This movie is so good that I don't want to discuss ANY of the plot in fear of ruining it. I'll just say that this movie is what truthfully introduced to the genre of thrillers.

It was also extremely saddening to see how little this film grossed when it debuted in theaters. I suppose most viewers thought Walker couldn't handle a role a far-cry from "Fast and The Furious."

Paul Williams is a tuff yet loving husband and father. From the moment the movie starts your adrenaline begins to pump. It just gets faster and better with some frightening and scary twists. This is one of the best action movies with a solid story. You'll be at the edge of your couch. This is a must buy, must have, must watch over and over again. Also check out Williams in Bobby ZBobby Z

HERE'S A GUY RUNNING FAST TO CLEAN UP AFTER SOME MISTAKES THAT INCRIMINATES HIMSELF. LOTS OF FAST PACE ACTION. HURRAY FOR THE BAD GUY.

I was told about this movie from a friend and must say that this movie is one of the craziest, funniest, plot twisting movies you will ever see in this or the last generation of movies. It's just a non-stop attack on your senses. If you like Tarentino Movies or just fast paced action/crime flicks then you owe it to yourself to check this out. Don't borrow it from a friend or rent it from your video store, Just Buy It!

I rented this movie awhile ago and I just loved it!
I am not one for a lot of violence in a movie, but this didnt seem to bother me. When Amazon sent me an e-mail and this movie was on sale, I just had to have it! It was only $10 but I would have payed more for it.
I guarantee you will love it!

So apparently the films catch was let the actors wing their lines. All I heard was F$#@% F$#@% F$#@% F$#@% the entire film, I felt like I was listening to a broken record. I'm all about action and drama and this film has plenty of it but I feel like all the characters are portraying a bunch of junior high kids trying to sound tough. This is a text book example of writers who cannot write dialogue to save their lives, or careers. Stay far away from this film. Films like these are the reason the film industry is going down the tubes.

This movie is a perfect example of what is RIGHT with movies today!!! I have no idea how this got an R rating... but I was thrilled to see it!! I've always felt that Paul Walker has never been given the proper vehicle (no pun intended) to show off his acting skills. Especially in a gritty dramatic role. But he finally has with this picture. It is violent, sexy, bloody, vulgar, and pure f***ing genius!! From start to finish I was amazed and never once bored. Go out and buy this one right now!!! This makes Reservoir Dogs and Boondock Saints look like Spongebob!!!

I am not a big fan of violent movies. As a matter of fact, I've only seen one Tarantino movie. I don't like blood and gore. But I like action movies.

But, I was bored and got nothing to do. And I was also curious at Paul Walker's acting in this movie since this is not like his other movies. I love 8 Below and the Fast and the Furious not because of the acting but because I love dogs and fast cars.

I did not expect that Running Scared would actually hold my attention from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed the cinematics and the camera work. I thought it looked cool and really artsy. Wayne Kramer did a really good job. I like the fast-pacing. There's never a dull scene. Although, I had to turn my head on some of the of the scenes.
[spolier alert!]
Paul Walker's acting is surprisingly good. As Joey Gazelle, he really looked like he is "running scared". He made a believable mob grunt who's at his wits end for botching a really simple job. Vera's character described Joey as someone who is "shady, sleazy and mixed up with the wrong people but not evil". Walker did a good job in portraying this.

Kramer described the film as being a fairy tale. And I think he's right. The scenes with Oleg felt like he is Alice in a very twisted Wonderland. Instead of following the white rabiit, he is following the hooker. He does not meet the mad hatter but he meets certainly one nutter after another. The mob is after his head.

If you like blood, violence, and gore delivered through really cool cinematics, I recommend this movie.

This Out of control, Roller Coaster Thrill Ride of a film. Takes you for one of the most exciting, experiences that exceed any & all expectations!
Not simply one of the biggest SLEEPER'S of all Time! Not simply an instant
Cult film! This extraordinary woven tapestry of art on film, will turn your brain into the "ON" Position, simply by watching! Don't be frightened
when the Roller Coaster Car you're locked into, comes swinging up, off the tracks, around the next unexpected curve! To all of you "Nay Sayer's"
Get a Life! When its time to get out of your seat, Make sure you're standing carefully! When this genuis film is Marketed Correctly and RE-Released into the theater's! Expect the lines to go around the block!!!

