Running Scared
By Mal Simons, Blockbuster.co.uk
A gripping film starring The Fast And The Furious’ Paul Walker, Running Scared is a fast paced thriller following a low level mobster as he tries to get himself and his family out of trouble during the course of one night. With so many twists and turns, this is a rollercoaster of a movie guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Paul Walker plays Joey Gazelle, a small time mobster, responsible for getting rid of the guns used in mob crimes. When he is given a gun that has been used to kill a corrupt police detective, rather than destroy the pistol, Joey hides this in his basement, hoping to sell this at a later time. Unfortunately for Joey, he is seen by his son’s best friend Oleg Yugorsky (
Cameron Bright), who takes the gun and uses it to shoot his abusive stepfather next door. Oleg then goes on the run with the gun.
As the police match the bullet of the gun to the one that has been used to kill one of their own, and a corrupt cop tries to blackmail Joey’s mob bosses. Joey must find Oleg and recover the gun before either the mob or the cops catch up with him. And then… he needs to go home and explain all this to his wife(!)
This film will keep you on the edge of your seat; I was not expecting this to be any good however this was a pleasant surprise. While I was never Paul Walker’s biggest fan in the past, Walker has shown here that he is actually a good actor with the ability for real range.
Special attention should also be paid to Hollywood child actor of the moment, Cameron Bright who puts in another great performance in this movie. Bright seems to be in everything at the moment – I mean, this year alone he has been in everything from
X-Men: The Last Stand and
Ultraviolet to
Stargate SG-1. You can see why Bright has been chosen for this role – he is one of the few child actors today that have the ability to express both innocence and yet be believable as an abused boy who shoots his drug addict stepfather.
Director
Wayne Kramer has done a terrific job with Running Scared, his first film since he directed the underrated
William H Macy film –
The Cooler, there are plenty of twists and turns, the direction and pace are perfect and the whole thing feels like a rollercoaster ride around Los Angeles to the point where it very rarely allows you to catch your breath. Add this to your list now – this is well worth a watch.