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{{short description|2006 action thriller film by Wayne Kramer}}
{{About|the 2006 American film|other films of the same name|Running Scared (disambiguation){{!}}Running Scared}}
{{use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Running Scared
| name = Running Scared
| image = Running scared.jpg
| image = Running scared.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Wayne Kramer (filmmaker)|Wayne Kramer]]
| director = [[Wayne Kramer (filmmaker)|Wayne Kramer]]
| producer = Andrew Pfeffer
| producer = {{Plainlist|
* Michael Pierce
| writer = Wayne Kramer
* [[Brett Ratner]]
| starring = [[Paul Walker]]<br />[[Cameron Bright]]<br />[[Vera Farmiga]]<br />[[Chazz Palminteri]]<br />[[Alex Neuberger]]
* Sammy Lee
| music = [[Mark Isham]]
}}
| writer = Wayne Kramer
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Paul Walker]]
* [[Cameron Bright]]
* [[Vera Farmiga]]
* [[Chazz Palminteri]]
}}
| music = [[Mark Isham]]
| cinematography = Jim Whitaker
| cinematography = Jim Whitaker
| editing = Arthur Coburn
| editing = Arthur Coburn
| studio = {{Plainlist|
| distributor = [[New Line Cinema]]
* [[Media 8 Entertainment]]<ref name="afi"/>
| released = February 24, 2006
* True Gift<ref name="afi"/>
| runtime = 122 minutes
}}
| country = {{FilmUS}}<br />{{FilmGermany}}
| distributor = {{plainlist|
| language = [[English language|English]]<br />[[Russian language|Russian]]
* 3L Filmverleih (Germany)
| budget = $15 million
* [[New Line Cinema]] (United States)<ref name="afi"/>
| gross = '''Domestic:'''<br />$6,855,137<ref name="bom1" /><br />'''Foreign:'''<br />$2,524,892<ref name="bom1" /><br />'''Worldwide:'''<br />$9,380,029<ref name="bom1" />
* Media 8 Entertainment (International)
}}
| released = {{Film date|2006|02|24|United States|2006|04|13|Germany}}
| runtime = 122 minutes<ref name="bom1"/>
| country = {{Plainlist|
* Germany<ref name="afi"/>
* United States<ref name="afi">{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/64009|title=Running Scared (2006)|website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|access-date=December 30, 2016|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201705/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/64009|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
| language = {{Plainlist|
* English
* German
* Russian
* Ukrainian
}}
| budget = $15 million<ref name="bom1"/>
| gross = $9.7 million<ref name="bom1"/>
}}
}}


'''''Running Scared''''' is a [[2006 in film|2006]] [[crime film]] written and directed by [[Wayne Kramer (filmmaker)|Wayne Kramer]] and released by [[New Line Cinema]]. The film stars [[Paul Walker]], [[Cameron Bright]], [[Vera Farmiga]], [[Chazz Palminteri]], [[Alex Neuberger]] (in his film debut) and [[Johnny Messner]]. It was released in the [[United States]] on February 24, 2006. It received mostly mixed reviews.
'''''Running Scared''''' is a 2006 [[neo-noir]] [[action thriller]] film directed and written by [[Wayne Kramer (filmmaker)|Wayne Kramer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v310645|title=Running Scared (2006) - Wayne Kramer|website=[[AllMovie]]|access-date=June 8, 2020|archive-date=October 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021004619/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v310645|url-status=live}}</ref> The film stars [[Paul Walker]], [[Cameron Bright]], [[Vera Farmiga]] and [[Chazz Palminteri]]. Its plot follows a low-ranking mafioso who is ordered to get rid of a gun used to kill [[Police corruption|corrupt cops]] only to find himself in a race against time when the murder weapon falls into the wrong hands.

''Running Scared'' was released in the United States on February 24, 2006, by [[New Line Cinema]], and in Germany on April 13, 2006, by 3L Filmverleih.


==Plot==
==Plot==
A large drug deal between [[New Jersey]] [[mobsters]] and a [[Jamaica]]n gang goes awry, leading to a shootout that kills two corrupt police officers who were attempting to rob the gangs. Mobster Tommy Perello orders his subordinate, Joey Gazelle, to dispose of the guns; Joey goes home to his wife Teresa and their ten-and-a-half-year-old son Nicky, where he stashes the weapons in his basement. Unbeknownst to him, Nicky and his friend Oleg secretly watch him.
{{Plot|date=February 2009}}
The movie begins with Joey Gazelle ([[Paul Walker]]) driving with a boy, Oleg Yugorsky ([[Cameron Bright]]). Oleg has a blood stain on his shirt, implying that he had been shot. The rest of the movie flashes back to the events that led up to this point. Joey, a low-level [[Mafia|mafioso]], is attending a drug deal with his boss Tommy ([[Johnny Messner]]) and associate Sal when masked men burst in and try to steal the drugs and money. Shots are fired and several of the masked men are killed and the leader flees. Tommy discovers that the men were [[police corruption|dirty cops]]. As the mobsters flee in a panic, Tommy gives the murder weapons to Joey, telling him to get rid of them.


Oleg steals one of the guns before heading home to his mother Mila and his abusive stepfather, Anzor. After Anzor becomes belligerent, Oleg shoots him before leaving the house. When Joey goes to investigate the disturbance, he finds a wounded Anzor who then describes the gun. Joey realizes that it is one of the weapons he hid earlier, and rushes to track down Oleg before the police do.
Rather than dispose of the guns, Joey goes home to his wife Teresa ([[Vera Farmiga]]) and son Nicky ([[Alex Neuberger]]), and hides the guns in the basement while Nicky and his friend from next door, Oleg, secretly watch. Oleg returns home to his [[child abuse|abusive]] [[stepfather]], Anzor Yugorsky ([[Karel Roden]]), the outcast nephew of the [[Russian mob]] boss, Yugorsky, and battered mother, Mila ([[Ivana Miličević]]). When Anzor becomes belligerent towards Oleg, Oleg shoots him with a nickel-plated .38 that he had stolen from Joey's basement. Next door, the Gazelle family is disrupted by the gunshots and Joey rushes next door. He finds Anzor wounded, and Oleg gone.


Throughout the night, Oleg runs into people living outside mainstream society: a homeless crack addict, a drug dealer, a prostitute, Divina, and her abusive pimp Lester. After Oleg helps Divina, she decides to look after him. Divina takes him to a diner where they find Joey, who is explaining to his boss Frankie Perello that Oleg has the gun. Oleg stashes the gun in the diner bathroom, and after leaving with Divina, he is found by police officers who then return him to Anzor.
Oleg runs to a nearby park, where he is caught by a homeless man, who takes his gun and drags him to a drug dealer's den. Joey and Nicky follow, trying to find him. The drug dealers and the homeless man start shooting at one another, alerting Joey and giving Oleg time to escape with the gun. Oleg runs until he finds a pimp smacking around one of his prostitutes. When the pimp pulls a knife, Oleg pulls his gun on him. But when he tried to fire, he finds the gun empty. However, the prostitute knocks the pimp unconscious and, as she prepares to run, notices Oleg coughing. Endebted to him, she takes him to a pharmacy to get him an inhaler. When the pharmacist refuses, she draws the gun and gets the inhaler at gunpoint.