I loved this movie and can not say enough how entertaining and thought provoking it was. First, if you like the concept of Crash, that everything is linked or related, you will love this movie. Second, if you want to see a movie that has action, suspense and some intense characters, you will love this movie.

Joey (played by Paul Walker) is told to get rid of a gun that was used during a very horrific crime. Unfortunately, things spin out of control when his son, Nick and an abused neighbor, Oleg take the gun. Tired of his father abusing him and his mother, Oleg shots his father. There are a series of misadventures involving the gun, Oleg and Joey's attempt to regain possession of the gun, but eventually the watcher sees where every event is linked and the impact of this one incident has repercussions on all of the characters involved. And there are some particularly disturbing scenes when Oleg mistakenly gets into the wrong car trying to escape his father. Therefore, if you liked Smokin' Aces, Crash, The Usual Suspect, Pulp Fiction, Sin City and other movies that have the flashback, flashforward style, you will not be disappointed. And besides, there is a decent plot to boot!

Wear a diaper when you watch this. The movie is sometimes a little over-whelming because of the amount of action in it. "Non-stop thrill ride" movie in it's finest. A must have for any action movie buff.

Stick with this movie during the opening scenes of intense profanity, hyper-slick MTV editing, and show-offy visual touches like slo-mo bullets and dancing camerawork, and you'll ultimately start enjoying a pretty good thriller laced with genuine cleverness, thrills, chills, and characters you'll care about. On that point about the chills, I'm mainly thinking of the brief interlude featuring the husband and wife serial killers of children. You won't soon forget that sequence. There are also some nicely drawn characters by leads Paul Walker and Vera Farmiga. Of course, if you actually like hyper-slick MTV editing, show-offy visual touches, and energetic profanity (all of which continue throughout the entire running time), you'll find those aspects of the film to be a plus, too, and not something to simply tolerate because you're involved in the story. Sharp image and sound, a decent score, and some pretty good extras (including a well-done 18-minute "making of" doc) round out this enjoyable DVD.

This is Paul Walker's best acting job so far. I mean there was a lot of swearing and violence in the movie but in all it was a good movie. :)

The reasons why this gets a two.
1: There is not one normal person in this movie. Everyone carries a gun, knife, everyone deals drugs, everyone is a perv. Each character that comes in the movie is messed up. Completely stupid.
2: the word f**k is used so much, I was almost laughing at one scene that was suppose to be serious. imdb.com records 328 it is said, the movie itself is only 122 minutes. Do the math and figure how many times you'll hear it a minute. Thats abusing it,taking away the effect of the word.

but its also pretty sick and gory, which is cool. so expect a haedcore action movie that is completely unbelieveable.

This movie is one long bending road. And along the way, a LOT of messed up stuff occurs. And did I mention the blood it contains? It's A L-O-T.

The actors and few actresses (the main ones anyway) played their parts convincingly and the main hero who is super-handsome weaves himself in and out of trouble. Few people in this movie have a dirtier mouth either.

The story revolves around him and his child's (Nick) best friend (Olig) (Who name's their poor kid that?) Nick and Olig are playing around and they find a gun. Nick is hesitant and very afraid and does nothing. Olig grabs the gun.

The story goes from here (Olig's Russian "father?" threatens to kill him), Olig shoots his "father" because he's ruthless and hits his mother twice(+), Olig leaves the scene (he's still an adolescent BTW), mother thinks about visiting her lover in the hospital, Paul Walker and his wife find out and Paul takes off (Nick accompanies), they happen to go to the diner for a burger and Nick sees Olig, Olig shows him the gun and puts it into the stall toilet and later some guy by the name of Manny Perez steals it! How he finds it I can't fathom!?

Anyway, lots of things occur before and after but this movie is a keeper. It's twisted and a little dark but none of this is unseen nor unheard of in a world like this. The hockey scene isn't one to be missed though. That's for sure!!!

Cover Art: C+ - B-
Dialogue: B+
Comedic Value: D
Characters: A
Length: A-
Overall: A

4.5 stars.

