Paul Walker tries to retrieve an important gun in the crime thriller RUNNING SCARED. Walker is Joey Gazelle, an accomplice in a mob deal gone sour. It’s Joey’s job to dispose of the guns used in the deal, but one of the guns makes its way into the hands of Oleg, a friend of Joey’s son Nicky. Oleg uses the gun on his mother’s abusive boyfriend, and then runs away. These circumstances send Joey on a wild goose chase to retrieve the missing piece.
Some modern film noir have succeeded at integrating a wide array of characters, events and motives, interweaving them into a creative whirlwind which gradually reveals their connection. RUNNING SCARED is all whirlwind (more like tornado) which leaves everything out of whack. The film has a wide array of characters, events and motives, but writer-director Wayne Kramer seems more concerned with one upping himself with each subsequent scene, than attempting to tie it all together. Although it’s a mess of a screenplay, I still admire Kramer’s no-holds barred attack. Kramer throws everything and anything into the picture, including crooked cops, clean criminals, violent kids, pedophiles, killer hockey players, pimps, prostitutes and even a John Wayne-tattooed Russian who weeps when watching the Duke’s films. RUNNING SCARED is creative, but not clever, a brainstorming session which was filmed.
Grade: C
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