Oleg once again escapes, and is taken in by a kindly family. When Oleg becomes suspicious of them, he discreetly calls Teresa, who then arrives and threatens her way into their apartment. She rescues Oleg and tells him to leave with the other children, then murders the parents after finding evidence of [[snuff film]]s and other paraphernalia. Meanwhile, Joey continues his search, and eventually finds Oleg. However, just before he can retrieve the gun, both he and Oleg are found by Tommy, who goes to take them to Frankie.
Meanwhile, the surviving dirty cop, Rydell ([[Chazz Palminteri]]), informs Tommy that Joey has lost the gun, and that it is out on the street, in the hands of Oleg. Joey goes to meet the boss of the Italian mob, Frankie Perello ([[Arthur J. Nascarella]]), at a diner (leaving Nicky in the car outside), to say that the gun used to shoot Anzor was not from the shootout with the cops. Frankie says that he wants Oleg found, because Frankie and Yugorsky are working together on a 'gasoline deal', and he wants them to remain in good standing.
Outside, Nicky notices Oleg and the prostitute entering the same diner, and goes after them. Together, Nicky and Oleg stash the gun in the tank of a toilet. Oleg leaves and tries to convince the prostitute to drive him out of town. He is caught by the police and, when he lies to Rydell about where he got the gun, is released into his stepfather's custody.


Tommy takes Joey and Oleg to an ice hockey rink to meet Frankie and [[Russian mafia|Russian mob]] boss Ivan. Ivan has brought Anzor to try and get Oleg to tell them the source of the gun he used. After Ivan slaps the boy, Joey lashes out at him, and he, in turn, is subdued and beaten by Ivan's thugs. When Anzor refuses to kill Oleg, Ivan kills him, and then turns to kill Oleg. Before he can, Joey distracts him by accusing Frankie of planning to attack the Russians because Anzor was cooking [[Methamphetamine|meth]] in Frankie's territory. A shootout ensues between the two gangs, leading to the deaths of Tommy and Ivan. When Frankie attempts to shoot Joey, the latter reveals that he is an undercover [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent, showing a hidden [[Covert listening device|wire]] under his shirt. Oleg then distracts Frankie, allowing Joey to disarm and kill him. Joey and Oleg then exit as the FBI and local police storm the building.
Back at home, Teresa tries to convince Mila to go to a shelter. Mila tells her that she was a prostitute in Moscow who was brought over by Yugorsky. She became pregnant and refused to have an [[abortion]], so Yugorsky sent Anzor to kill her. Instead he married her in order to give her protection.


Joey and Oleg return to the diner for breakfast, and they encounter Lester holding the gun that Oleg had hidden earlier. In the ensuing struggle, Lester shoots Joey in the stomach, but not before Joey fatally stabs Lester with a [[switchblade]]. Joey and Oleg struggle to return to Teresa and Nicky. Meanwhile, Mila, thinking Oleg is dead, commits suicide by blowing herself up in Anzor's meth lab. Just as Teresa and Nicky rush outside to investigate, they see Joey crash his car after losing consciousness.
Anzor takes Oleg to an ice cream parlor and attempts to get him to reveal the gun's location. Oleg runs away, climbing into a parked van. Oleg is found there by a married couple, Dez ([[Bruce Altman]]) and Edele ([[Elizabeth Mitchell]]), who take him along with two other children back to their apartment. Oleg is taken to a large playroom filled with various assortments of toys and a camera, and notices Dez and Edele exhibiting odd behavior. He complains of an upset stomach and is directed to a bathroom. Oleg tries to escape the apartment, but instead finds Edele's purse by the door. He takes her cellphone and hides it as Edele finds him. She guides him to the bathroom, where he locks the door and calls Teresa Gazelle as surreal shadows of long-fingered monsters dance on the wall behind him. Upon hearing the situation, Teresa prompts him to find a prescription bottle with the apartment's address, and promises to come get him, as Dez and Edele begin to try and force their way into the bathroom. Oleg hides the phone and flushes the toilet as the couple burst into the bathroom.


Days later, Teresa and Nicky attend Joey's funeral along with Oleg, who has been adopted by the family. They drive out to a small farmhouse, where Joey emerges, having faked his death to protect himself and his family after being outed.
Teresa drives out to the apartment and knocks on the door. Behind the playroom door, Edele instructs Dez to take the kids back to the bedroom before emerging in nothing more than a robe. Edele opens the door and Teresa tells her that Oleg called her from that address. When Edele deflects, Teresa threatens to call the police. Edele allows Teresa inside. Searching through the entirety of the apartment, including the bedroom where Edele's "two children" lie in bed asleep, Teresa finds no trace of Oleg; however, as she exits the apartment, she comes to a realization and roughly forces herself back in, pointing out that there was not a single photograph of their children in the whole house. Edele panics and says that they were just moving in and that everything was still in storage as Teresa rushes back into the playroom. Dez threatens to call the police on her, to which Teresa responds that they might as well explain the two abducted children in their apartment while they were at it. Teresa pulls a gun, yelling at them to tell her where Oleg is. Terrified, Dez silently indicates a closet in the playroom. Teresa opens it to find Oleg, his hands tied and a plastic bag wrapped around his head. Teresa keeps the two adults at bay with her gun as she tries to revive Oleg with CPR. Oleg comes to and Teresa frees him with a surgical instrument. Keeping the gun on the adults, Teresa instructs Oleg to get the two other children from the bedroom. Dez offers Teresa a hundred thousand dollars in diamonds from their safe as long as she just takes Oleg and leaves. Ignoring him, Teresa pushes through the closet, finding child costumes and plastic body bags and, behind eveything, shelves of [[DVD]] cases with children's names on them. At the bottom of the closet are more surgical instruments, and Teresa notices that the playroom floor is completely covered in plastic. Horrified, Teresa demands Dez's phone and calls the police, reporting that she hearing gunshots at the apartment's address. She hangs up and shoots Dez and Edele.