Intense and cinematically different, Running Scared is an all-out adrenaline rush that makes 24 seem tame by comparison. The plot is twisted but at times predictable, and the ending feels rather Hollywood.

Still, you forgive the writer/director Wayne Kramer for any shortcomings, and applaud him for this fairytale-like, roller coaster ride that's entertaining and heart stopping fun. What is different about this movie from its contemporary and much more succesful The Departed is the pretentiousness of the later film. Running Scared doesn't want to win any awards - it's just wants to hold your undivided attention for two hours. And in that sense, it wins an award from each audience member.

The movie was recomended to me by a friend. Its a terrible story that just keeps getting worse. Not only is it unbelievable but its one of those movies where you can't put yourself in the shoes of any of the characters. There's no way to identify with any of them. In the end, nothing that you have watched has any significance. There's no wrap-up that makes sense of it all. Like I said, its just a bad story that keeps getting worse. I know one person that liked it. Maybe you will too. I thought it was terrible.

My girlfriend and I watched this movie last night and attempted to count how many times the F word was used. There is no way we could do it!!However I do like the movie alot, but I could stand to hear a little bit more original dialogue.

this movie gives you a rush! you feel like your on a high! this a great movie, truly spectacular, very well made. deserves all the stars it can get. paul walker really shines on here. very good acting, the intensity that he brings to you is crazy. did not expect it to be as good as it was, but he made this movie memorable. extremely impressed. there was so much going on and all of it thrilled you and all of it you understood, all that can happen in a day. crazy. they give you everything in this movie that you can possibly have in an action thriller. it took me on an excellent ride, and it took me a while to get over it. sweet movie, with mobsters, crooked cops, a nasty pimp, and the ladies of the night. nicely done, can't wait to see another along these lines. this is what paul walker does best no doubt.

This is the frist and only movie of Paul Walker, which I really liked.
I think he stars much better in this urban, dark thriller then as the usual sunny-boy.
It`s suspenseful, unpredictable and shows a good performance of all actors involved.
Absolutely recommended!

Thank goodness I didn't read any reviews on this movie before I had the chance to see it. If I had, I would have missed out on a really interesting, gory yet entertaining movie. If it were a book, I would say I couldn't put it down. I guess I could say I couldn't turn away or couldn't turn it off. I tried, because it was on pretty late the night I saw it, but the second I hit the record button on my DVR so that I could turn the TV off, it got really good.

Yes, this is a dark, violent, disturbing movie. I worried about the kids in the movie being exposed to such horrible things. But even with that, I still liked the movie. I had to see what would happen to everyone and how it would all end and I was so happy that I did. The surprise revelation at the end made sitting through the blood and guns all worth it.

And if I'm being completly honest, Paul Walker was another reason to sit through the movie. He's incredibly gorgeous, but he's surprisingly good at the action movie thing. I thought he did a great job conveying the desperation of a man whose life is on the line and he's only got a few hours to fix the big mess he's created. And again, the ending was awesome. I also got an incredible amount of satisfaction from the scene with Joey's wife and the weird perverted couple.

Good Grief, this thing was kind of like a combination between Crash and Reservoir Dogs, with a whole lot of other things thrown in. In that case it is almost too much to swallow, but it is still worth viewing.

This film just starts out nice and easy, until a pistol comes up missing. Suddenly there is a chain reaction that happens in regards to the pistol's past and different reasons people need to find it. The plot thickens, and I mean it gets thick. More and more players come into the fold and the chase is on. A lot of mysteries as many of the characters have interlocking lives that really make for a complex plot. Some wicked shootout scenes in the end and some right vs. wrong and such play into it as well.

I am not familiar with Paul Walker as an actor, but from viewing this film he was pretty convincing in the stressful situations that his character was facing. That made it all the more intense and real in my mind. Just hold on to your hat people, because this one is a wild one!

This movie is way better than I expected.The action never stops and the story is interesting enough to keep you in the groove. The DVD transfer is excellent and is a worth a look for sure.

