly as many have, is a joke! Once you get past the one shot/black and white movie gimmick, which was a nice idea, the movie drags on, even at a run time of only 66 minutes. The credits sequence at the start was so annoying too!In the van the guys suffer a flat tyre and change the wheel, wow, that was needed in the story! How slow were the guys chasing and actually managing to wound Campbell?? They did not seem to bother continue chasing him...sigh..I am only too glad I got this free with a special Edition of Evil Dead!!

The acting in this movie was absolutely horrible. Worst movie I've seen since Gene Hackman's The Heist and perhaps Jurassic Park 2. The characters are not believable... including Bruce Campbell and the emotional whore. To even mention this in the same sentence as Hitchcok's Rope is an embarassment to fine film making.

Running Time stars the great Bruce Campbell was a classic movie, it was one single shot no cuts or anything the camera just follows and moves, Josh Becker the writter/director did a great job at both, and Bruce Campbell gave his best performance ever, he was great in the Evil Dead trilogy, but his acting was even better in Running Time. i saw Running Time on a shelf so i picked it up, i heard alot of good things about it and most of all my fav actor Bruce Campbell is in it, after watching the movie i knew i made the right choice, Bruce Campbell who plays Carl just got out of jail and plans a heist with his friend and 2 other people, everything is planned perfectly but it all goes wrong and what we end up with is a great suspense/thriller. if you come across Running Time either rent it or even better buy it it's well worth it. i give Running Time 10/10