==Cast==
Joey continues to search for the gun, tracking it to the mechanic, only to find out that he'd sold it to the pimp that attacked Oleg. Joey picks up Oleg to go and retrieve it, but as Joey is about to make his move, Tommy and Sal confront them. They strong-arm Joey into meeting them at an abandoned train yard. The men get out, leaving Oleg in the car. Tommy, seemingly intent on killing Joey for his screw-up, ends up shooting Sal in the head. Tommy explains that Sal had been arrested before, and had walked as an informant. He then makes a call to Rydell, activating a bomb in the cop's bag, killing him. Tommy then drives Oleg to a hockey rink, prompting Joey to follow, where they meet the New Jersey and Russian mob bosses, along with Anzor. Joey is knocked over and held down onto the ice, where Russian hockey players shoot pucks at his face. Yugorsky demands that Oleg tell them where he got the gun. When he lies, the boss of the Russian mob orders Anzor to kill Oleg. Joey pleads for them not to do it, and Anzor hesitates. Finally he drops the gun and his uncle shoots him for being weak. Joey then tells Yugorsky that Frankie had wanted to kill Anzor for cooking meth in the neighborhood, and that the gun was Tommy's. Tommy pulls a gun and a shootout commences, killing all of the mobsters except Frankie. Frankie comes to kill Joey, who reveals that he is actually an undercover FBI agent. Oleg pulls a gun on Frankie, distracting him so Joey could grab Frankie's gun and shoot him.
{{Cast listing|
Joey and Oleg leave the hockey rink to see the [[FBI]] descending in helicopters.
* [[Paul Walker]] as Joseph "Joey" Gazelle, a subordinate for the Perello Crime Family who is later revealed to be an undercover FBI agent
* [[Cameron Bright]] as Oleg Yugorsky, a young Russian boy living with his mother and abusive stepfather
* [[Vera Farmiga]] as Teresa Gazelle, Joey's wife
* [[Chazz Palminteri]] as Det. Rydell, a dirty cop who blackmails the Perello Mafia
* [[Karel Roden]] as Anzor Yugorsky, Oleg's stepfather and a subordinate for the Russian Mafia
* [[Johnny Messner (actor)|Johnny Messner]] as Tommy "Tombs" Perello, Frankie Perello's son and heir to the Perello Mafia
* [[Ivana Miličević]] as Mila Yugorsky, Oleg's mother
* Alex Neuberger as Nicky Gazelle, Joey and Teresa's son
* [[Michael Cudlitz]] as Sal "Gummy Bear" Franzone
* [[Bruce Altman]] as Dez Hansel, a child abductor and snuff filmmaker along with his wife, Edele
* [[Elizabeth Mitchell]] as Edele Hansel, a child abductor and snuff filmmaker along with her husband, Dez
* [[Arthur J. Nascarella]] as Frankie Perello, Don of the Perello Crime Family
* [[John Noble]] as Ivan Yugorsky, head of the Russian Mafia
* [[Idalis DeLeon]] as Divina, a prostitute whom Oleg saved from Lester
* [[David Warshofsky]] as Lester, an abusive pimp
* [[Jim Tooey]] as Tony
* [[Thomas Rosales Jr.]] as Julio
* [[Glenn Wrage]] as Special Agent in Charge
}}


==Production==
Joey takes Oleg out for some breakfast, but as they leave, the pimp who tried to kill Oleg walks in. The pimp threatens Oleg with a knife and produces the gun. Joey steps in and kills the pimp by stabbing him in the neck. In a flash, Joey and Oleg are seen fleeing the diner. The movie's opening scene repeats as Joey and Oleg drive away, both bloodstained. But Oleg realizes that it is Joey's blood on both of them, as he had been shot in the struggle.
Paul Walker pursued a role in the film because the script recalled the gritty [[Crime film|crime]] [[melodrama]]s he loved, saying, "This is a movie I’d really like to see. I love [[Guy Ritchie]] movies. I love ''[[Snatch (film)|Snatch]]''."<ref name="King">{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Susan |date=2006-02-16 |title=Keeping it real, dog |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-feb-16-wk-movies16-story.html |access-date=16 October 2023 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000454/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-feb-16-wk-movies16-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Chud">{{cite web |last=Faraci |first=Devin |date=2006-02-21 |title=Exclusive Interview: Paul Walker (Running Scared) |url=https://chud.com/5985/exclusive-interview-paul-walker-running-scared/ |access-date=4 August 2022 |work=[[CHUD.com]] |archive-date=August 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804220601/https://chud.com/5985/exclusive-interview-paul-walker-running-scared/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Kramer did not have Walker in mind to play Joey, but he cast him after being impressed by the actor. "I was taken with how tough behind the eyes he was. I knew I could cut and darken his hair and give him a few scars and such, but I was most impressed with how he just pinned me down with those cold blues," said Kramer.<ref name=PopMatters/>


The film contains themes and allusions to the [[Brothers Grimm]] stories and other [[fairy tale]] archetypes. Kramer said, "I saw the film as a Grimm's Fairy Tale nightmare and around each corner was always some escalating evil lurking. Oleg (Cameron Bright) was a version of [[Pinocchio]] and he's on a journey to find his way back home to a real family where he can be treated like a real boy (unlike in the abusive household of his stepfather, Anzor). Along the way, he encounters iconic fairy tale-like characters representing both good and evil. We meet Divina the hooker who is a representation of the [[Fairy with Turquoise Hair|Blue Fairy]] (from ''[[The Adventures of Pinocchio|Pinocchio]]'') and a force for good. He also encounters the psychopathic pimp Lester, who represents the [[Hatter (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)|Mad Hatter]] from ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Alice in Wonderland]]''. To me, Joey (Walker) was always the [[Big Bad Wolf]] who turns out to a sheep in wolf's clothing and Oleg's real protector."<ref name="Urella" /> The characters of Dez and Edele represent the evil witch from ''[[Hansel and Gretel]]'', with their toy-filled apartment akin to the gingerbread house from the story.<ref name="Urella" /> The film is set in the fictional suburb of Grimley, New Jersey.<ref name="PopMatters" />
Back in the neighborhood, Mila has locked herself up in the shed behind their house, grieving and staring down at a picture. She holds up a lighter to an open propane tank, blowing up the meth lab in her backyard and killing herself. Teresa and Nicky both come out of the house to investigate, and see Joey weaving down the street, losing consciousness from blood loss. Joey crashes the car and Teresa pulls him out, holding him as he goes limp. Oleg stands in front of his house, watching it burn.


Kramer dedicated to the film to his influences [[Sam Peckinpah]], [[Brian De Palma]], and [[Walter Hill]].<ref name=PopMatters/><ref name="Urella" />
Days later, a funeral is held for Joey with Teresa, Nicky, and Oleg in attendance. They drive out of the city, to a small farm house, where Joey's car is parked in the driveway. Teresa, sitting on the car's bumper, seemingly talks to herself when she says "Don't ever ask me to bury you again Joey." Joey himself emerges from under the car, alive and well, and hugs Nicky and Oleg, who they appear to have adopted, living free and clear now that Joey is no longer [[undercover]].