I don't know why I expected more out of Running Scared, but I did. The film is written and directed by Wayne Kramer, the same guy who brought us the surprisingly good and stylish The Cooler, but when watching Running Scared, you'll never think that this movie can come from the same guy. Paul Walker plays Joey, a low level mob hood who is charged with the disposal of a gun that was used to ventilate a cop. Next thing you know, his kid and neighbor Oleg (Cameron Bright) discover the weapon which Oleg later uses on his abusive stepfather (Karel Roden). Now Joey has a barrage of mobsters, crooked cops, pimps, drug dealers, euro-trash, and more on his tail. Yeah, the story itself takes a back seat to Kramer's ultra stylish and ultra violent set pieces which continuously up the ante in terms of bloodshed. One scene in particular involving hockey pucks is worth the price of admission alone, but as a whole Running Scared fails. While Kramer's got style to spare, his leading man is what ultimately ruins the film. Paul Walker is not a good actor by any stretch of the imagination. His frequent over-acting is nerve grating, while Kramer's script features plenty of corny dialogue and an abundance of swearing that would make a sailor blush. The rest of the cast, which includes Chazz Palminteri, Johnny Messner, and the Departed's Vera Farmiga, are also wasted as well. All in all, Running Scared may be worth a look for action and adrenaline junkies, but don't expect much from it at all.

Creo que una de mis peliculas favoritas de este actor, complementado con la belleza de Vera Farmiga hacen que esta pelicula de accion te haga permanecer sentado y agitado. creo que la historia esta bien estructurada y contada magnificamente... no dude en comprarla !!

I was actually very surprised at enjoying this movie . There are a hand full of seens that are really, really good . The plot is good enough to hold your interest, and the climax is worth the wait. I never had any interest in Running Scared , because it stars Paul(worst actor in the world) Walker . He is one of a increasingly large number of talentless actors who I can't stand to watch . In the spirit of that theme, I will note that he adds nothing significant to this movie. Actually I could think of many actors who could have done a better job with the role . His character, Joey, spends the majority of the movie evading multiple groups of dangerous people who are looking for him , and trying to find a gun that was in his care and was used in two seperate crimes . I would recommend seeing it, and I will probably watch it again myself .

Bottom line: If you're looking for a good popcorn action movie, pick this up ... now! There is no reason to give this movie a bad review, so I'm not going to. It's obvious that the director valued style over substance. But there's nothing wrong with that ... after all ... it is a very visually stylish movie. The ending WAS pretty corny, unecessary, unrealisting, and dragged on for about 15 minutes too long ... but, again, I really think the director was just openly and unabashedly toying with the audience at that point.
Other than that ... there IS a scene in this movie that's so good it also makes the movie a must-see. I wont go into great detail, but it is one of the eeriest scenes I've seen in a film in a long time ... and yet somehow (especially given the graphic nature of the rest of the film) subtle. I mean, Kubrick would have loved this scene ... and so did I, especially because Paul Walker wasnt in it.
Check it out.

This movie had you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. I LOVE IT! I talk about this movie all the time. When people ask me what is it about I always tell them, "It's about a gun."....lol I don't like to give out more information than that.

Any simpleminded bigot who has delusions of the way Russian Americans and Italian Americans behave in New York will find this two-hour music video hugely entertaining. But mostly, it's a giant bore, from the laughably intense scene examining John Wayne films to the tired finale. The whole thing reeks. Mobman Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) hurries to retrieve a gun he hid in his basement before it falls into the wrong hands. Too bad that he's so despicable that nobody cares, including the audience.

Within the first few minutes of "Running Scared"--the watchable, but luridly over-the-top crime story by Wayne Kramer--I knew we were in very familiar territory. This ridiculous bit of fancy reminded me instantly of the hyperactive, over-stylized work of Tony Scott. Unfortunately, though, it was far closer (but not as pretentious) to Scott's mind-numbing "Domino" than his witty and intricate "True Romance." However, for whatever reason, audiences seem to be responding to this film. Like a live action video game, "Running Scared" doesn't really offer us anything new--but it does pile up lots and lots and lots of action, coincidences, jagged editing and noise. It's easy enough to watch the images blaze by--but, in all seriousness, you must shut your mind down to logic or believability.

