Running Scared (2006)

[KurtDunn 1]

This crime actioner seems tailor made for HDTGM, and probably had a coach, drilling it on how to be a furious unfocused mess. It stars Paul Walker, who is better known from the Fast & Furious films, as a criminal underling given the task of stashing a gun that was used in a crime at the beginning of the film. Things take a turn for the worse however, when a kid from his neighborhood finds the gun, and embarks on the unluckiest odyssey through the crime and chaos strewn streets of New York. I'm unsure of how accurate the amount of horrifying and life threatening situations that occur on a minute to minute basis in NYC, but I suspect not nearly this much. His journey through the escalating nature of crime in the city comes to a climax as he is picked up by an affluent white couple who promise to shelter him for the night, but turn out to be creepy possibly pedophile serial killers.

Instantly each protagonist is unlikable, where they perform actions that swiftly alienate any sympathy the audience would otherwise feel for them. The action is unfocused, the writing dialog awful (which the film itself recognizes), and you will stop caring long before the halfway point of this 122 minute film.

Other things to look for: A cameo by John Noble (of Fringe [whose character has a startling nonspecific definition of 'Nigger']), and hockey players who are inexplicably also mob enforcers.

PS: A life lesson I took from the film was ultimately a message of love. 'If two pedophile serialkillers could find eachother, and find love, there's hope for everyone.'

[brettcm82 20]

You do get to see Vera Farmiga's ass.

That's a good movie to me.

[sillstaw 414]

I legitimately, unironically love this movie. I mean, murderous kiddie-pornographers are a minor detour in the plot. How can you hate that?

[KurtDunn 1]

Because the pedophile serial killers were 45 minutes into the goddamn movie, and they went no where.

They could have deleted 30 mins of the first half of that movie, and lost very little. That movie was just trying WAY too hard.

[mezdup 3]

An undercover federal agent 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.

 

'out of control' doesn't even begin to describe what happens in this movie. anybody who has seen this movie knows how fucking insane it was. there's so much crazy stuff that happens. this movie in unpredictable in the sense that they go to some really fucking weird places that movies just shouldn't go.

 

don't read below if you don't want spoilers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

some gems:

- paul walker successfully working a curse into every line

- that weird looking kid managing to look weird the entire movie

- that weird looking kid's dad's obsession with john wayne

- that girl from lost being a crazy kidnapping pedophile

- CGI hockey pucks

- paul walker being shot and bleeding profusely as he drives the kid back to the house without killing both himself and the kid and then somehow surviving in the end?!

[mezdup 3]

weird i did a search an nothing came up prior to my posting

[RyanSz 3140]

I too love this movie. For all of its problems, it offers up insane, stupid entertainment. It's like Crank if it took itself serious.

[jimkiler 84]

I love this movie and just watched some of it again when i was at the gym a month ago. Still solid action movie that does not pretend to be much more.

 

I think this movie flopped but they showed the opening fight as a trailer during the Super Bowl when this movie came out so they must have expected big things for it.

[IMAHUGEHDTGMFAN 1837]

This movie premiered in Venezuelan theaters 2 years after it came out... I saw it in 2008 and after I came out of the cinema I went and bought the DVD that was widely available by that time...

[RyanSz 3140]

One thing I notice while watching this movie tonight was how Paul Walker goes so much farther as a whacked out cop, surpassing Nic Cage in Bad Lieutenant. He points a gun at a woman holding her baby, maims numerous people, and hides the fact that his wife killed two people. Nowhere does he ever call for help from his superiors or the fact that he has LOADS of guns from numerous crimes, that he had enough to convict the mobsters ten times over. I still love this movie for some reason but realize it would be perfect for the show.

[kobthatreal 5896]

Ray Liotta though... Henryyyy

[Captain P1an3t 3]

I actually genuinely like this movie. Vera Farmiga's ass and David Warshofsky as the Lenny the Pimp? How can you go wrong?

[SalsaSharky 1]

I just saw the film and heartily recommend it for contention!

[sillstaw 414]

One thing I notice while watching this movie tonight was how Paul Walker goes so much farther as a whacked out cop, surpassing Nic Cage in Bad Lieutenant. He points a gun at a woman holding her baby, maims numerous people, and hides the fact that his wife killed two people. Nowhere does he ever call for help from his superiors or the fact that he has LOADS of guns from numerous crimes, that he had enough to convict the mobsters ten times over. I still love this movie for some reason but realize it would be perfect for the show.

 

One of the frustrating things about when people talk about this movie is how everybody treats the twist that Paul Walker is actually an undercover cop, something that is only revealed in the last ten or fifteen minutes of the movie, like it's something people know walking into the movie. It's kind of frustrating to me when people just casually spoil it. I'm aware his best-known role is as a cop going undercover with criminals (at least in the first movie; I'm not at all familiar with the canon of the "Fast and Furious" movies), and I'm aware it's not a twist on par with an Agatha Christie novel, but come on, people.

[Reptarftw 27]

First post, I know, nefarious agenda. But yes, this does seem like the perfect movie for this podcast. There is just so much to... Yeah. There is just so much.

 

Crazy to think this came from the same director as The Cooler.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

Just joining the chorus of people who love this movie.

[SalsaSharky 1]

I wonder if this will be in the running (no pun intended) anymore, out of respect for the late Mr. Walker.

In other words is it "too soon"? I kinda hope not but this is the community that's very pro-F&F franchise, after all...

[MacGruber 9]

This movie is a masterpiece, but shame on sillstaw (what kind of name is that) above for spoiling the twist.