Though the film is set in New Jersey, with the exception of some establishing shots, it was largely filmed in [[Prague]] in the [[Czech Republic]].<ref name="Urella" /> Jim Whitaker’s cinematography heavily incorporated [[Steadicam]] and [[crane shot]]s.<ref name="Variety">{{Cite web |last=Chang |first=Justin |date=2006-02-23 |title=Running Scared |url=https://variety.com/2006/film/markets-festivals/running-scared-2-1200518201/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=July 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730152851/https://variety.com/2006/film/markets-festivals/running-scared-2-1200518201/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Principal photography took place from June to August 2004.<ref name="MovieWeb">{{cite news |title=Running Scared completes principal photography |url=https://movieweb.com/running-scared-completes-principal-photography/ |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=[[MovieWeb]] |date=September 1, 2004 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210508183147/https://movieweb.com/running-scared-completes-principal-photography/ |archive-date=May 8, 2021 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Urella">{{cite web |last1=Urella |first1=Matteo |date=November 7, 2016 |title=Running Scared: A Conversation with Wayne Kramer |url=https://medium.com/applaudience/running-scared-a-conversation-with-wayne-kramer-a23cbb90864 |access-date=16 October 2023 |website=Applaudience |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000449/https://medium.com/applaudience/running-scared-a-conversation-with-wayne-kramer-a23cbb90864 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Cast==
*'''[[Paul Walker]]''' as '''Joey Gazelle''': A low-level thug working for the Perello mob family. He is ordered to dispose Tommy's gun after it was used in a bloody shootout that resulted in a death of a police officer; however, Joey never does and the gun is stolen by Oleg, thrusting Joey into a dangerous mission to retrieve the missing gun before either the cops or the Perello mob do.
*'''[[Cameron Bright]]''' as '''Oleg Yugorsky''': The son of Mila Yugorsky and stepson of Anzor Yugorsky, who are Russian immigrants and neighbors of Joey Gazelle. Oleg steals a gun Joey neglected to dispose and uses it to shoot his father, but only wounds him. He runs away after the shooting, causing Joey to give chase in an effort to retrieve the gun before the police do. The Gazelle's adopt him at the end of the movie.
*'''[[Alex Neuberger]]''' as '''Nick "Nicky" Gazelle''': The son of Joey and Teresa Gazelle. Best friends with next door neighbor Oleg. After the shooting of Ivan he is not seen that much if at all until the end scene where they fake Joey's funeral. Oleg and himself become brothers at the end of the movie.
*'''[[Vera Farmiga]]''' as '''Teresa Gazelle''': Wife of Joey Gazelle. Tries not to react to, or worry about Joey's job. Comes off as weak and defenseless but proves she can handle herself when she shoots two pedophiles while attempting to find and rescue Oleg.
*'''[[Ivana Miličević]]''' as '''Mila Yugorsky''': Oleg's mother. She was a prostitute in Moscow and conceived Oleg there. Meanwhile she takes a job to be a prostitute in America in exchange for $50,000 (to be paid through her earnings). When the Russian mafia finds out she is pregnant, they sent Anzor to kill her. Instead, Anzor marries her in order to protect her life. Mila ultimately commits [[suicide]] by blowing herself up.
*'''[[Michael Cudlitz]]''' as '''Sal "Gummy Bear" Franzone''': One of the henchmen for the Perellos. Tommy shoots him upon suspecting him of betrayal.
*'''[[Bruce Altman]]''' and '''[[Elizabeth Mitchell]]''' as '''Dez''' and '''Edele Hansel''': A suburban couple who take Oleg in while he is on the run. They appear at first to be good, kind-hearted people, but they are revealed to be a pair of [[Pedophilia|pedophile]] [[serial killer]]s who lure children into their apartments to [[child molestation|molest]], [[torture]] and [[kill]] them. Their surname is derived from the story ''[[Hansel and Gretel]]'', and they call each other "mama bear" and "papa bear", respectively.<ref name=about3/>
*'''[[Arthur J. Nascarella]]''' as '''Frankie Perello''': The head of the Italian mob and father of Tommy 'Tombs' Perello. He is ultimately killed by Joey Gazelle when he attempts to shoot Oleg at the film's [[climax (narrative)|climax]].
*'''[[Karel Roden]]''' as '''Anzor Yugorsky''': Russian immigrant who married Mila to protect her. Has a childhood idol in [[John Wayne]] and his movies, often finding strength and determination to go on when things seem impossible.
*'''[[David Warshofsky]]''' as '''Lester''': The cruel pimp that ultimately ends up with the gun after he buys it from a car mechanic. He shoots Joey when he tries to protect Oleg from danger at the film's end. Lester is representative of the "[[Mad Hatter]]".<ref name=about3>[http://movies.about.com/od/runningscared/a/runningwk021406_2.htm Wayne Kramer Doesn't Hold Back with "Running Scared"] ''about.com''. '''Excerpt:''' "...the pimp is the Mad Hatter..."</ref> In his final moments, Joey stabs Lester with a [[Shiv (weapon)|shiv]].


[[Bloom (company)|Media 8]] financed the film, and domestic distribution rights were acquired by [[New Line Cinema]] during post-production.<ref name="Chud" /><ref name="MovieWeb" />
==Critical reception==
''Running Scared'' opened with $3,381,974 on 1611 screens ($2,099 per a theater average)<ref name=bom1>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=runningscared05.htm Running Scared], Box Office Mojo.</ref> It currently holds a 40% "Rotten" on film review site Rotten Tomatoes. The general consensus on said site is that, "This film runs with frenetic energy punctuated by gratuitous violence but sorely lacks in plot, character development and stylistic flair."<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10004288-running_scared/ |title = Running Scared (2006) |accessdate = 2009-08-01 |publisher = [[Rotten Tomatoes]] }}</ref> The film holds an average of 41 out of 100 based on 30 reviews on another film review site [[Metacritic]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/runningscared |title = Running Scared Reviews |accessdate = 2009-08-01 |publisher = [[Metacritic]] }}</ref>


In an interview promoting the film, Walker admitted the film would spark a divided response, saying, "A lot of people are going to hate [it]. There’s lots of violence and the language is terrible. My father isn't affected by too many things, but he couldn't stand the language in this one. It's definitely not for everyone, but it was quite an exercise and I enjoyed the hell of it."<ref name="Morning">{{cite news |title=Paul Walker revels in the guilty pleasure of ''Running Scared'' |url=https://www.mcall.com/2006/02/23/paul-walker-revels-in-the-guilty-pleasure-of-running-scared/ |access-date=17 October 2023 |work=[[The Morning Call]] |date=2006-02-23 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000449/https://www.mcall.com/2006/02/23/paul-walker-revels-in-the-guilty-pleasure-of-running-scared/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Justin Chang of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' described Whitaker's cinematography, which primarily used Steadicam and crane shots, as "[dazzling] with a desaturated palette that nevertheless has a rich, grimy luster". He also noted the film had an odd plot, which was disarming given it was shot in [[Prague]] rather than somewhere that looks closer to New Jersey.<ref>{{Citation

