MOVIE NIGHT TRAFFIC LIGHT

Media 8 Entertainment (Distributor: New Line Cinema)

$17M

Wayne Kramer (The Cooler)

Sammy Lee (Upside of Anger, Monster), Michael Pierce (The Cooler, In Enemy Hands), Brett Ratner (Double Take, TV: Prison Break)

Wayne Kramer (Mindhunters, The Cooler)

Paul Walker – Joey Gazelle (Eight Below, The Fast and The Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious)

Vera Farmiga – Teresa Gazelle (The Manchurian Candidate, 15 Minutes)

Cameron Bright – Oleg Yugorsky (Thank You For Smoking, Birth, The Butterfly Effect)

Alex Neuberger – Nicky Gazelle (no previous credits)

Be warned – if you have an F…ing problem with the F…ing “F…word” (or, for that matter, graphic violence or explicit sex), then this F…ing movie may be too F’d up for you to F…ing see it.  Either F…ing way, here’s the F…ing deal with F…ing Running Scared. 

After one intense hanky panky scene, some extreme violence and 127 “F…” words into Running Scared you’re sure that this movie should have really been rated NC17 instead of R.  Running Scared shows one night in the dark, raw, and brutal life of the mobster world.  During a drug deal gone bad, Joey (Paul Walker) and his mob buddies are ambushed by some dirty cops.  When all is said and done, the cops are dead and Joey is supposed to get rid of the murder weapons.  As insurance, Joey doesn’t really get rid of the guns, but hides them in the wall of his basement.  Joey’s 10 year old son Nicky (Alex Neuberger) and his best friend Oleg (Cameron Bright) find the stash of guns when playing in the basement.  Oleg steals one of the guns and shoots his cruel and abusive stepfather.  Oleg runs away with the gun forcing Joey to find him and the gun before his mob boss discovers he really didn’t dispose of the piece.  Things are complicated by the fact that Oleg’s stepfather’s uncle is the head of the rival mob.  In an intense race to save their own lives, Joey, his wife Teresa (Vera Farmiga), Nicky and Oleg must find the missing gun, outrun the dirty cops, befriend a hooker, battle child pornographers,  confront a deranged pimp, and outsmart the mobsters.  The movie is filled with twists and turns that blindsides the audience all leading to an unexpected ending.

Finally, a film that makes “graphic” work!  Intense, raw, and brutal, Running Scared is a masterful depiction of an enticing and well-crafted story.  With the actors’ vivid portrayal of colorful characters, the movie is almost too powerful to watch, but it’s too perfect to miss.  It does run a little long, losing momentum at points; and some of the cinematography is disorienting and distracting – seeming at times to have been filmed with a helmet-cam and a flashlight.  Nonetheless, the thoughtful, creative finale makes the long, edge-of-your seat ride worthwhile.  Running Scared is an image and emotion explosion that fans of this genre will enjoy.

On the Movie Night Traffic Light on a scale of GREEN meaning “Go – it’s a must see”, YELLOW meaning “Caution – it’s okay” and RED meaning “No - stop don’t do it."

We rate Running Scared YELLOW.  Caution – do not take children to this movie, but if you’re up for an intense, very dark adult movie, this one is worth seeing.