Spring Break
Kramer delivers blood-wrenching thriller
Lauren McLean
Issue date: 2/17/06 Section: Entertainment
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Everyone likes a good action flick, so why not one that not only mixes in a little suspense, topped off with dark, perturbing twists, but also concentrates on a unique, and somewhat original, idea. Wayne Kramer's Running Scared is all that and more.
Joey Gazelle, played by the charming blue-eyed beauty, Paul Walker, is a small-town, bottom-of-the-ladder criminal who is hired as a henchman to dispose of "hot" guns used in mob hits. Unfortunately for him, one of those weapons ends up in the hands of his adolescent son's best friend, Oleg (Cameron Bright). Joey, who becomes aware that this particular gun is missing after shots are heard from Oleg's home next door, must now race against time to retrieve the gun before the cops trace the weapon back to him and his employers.
Centering on a dark, yet almost intentionally disturbing tone, writer-director Wayne Kramer delivers a blood-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat, suspense action thriller that pushes and pulls you in a million different directions. He takes you on journey into a seedy world filled with gangsters, pimps, dirty cops, and pedophiles, revealing twist after twist as the plot thickens and time dwindles down.
The movie accents Walker like never before. He walks away from the common one-dimensional pretty-boy typecast roles that he's used to playing and steps into the shoes of a real, believable character. You feel for Joey. You empathize with him. You want him to succeed.
Another highlight is the performance of twelve-year-old Bright, who plays the trouble and abused, Oleg. Despite his almost non-existent dialogue, Bright shines in the film, providing just the right mixture of innocence and emotional anguish. Without saying much, Bright is hauntingly convincing, handling the part with ease.
Far from a perfect film, Running Scared, does have it flaws, but if you can look past the corny dialogue, the obvious cliches, and the unrealistic coincidences, you'll appreciate the impressive editing and visual effects that Kramer delivers, setting the record for one of the best movies of its kind in a while.
--
Film
4/5 Triangles
Running Scared
Paul Walker, Chazz Palminteri,
Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga
Directed by Wayne Kramer
New Line Cinema
Joey Gazelle, played by the charming blue-eyed beauty, Paul Walker, is a small-town, bottom-of-the-ladder criminal who is hired as a henchman to dispose of "hot" guns used in mob hits. Unfortunately for him, one of those weapons ends up in the hands of his adolescent son's best friend, Oleg (Cameron Bright). Joey, who becomes aware that this particular gun is missing after shots are heard from Oleg's home next door, must now race against time to retrieve the gun before the cops trace the weapon back to him and his employers.
Centering on a dark, yet almost intentionally disturbing tone, writer-director Wayne Kramer delivers a blood-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat, suspense action thriller that pushes and pulls you in a million different directions. He takes you on journey into a seedy world filled with gangsters, pimps, dirty cops, and pedophiles, revealing twist after twist as the plot thickens and time dwindles down.
The movie accents Walker like never before. He walks away from the common one-dimensional pretty-boy typecast roles that he's used to playing and steps into the shoes of a real, believable character. You feel for Joey. You empathize with him. You want him to succeed.
Another highlight is the performance of twelve-year-old Bright, who plays the trouble and abused, Oleg. Despite his almost non-existent dialogue, Bright shines in the film, providing just the right mixture of innocence and emotional anguish. Without saying much, Bright is hauntingly convincing, handling the part with ease.
Far from a perfect film, Running Scared, does have it flaws, but if you can look past the corny dialogue, the obvious cliches, and the unrealistic coincidences, you'll appreciate the impressive editing and visual effects that Kramer delivers, setting the record for one of the best movies of its kind in a while.
--
Film
4/5 Triangles
Running Scared
Paul Walker, Chazz Palminteri,
Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga
Directed by Wayne Kramer
New Line Cinema
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