| last = Chang
==Release==
| first = Justin
To promote the film, New Line created an online interactive [[video game]] that recreates scenes from the movie.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carroll |first=Larry |date= September 21, 2004 |title=Paul Walker's Internet Sex Clip Isn't Video -- It's A Video Game |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/zzsvfq/paul-walkers-internet-sex-clip-isnt-video-its-a-video-game |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=[[MTV]] |language=en |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029001951/https://www.mtv.com/news/zzsvfq/paul-walkers-internet-sex-clip-isnt-video-its-a-video-game |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ryan |first=Amy |date=2006-02-17 |title=The PopWatch Interview: Paul Walker |url=https://ew.com/article/2006/02/17/the_popwatch_in-4/ |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=EW.com |language=en |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000454/https://ew.com/article/2006/02/17/the_popwatch_in-4/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| title = Film Reviews: Energy and Blood Flow Through Mob Actioner

| newspaper = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]
''Running Scared'' opened in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2006.<ref name="Holt">{{cite web |last1=Holt |first1=Christopher |date=2020-09-17 |title=Running Scared: An Urban Panic Attack Fairy Tale |url=https://filmobsessive.com/film/film-analysis/film-genres/thriller/running-scared-an-urban-panic-attack-fairy-tale-2/?expand_article=1 |access-date=17 October 2023 |website=Film Obsessive |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000450/https://filmobsessive.com/film/film-analysis/film-genres/thriller/running-scared-an-urban-panic-attack-fairy-tale-2/?expand_article=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> In North America, the film was released on February 24, 2006. Kramer said the film was given little support by its distributor, who did not give the film an official [[premiere]] and nearly did not theatrically release it.<ref name="Urella" /> He also said the trailers misrepresented the film, commenting, "due to [[Motion Picture Association|MPAA]] rules (from what I was told), [we] couldn’t show children in jeopardy, so the entire hook of the film is missing from the theatrical trailer. It just plays like some [[Exploitation film|low rent]] action/[[Mafia film|mob film]] with no edge."<ref name="Urella" />
| volume = 402

| issue = 2
===Box office===
| date = 2006-02-27
''Running Scared'' opened with $3,381,974 from 1,611 screens, for an average of $2,099 per theater. It went on to earn a total of $9.4 million worldwide, failing to recoup its modest budget of $15 million.<ref name=bom1>{{mojo title|runningscared05}}</ref><ref name=Holt/>
| pages = 31, 38}}</ref> Sam Wigley of ''[[Sight and Sound]]'' said the vicious gangland depicted in the film resembles an "iniquitous fairytale realm", although it is dark, and "passes in a vertiginous blur of comic-book hyper-reality".<ref>{{cite journal

| last = Wigley
===Home media===
| first = Sam
''Running Scared'' was released on DVD on June 6, 2006. Special features included an audio commentary track with Kramer; ''Through the Looking Glass'', a making-of featurette; and Kramer's storyboards of select scenes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bacharach |first=Phil |date=June 9, 2006 |title=Running Scared |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/22123/running-scared/ |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=DVD Talk |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213143737/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/22123/running-scared/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| title = Reviews: Films: "Running Scared"

| journal = [[Sight and Sound]]
It received a Blu-ray release on June 11, 2013, with the extras from the DVD ported over.<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Running Scared'' Blu-ray |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Running-Scared-Blu-ray/44338/#Review |access-date=2023-10-16 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000449/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Running-Scared-Blu-ray/44338/#Review |url-status=live }}</ref>
| volume = 16

| issue = 3
==Critical response==
| pages = 77
''Running Scared'' received mixed reviews from film critics. On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 131 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "This film runs with frenetic energy punctuated by gratuitous violence but sorely lacks in plot, character development and stylistic flair."<ref>{{Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Running Scared |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/running-scared/ |access-date=October 16, 2023 |website=Metacritic |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000449/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/running-scared/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| date = March 2006

| issn = 0037-4806}}</ref>
Positive reviews praised the cast and the film's stylization. Angie Errico wrote, "This ultra-violent thriller from ''[[The Cooler]]''{{'}}s writer-director Wayne Kramer is filthy fun, with more wrinkles than a cheap suit and a climax like a [[Spaghetti Western]] shoot-out on ice."<ref name="Empire">{{cite magazine |last1=Errico |first1=Angie |date=2006-02-12 |title=Running Scared |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/running-scared-3-review/ |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |access-date=16 October 2023 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000454/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/running-scared-3-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In a three-star review, [[Roger Ebert]] wrote, "Speaking of movies that go over the top, ''Running Scared'' goes so far over the top, it circumnavigates the top and doubles back on itself; it's the [[Möbius strip|Mobius Strip]] of over-the-topness. I am in awe. It throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Then it throws in the kitchen sink, too, and the combo washer-dryer in the laundry room, while the hero and his wife are having sex on top of it."<ref name="Ebert">{{cite web |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |title=Sex & death in the spin cycle |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/running-scared-2006 |website=RogerEbert.com |access-date=16 October 2023 |date=February 23, 2006 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000453/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/running-scared-2006 |url-status=live }}</ref> Ebert said the plot has flaws, but they are not a drawback to the enjoyment of the film.<ref name=Ebert/>

[[Justin Chang]] of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' described Whitaker's cinematography, which primarily used Steadicam and crane shots, as "[dazzling] with a desaturated palette that nevertheless has a rich, grimy luster". He also noted the film had an odd plot, which was disarming given it was shot in [[Prague]] rather than somewhere that looks closer to New Jersey.<ref name="Variety" /> Sam Wigley of ''[[Sight and Sound]]'' said the vicious gangland depicted in the film resembles an "iniquitous fairytale realm", although it is dark, and "passes in a vertiginous blur of comic-book hyper-reality".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Wigley|first=Sam|title=Reviews: Films: "Running Scared"|magazine=[[Sight and Sound]]|volume=16|issue=3|pages=77|date=March 2006|issn=0037-4806}}</ref> [[Mick LaSalle]] of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' also gave the film a positive review, praising Kramer's "showman instincts" as "he never lets the story retreat, regroup or redirect but keeps going for broke."<ref name="LaSalle">{{cite news |last1=LaSalle |first1=Mick |title=Finding a gun isn't easy. Especially when the cops and mob want it, too. |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Finding-a-gun-isn-t-easy-Especially-when-the-2540770.php |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=February 24, 2006 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000449/https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Finding-a-gun-isn-t-easy-Especially-when-the-2540770.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Multiple critics said Walker's role in a grittier, darker film presented a new, interesting departure for the actor.<ref name="Ebert" /><ref name="LaSalle" /><ref name="PopMatters">{{cite news |last1=Fuchs |first1=Cynthia |title=Running Scared (2006) |url=https://www.popmatters.com/running-scared-2006-2495679536.html |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=[[PopMatters]] |date=24 February 2006 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000449/https://www.popmatters.com/running-scared-2006-2495679536.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="IGN">{{cite web |title=Running Scared |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/02/24/running-scared-2 |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=16 October 2023 |date=2006-02-24 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000449/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/02/24/running-scared-2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Holt/> Bright and Farmiga also received commendation for their performances.<ref name="Ebert" /><ref name="Dargis">{{cite news |last1=Dargis |first1=Manohla |title=Bullets and Blood in the Air, Not to Mention a Hockey Puck |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/24/movies/bullets-and-blood-in-the-air-not-to-mention-a-hockey-puck.html |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2006-02-24 |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213143832/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/24/movies/bullets-and-blood-in-the-air-not-to-mention-a-hockey-puck.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=IGN/>

