Running Scared

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Running Scared

R

Released Feb 24, 2006

2h 1m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

41%

Tomatometer

131 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Mafia flunky Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) is ordered to dispose of the guns that killed a pair of policemen. He hides them in his basement, where they are found by Oleg (Cameron Bright), the kid from next door, who uses one to shoot his brutal stepfather, a Russian mobster. The boy runs off, and Joey pursues him into the criminal underworld, desperate to retrieve the incriminating weapon. Meanwhile, corrupt detective Rydell (Chazz Palminteri) is following Joey's trail with his own agenda.

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Critics Consensus

This film runs with frenetic energy punctuated by gratuitous violence but sorely lacks in plot, character development and stylistic flair.

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Brian Tallerico

UGO

Running Scared exists in that world of movies where there are no good guys - just bad guys, worse guys and worst guys.

Mar 24, 2007

Full Review

Trevor Johnston

Time Out

With audiences jaded by the usual sex and splatter, do the filmmakers have no qualms about juicing up proceedings with edgy but troubling material which clearly needs more conscientious handling? Apparently not.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Angie Errigo

Empire Magazine

Stylish, rollicking post-Tarantino trash which does the business at such a pace you barely notice its preposterousness.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 1, 2006

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Running Scared boasts a larger-than-life, gleefully broad sensibility that's been hard-wired into almost every facet of the proceedings...

Rated: 3/4

Oct 21, 2020

Full Review

Julian Roman

MovieWeb

Rated: 3.5/5

Apr 26, 2011

Full Review

Felix Gonzalez Jr.

DVD Review

Wayne Kramer's latest film is a hard-hitting, visceral, over-the-top extravaganza of blood and bullets that doesn't let up for one second.

Jul 10, 2007

Full Review

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Korra N

Twisted, deranged and unsettling, Running Scared is a brutal and unflinching crime thriller with some over-the-top, colorful characters and absolutely wild sequences of mayhem.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/03/24

Full Review

Chris K

It's one of those movies where if you haven't seen it, just go watch it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/24/24

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Kelly S

Amazing movie, keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time!! Definitely a must watch. Rip Paul Walker :/

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

Full Review

Ahna R

The cinematography of this film was similar to a video game and i really enjoyed that. The storyline was constantly moving forward and very fast paced, of course it was a little unrealistic but most action movies are. The undeniable loyalty from Oleg from the beginning of the movie until the end was very touching, despite his situation getting worse and worse. I would definitely recommend this movie to people who want fast paced action that grips you until the very end.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/01/24

Full Review

prawnda s

implausible story beats, bad acting, and incredibly distasteful use of low frame rates that comes off more like a scratched dvd than an intentional effect, utterly pointless rewind/ffw sequences that don't add any new information or suspense. the film has about 10 consecutive endings in a row, and none of them are even remotely plausible. there is some decent action but it's very unrealistic as well. the "high octane" that the reviews might claim is present actually just becomes an annoyance because everyone is spazzing out the entire time with quintessential overacting mistakes. overall, this is a very cringe product of the 2000s that is far less edgy than it thinks it is. paul walker might be a solid lead in some films, but he's not particularly good in this role, and the child actors aren't great either. note to hollywood: child celebrities are almost never talented enough to be on the screen, and if they are successful they end up seriously traumatized. there is no excuse for the fact that modern movies seem to include even more of them than before, because little kids don't even want to watch other kids. they want to watch teenagers or college age people because that's who they actually look up to.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/18/23

Full Review

Roniel G

This movie is dark, gritty, and entertaining!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/26/23

Full Review

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Wayne Kramer

Director

Paul Walker

Joey Gazelle

Cameron Bright

Oleg Yugorsky

Vera Farmiga

Teresa Gazelle

Chazz Palminteri

Detective Rydell

Johnny Messner

Tommy "Tombs" Perello

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Synopsis

Mafia flunky Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) is ordered to dispose of the guns that killed a pair of policemen. He hides them in his basement, where they are found by Oleg (Cameron Bright), the kid from next door, who uses one to shoot his brutal stepfather, a Russian mobster. The boy runs off, and Joey pursues him into the criminal underworld, desperate to retrieve the incriminating weapon. Meanwhile, corrupt detective Rydell (Chazz Palminteri) is following Joey's trail with his own agenda.

Director: Wayne Kramer
Producer: Michael A. Pierce, Stewart Hall, Sammy Lee
Screenwriter: Wayne Kramer
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: Media 8 Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Drug Content|Pervasive Brutal Violence|Sexuality)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 24, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.9M
Runtime: 2h 1m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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