Negative reviews critiqued the absurdities of the film's plot and its mashup of tones, while describing the hyper-stylized sequences as derivative of [[Quentin Tarantino]] or [[Tony Scott]] films.<ref name="Brown">{{cite magazine |last1=Brown |first1=Scott |title=EW review: Audiences should be 'Scared' -- away |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/24/ew.mov.running/ |access-date=16 October 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=March 6, 2006 |via=CNN.com |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000449/http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/24/ew.mov.running/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Dargis/><ref name="AV">{{cite news |last1=Tobias |first1=Scott |title=Running Scared |url=https://www.avclub.com/running-scared-1798201514 |work=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=2006-02-28 |access-date=October 17, 2023 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000453/https://www.avclub.com/running-scared-1798201514 |url-status=live }}</ref> Though she praised the acting, Cynthia Fuchs of ''[[PopMatters]]'' said "the movie's gonzo energy, an easy hook, also detracts from its thematic complexities, eventually reducing them to clichés without frames or challenges."<ref name=PopMatters/> Carina Chocano of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' said the film at times feels like "a [[parody]] of pornographic [[Violence and video games|video game violence]]",<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chocano |first1=Carina |date=2006-02-24 |title='Running Scared' |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/chocano/cl-et-runningscared24feb24%2C0%2C5210995.story |url-status=dead |access-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060310112334/http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/chocano/cl-et-runningscared24feb24,0,5210995.story |archive-date=March 10, 2006}}</ref> while Andrew Pulver of ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote, "So berserk are proceedings...that a strange zone of calm insanity is reached, the cinematic equivalent of the eye of the tornado", with [[Cult film|cult status]] a possibility for the film.<ref name="Pulver">{{cite news |last1=Pulver |first1=Andrew |title=Running Scared |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/jan/06/actionandadventure.drama |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=5 January 2006 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000449/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/jan/06/actionandadventure.drama |url-status=live }}</ref> Other critics pointed out some of the villains felt like caricatures.<ref name="Slant">{{cite news |last1=Schager |first1=Nick |title=Review: Running Scared |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/running-scared/ |access-date=17 October 2023 |work=[[Slant Magazine]] |date=February 8, 2006 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000453/https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/running-scared/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="PopMatters" />

Tarantino himself contacted Kramer to express his admiration for the film.<ref name="Urella" /> More recent reviews have critically reappraised the film.<ref name="/Film">{{cite news |last1=Roberts |first1=Joe |title=Paul Walker Knew A Lot Of People Would 'Hate' Running Scared |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1146193/paul-walker-knew-a-lot-of-people-would-hate-running-scared/ |access-date=17 October 2023 |work=[[/Film]] |date=2023-01-02 |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029000449/https://www.slashfilm.com/1146193/paul-walker-knew-a-lot-of-people-would-hate-running-scared/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Holt/> Christopher Holt of ''Film Obsessive'' wrote, "Where [the film] sets itself apart is in its blending of fairytale tropes into the narrative and visuals to create something unique", and said that ''Running Scared'', alongside ''[[Crank (film)|Crank]]'' and ''[[Shoot 'Em Up (film)|Shoot 'Em Up]]'', fits into a "a sub-genre of action movie mashups that often went gonzo... it has the extreme violence of these films as well as a stubborn refusal to be pigeon-holed into any kind of mould".<ref name=Holt/>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{official|http://www.runningscaredthemovie.com/}}
* {{imdb title|id=0404390|title=Running Scared}}
* {{mojo title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
* {{Amg movie|310645|Running Scared}}
* {{Metacritic film}}
* {{mojo title|id=runningscared05|title=Running Scared}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=10004288-running_scared|title=Running Scared}}
* {{metacritic film|id=runningscared|title=Running Scared}}


{{Wayne Kramer}}
{{Wayne Kramer}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:2000s action films]]
[[Category:2006 action thriller films]]
[[Category:2006 films]]
[[Category:2006 crime drama films]]
[[Category:Action thriller films]]
[[Category:2006 crime thriller films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American action thriller films]]
[[Category:Crime thriller films]]
[[Category:American crime drama films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:American crime thriller films]]
[[Category:Films with a pedophile theme]]
[[Category:Films about the American Mafia]]
[[Category:German films]]
[[Category:Films about the Russian Mafia]]
[[Category:Mafia films]]
[[Category:Films set in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Neo-noir]]
[[Category:Films shot in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Films shot in the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:English-language German films]]
[[Category:German action thriller films]]
[[Category:American neo-noir films]]
[[Category:New Line Cinema films]]
[[Category:New Line Cinema films]]
[[Category:Russian-language films]]
[[Category:2000s Russian-language films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Mark Isham]]

[[Category:Films directed by Wayne Kramer (filmmaker)]]
[[de:Running Scared]]
[[Category:German crime thriller films]]
[[fr:La Peur au ventre (film, 2006)]]
[[Category:Films about child sexual abuse]]
[[it:Running (film)]]
[[Category:Films about snuff films]]
[[lt:Bėk neatsigręždamas]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[ja:ワイルド・バレット]]
[[Category:2000s German films]]
[[pl:Potęga strachu]]
[[pt:Running Scared]]
[[ru:Беги без оглядки (фильм, 2006)]]
[[fi:Running Scared]]
[[sv:Running Scared]]
[[zh:奪命鎗火]]

Latest revision as of 05:14, 22 December 2024

This article is about the 2006 American film. For other films of the same name, see Running Scared.

Running Scared
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWayne Kramer
Written byWayne Kramer
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJim Whitaker
Edited byArthur Coburn
Music byMark Isham
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • 3L Filmverleih (Germany)
  • New Line Cinema (United States)[1]
  • Media 8 Entertainment (International)
Release dates
  • February 24, 2006 (2006-02-24) (United States)
  • April 13, 2006 (2006-04-13) (Germany)
Running time
122 minutes[2]
Countries
Languages
  • English
  • German
  • Russian
  • Ukrainian
Budget$15 million[2]
Box office$9.7 million[2]

Running Scared is a 2006 neo-noir action thriller film directed and written by Wayne Kramer.[3] The film stars Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga and Chazz Palminteri. Its plot follows a low-ranking mafioso who is ordered to get rid of a gun used to kill corrupt cops only to find himself in a race against time when the murder weapon falls into the wrong hands.

Running Scared was released in the United States on February 24, 2006, by New Line Cinema, and in Germany on April 13, 2006, by 3L Filmverleih.

Plot

[edit]

A large drug deal between New Jersey mobsters and a Jamaican gang goes awry, leading to a shootout that kills two corrupt police officers who were attempting to rob the gangs. Mobster Tommy Perello orders his subordinate, Joey Gazelle, to dispose of the guns; Joey goes home to his wife Teresa and their ten-and-a-half-year-old son Nicky, where he stashes the weapons in his basement. Unbeknownst to him, Nicky and his friend Oleg secretly watch him.

Oleg steals one of the guns before heading home to his mother Mila and his abusive stepfather, Anzor. After Anzor becomes belligerent, Oleg shoots him before leaving the house. When Joey goes to investigate the disturbance, he finds a wounded Anzor who then describes the gun. Joey realizes that it is one of the weapons he hid earlier, and rushes to track down Oleg before the police do.

Throughout the night, Oleg runs into people living outside mainstream society: a homeless crack addict, a drug dealer, a prostitute, Divina, and her abusive pimp Lester. After Oleg helps Divina, she decides to look after him. Divina takes him to a diner where they find Joey, who is explaining to his boss Frankie Perello that Oleg has the gun. Oleg stashes the gun in the diner bathroom, and after leaving with Divina, he is found by police officers who then return him to Anzor.

Oleg once again escapes, and is taken in by a kindly family. When Oleg becomes suspicious of them, he discreetly calls Teresa, who then arrives and threatens her way into their apartment. She rescues Oleg and tells him to leave with the other children, then murders the parents after finding evidence of snuff films and other paraphernalia. Meanwhile, Joey continues his search, and eventually finds Oleg. However, just before he can retrieve the gun, both he and Oleg are found by Tommy, who goes to take them to Frankie.

Tommy takes Joey and Oleg to an ice hockey rink to meet Frankie and Russian mob boss Ivan. Ivan has brought Anzor to try and get Oleg to tell them the source of the gun he used. After Ivan slaps the boy, Joey lashes out at him, and he, in turn, is subdued and beaten by Ivan's thugs. When Anzor refuses to kill Oleg, Ivan kills him, and then turns to kill Oleg. Before he can, Joey distracts him by accusing Frankie of planning to attack the Russians because Anzor was cooking meth in Frankie's territory. A shootout ensues between the two gangs, leading to the deaths of Tommy and Ivan. When Frankie attempts to shoot Joey, the latter reveals that he is an undercover FBI agent, showing a hidden wire under his shirt. Oleg then distracts Frankie, allowing Joey to disarm and kill him. Joey and Oleg then exit as the FBI and local police storm the building.

Joey and Oleg return to the diner for breakfast, and they encounter Lester holding the gun that Oleg had hidden earlier. In the ensuing struggle, Lester shoots Joey in the stomach, but not before Joey fatally stabs Lester with a switchblade. Joey and Oleg struggle to return to Teresa and Nicky. Meanwhile, Mila, thinking Oleg is dead, commits suicide by blowing herself up in Anzor's meth lab. Just as Teresa and Nicky rush outside to investigate, they see Joey crash his car after losing consciousness.

Days later, Teresa and Nicky attend Joey's funeral along with Oleg, who has been adopted by the family. They drive out to a small farmhouse, where Joey emerges, having faked his death to protect himself and his family after being outed.

Cast

[edit]
  • Paul Walker as Joseph "Joey" Gazelle, a subordinate for the Perello Crime Family who is later revealed to be an undercover FBI agent
  • Cameron Bright as Oleg Yugorsky, a young Russian boy living with his mother and abusive stepfather
  • Vera Farmiga as Teresa Gazelle, Joey's wife
  • Chazz Palminteri as Det. Rydell, a dirty cop who blackmails the Perello Mafia
  • Karel Roden as Anzor Yugorsky, Oleg's stepfather and a subordinate for the Russian Mafia
  • Johnny Messner as Tommy "Tombs" Perello, Frankie Perello's son and heir to the Perello Mafia
  • Ivana Miličević as Mila Yugorsky, Oleg's mother
  • Alex Neuberger as Nicky Gazelle, Joey and Teresa's son
  • Michael Cudlitz as Sal "Gummy Bear" Franzone
  • Bruce Altman as Dez Hansel, a child abductor and snuff filmmaker along with his wife, Edele
  • Elizabeth Mitchell as Edele Hansel, a child abductor and snuff filmmaker along with her husband, Dez
  • Arthur J. Nascarella as Frankie Perello, Don of the Perello Crime Family
  • John Noble as Ivan Yugorsky, head of the Russian Mafia
  • Idalis DeLeon as Divina, a prostitute whom Oleg saved from Lester
  • David Warshofsky as Lester, an abusive pimp
  • Jim Tooey as Tony
  • Thomas Rosales Jr. as Julio
  • Glenn Wrage as Special Agent in Charge

Production

[edit]

Paul Walker pursued a role in the film because the script recalled the gritty crime melodramas he loved, saying, "This is a movie I’d really like to see. I love Guy Ritchie movies. I love Snatch."[4][5] Kramer did not have Walker in mind to play Joey, but he cast him after being impressed by the actor. "I was taken with how tough behind the eyes he was. I knew I could cut and darken his hair and give him a few scars and such, but I was most impressed with how he just pinned me down with those cold blues," said Kramer.[6]

The film contains themes and allusions to the Brothers Grimm stories and other fairy tale archetypes. Kramer said, "I saw the film as a Grimm's Fairy Tale nightmare and around each corner was always some escalating evil lurking. Oleg (Cameron Bright) was a version of Pinocchio and he's on a journey to find his way back home to a real family where he can be treated like a real boy (unlike in the abusive household of his stepfather, Anzor). Along the way, he encounters iconic fairy tale-like characters representing both good and evil. We meet Divina the hooker who is a representation of the Blue Fairy (from Pinocchio) and a force for good. He also encounters the psychopathic pimp Lester, who represents the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. To me, Joey (Walker) was always the Big Bad Wolf who turns out to a sheep in wolf's clothing and Oleg's real protector."[7] The characters of Dez and Edele represent the evil witch from Hansel and Gretel, with their toy-filled apartment akin to the gingerbread house from the story.[7] The film is set in the fictional suburb of Grimley, New Jersey.[6]

Kramer dedicated to the film to his influences Sam Peckinpah, Brian De Palma, and Walter Hill.[6][7]

Though the film is set in New Jersey, with the exception of some establishing shots, it was largely filmed in Prague in the Czech Republic.[7] Jim Whitaker’s cinematography heavily incorporated Steadicam and crane shots.[8] Principal photography took place from June to August 2004.[9][7]

Media 8 financed the film, and domestic distribution rights were acquired by New Line Cinema during post-production.[5][9]

In an interview promoting the film, Walker admitted the film would spark a divided response, saying, "A lot of people are going to hate [it]. There’s lots of violence and the language is terrible. My father isn't affected by too many things, but he couldn't stand the language in this one. It's definitely not for everyone, but it was quite an exercise and I enjoyed the hell of it."[10]

Release

[edit]

To promote the film, New Line created an online interactive video game that recreates scenes from the movie.[11][12]

Running Scared opened in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2006.[13] In North America, the film was released on February 24, 2006. Kramer said the film was given little support by its distributor, who did not give the film an official premiere and nearly did not theatrically release it.[7] He also said the trailers misrepresented the film, commenting, "due to MPAA rules (from what I was told), [we] couldn’t show children in jeopardy, so the entire hook of the film is missing from the theatrical trailer. It just plays like some low rent action/mob film with no edge."[7]

Box office

[edit]

Running Scared opened with $3,381,974 from 1,611 screens, for an average of $2,099 per theater. It went on to earn a total of $9.4 million worldwide, failing to recoup its modest budget of $15 million.[2][13]

Home media

[edit]

Running Scared was released on DVD on June 6, 2006. Special features included an audio commentary track with Kramer; Through the Looking Glass, a making-of featurette; and Kramer's storyboards of select scenes.[14]

It received a Blu-ray release on June 11, 2013, with the extras from the DVD ported over.[15]

Critical response

[edit]

Running Scared received mixed reviews from film critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 131 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "This film runs with frenetic energy punctuated by gratuitous violence but sorely lacks in plot, character development and stylistic flair."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[17]

Positive reviews praised the cast and the film's stylization. Angie Errico wrote, "This ultra-violent thriller from The Cooler's writer-director Wayne Kramer is filthy fun, with more wrinkles than a cheap suit and a climax like a Spaghetti Western shoot-out on ice."[18] In a three-star review, Roger Ebert wrote, "Speaking of movies that go over the top, Running Scared goes so far over the top, it circumnavigates the top and doubles back on itself; it's the Mobius Strip of over-the-topness. I am in awe. It throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Then it throws in the kitchen sink, too, and the combo washer-dryer in the laundry room, while the hero and his wife are having sex on top of it."[19] Ebert said the plot has flaws, but they are not a drawback to the enjoyment of the film.[19]

Justin Chang of Variety described Whitaker's cinematography, which primarily used Steadicam and crane shots, as "[dazzling] with a desaturated palette that nevertheless has a rich, grimy luster". He also noted the film had an odd plot, which was disarming given it was shot in Prague rather than somewhere that looks closer to New Jersey.[8] Sam Wigley of Sight and Sound said the vicious gangland depicted in the film resembles an "iniquitous fairytale realm", although it is dark, and "passes in a vertiginous blur of comic-book hyper-reality".[20] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle also gave the film a positive review, praising Kramer's "showman instincts" as "he never lets the story retreat, regroup or redirect but keeps going for broke."[21] Multiple critics said Walker's role in a grittier, darker film presented a new, interesting departure for the actor.[19][21][6][22][13] Bright and Farmiga also received commendation for their performances.[19][23][22]

Negative reviews critiqued the absurdities of the film's plot and its mashup of tones, while describing the hyper-stylized sequences as derivative of Quentin Tarantino or Tony Scott films.[24][23][25] Though she praised the acting, Cynthia Fuchs of PopMatters said "the movie's gonzo energy, an easy hook, also detracts from its thematic complexities, eventually reducing them to clichés without frames or challenges."[6] Carina Chocano of the Los Angeles Times said the film at times feels like "a parody of pornographic video game violence",[26] while Andrew Pulver of The Guardian wrote, "So berserk are proceedings...that a strange zone of calm insanity is reached, the cinematic equivalent of the eye of the tornado", with cult status a possibility for the film.[27] Other critics pointed out some of the villains felt like caricatures.[28][6]

Tarantino himself contacted Kramer to express his admiration for the film.[7] More recent reviews have critically reappraised the film.[29][13] Christopher Holt of Film Obsessive wrote, "Where [the film] sets itself apart is in its blending of fairytale tropes into the narrative and visuals to create something unique", and said that Running Scared, alongside Crank and Shoot 'Em Up, fits into a "a sub-genre of action movie mashups that often went gonzo... it has the extreme violence of these films as well as a stubborn refusal to be pigeon-holed into any kind of mould".[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Running Scared (2006)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Running Scared at Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ "Running Scared (2006) - Wayne Kramer". AllMovie. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  4. ^ King, Susan (February 16, 2006). "Keeping it real, dog". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Faraci, Devin (February 21, 2006). "Exclusive Interview: Paul Walker (Running Scared)". CHUD.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Fuchs, Cynthia (February 24, 2006). "Running Scared (2006)". PopMatters. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Urella, Matteo (November 7, 2016). "Running Scared: A Conversation with Wayne Kramer". Applaudience. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Chang, Justin (February 23, 2006). "Running Scared". Variety. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Running Scared completes principal photography". MovieWeb. September 1, 2004. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  10. ^ "Paul Walker revels in the guilty pleasure of Running Scared". The Morning Call. February 23, 2006. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  11. ^ Carroll, Larry (September 21, 2004). "Paul Walker's Internet Sex Clip Isn't Video -- It's A Video Game". MTV. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  12. ^ Ryan, Amy (February 17, 2006). "The PopWatch Interview: Paul Walker". EW.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e Holt, Christopher (September 17, 2020). "Running Scared: An Urban Panic Attack Fairy Tale". Film Obsessive. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  14. ^ Bacharach, Phil (June 9, 2006). "Running Scared". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  15. ^ "Running Scared Blu-ray". Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  16. ^ Running Scared at Rotten Tomatoes Edit this at Wikidata
  17. ^ "Running Scared". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  18. ^ Errico, Angie (February 12, 2006). "Running Scared". Empire. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  19. ^ a b c d Ebert, Roger (February 23, 2006). "Sex & death in the spin cycle". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  20. ^ Wigley, Sam (March 2006). "Reviews: Films: "Running Scared"". Sight and Sound. Vol. 16, no. 3. p. 77. ISSN 0037-4806.
  21. ^ a b LaSalle, Mick (February 24, 2006). "Finding a gun isn't easy. Especially when the cops and mob want it, too". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "Running Scared". IGN. February 24, 2006. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  23. ^ a b Dargis, Manohla (February 24, 2006). "Bullets and Blood in the Air, Not to Mention a Hockey Puck". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  24. ^ Brown, Scott (March 6, 2006). "EW review: Audiences should be 'Scared' -- away". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via CNN.com.
  25. ^ Tobias, Scott (February 28, 2006). "Running Scared". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  26. ^ Chocano, Carina (February 24, 2006). "'Running Scared'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 10, 2006. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  27. ^ Pulver, Andrew (January 5, 2006). "Running Scared". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  28. ^ Schager, Nick (February 8, 2006). "Review: Running Scared". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  29. ^ Roberts, Joe (January 2, 2023). "Paul Walker Knew A Lot Of People Would 'Hate' Running Scared". /Film. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
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