Within the first 30 minutes of "Running Scared," we're treated to a cops and bad guys massacre, domestic abuse with a shooting, an unsavory drug park massacre, and a sadistic pimp beating his lady for getting a GED. This is one rough town! The plot, such as it is, starts out with the aforementioned cops versus bad guys massacre--but of course, it's a squad of corrupt, murdering cops. Paul Walker (as one of the surviving bad guys) is tasked to get rid of the weapons used. He hides them in his house, where a neighbor child steals a gun which is then used in the domestic abuse shooting. Walker, fearful that the gun will be linked to the massacre, must get it back. In the process of finding the kid (Cameron Bright), he must evade good cops, bad cops, and his own group who suspect he messed up by not properly disposing of the weapons.

The remainder of the movie is a high octane chase with characters bumping into each other in outrageously unbelievable ways. Everything that can be twisted into a convoluted mess is--as Bright wanders the city (this horrible, horrible city) finding every ounce of evil ever created. The most inspired bit of lunacy finds Bright captured by pedophiles/child killers. You'll never guess how they get him--oh, let's not spoil the surprise. There isn't too much more to say, but the violence and killings continue unabated. I was especially impressed by Walker's ability to withstand pain. At one point, where realistically ever bone in his face would be broken, he wants to get some breakfast. My kind of guy!

I know many people will find all this excessiveness fun. And I have nothing against this type of movie. But from the whimsical cartoons that are featured over the closing credits--one can surmise that there was supposed to be humor in this tale. If that had been done more effectively, I think I might have enjoyed things a bit more. But as played, the overwrought violence played out seriously. So, frankly, I've seen better and more creative examples of this type of film. Kramer is not untalented. His "The Cooler" with William H. Macy is a nice and different sleeper, and "Mindhunters" plays similarly to this film--somewhat fun with macabre violence, if you don't think about it. KGHarris, 02/07.

It's been a long time since I yelled "WOW" after watching an exciting action movie, but Running Scared starring Paul Walker certainly delivers the action. I haven't felt this kind of excitement in years. It's about Paul Walker, who's the father of a son, realizes that his son's friend (who lives next door) stole a gun from Paul's basement, and after an incident involving a shooting, Paul runs over to the neighbors house to find out what happened (actually, he thought someone in that house deliberately shot through his living room window, but quickly finds out that wasn't the case). Paul soon realizes that the kid took off running, and then Paul has to find him because it's VERY important for Paul to get the gun back.

The storyline is one long twist after another, never letting up throughout the film. Some scenes are incredibly violent and bloody, while others are just deeply disturbing. You really feel sorry for the little kid (the friend of Paul's son) throughout the film because of all the incredible and tragic events he is forced to experience in just one night. Many of them are simply the wrong place at the wrong times.

If you love action movies, you will NOT be disappointed with Running Scared. I recommend this film to all action fans.

Not much to say here. This movie is crazy. Eerie, expressionistic lighting, tons of steadicam and long takes and just generally wild cinematography. It's really quite a technical marvel. The plot is insane and charges from one ludicrous situation to the next, all feauturing countless twisted, hyper-bizarre characters. The director compares the gunshot through a window which sets off most of the action to Alice's going through the mirror, and that totally makes some sense; from this point on the film takes place in a nightmarish world of the grotesque where Oleg runs afoul of all sorts of unsavory characters associated with urban streets. Not real world versions of these people, however. Nightmare versions.

I could try and get into the plot a bit more specifically, but it's honestly hard to describe. Here's a little: Joey is a mob errand boy who fails to dispose of a gun properly, and neighbor boy Oleg steals it, then proceeds to shoot his crazy father with it. He runs off and Joey has to catch him and they go through a long, long night together were all kinda crazy stuff happens. It's not about plot; it's about the energy and the visual style,the tons of graphic violence and the nice touches of black humor. (Ex: There's a killer/abuser couple that makes videos of their victims, each DVD case marked with the kids name and a star rating. Now that's black.) While it's all fairly compelling, "Running Scared" has a number of individual scenes which are particularly awesome, like the ultra-gruesome shootout at the beginning, Oleg's father's inexplicable monologue on John Wayne and Oleg's and Teresa's adventure in the home of a seemingly wholesome couple who do, well, all sorts of bad stuff.

The performances are surprisingly strong, particularly from Walker, who I've never cared for. He proves himself a capable action star here, even if he mostly just runs around and yells and curses at people. Course, that's what being an action star consists of. He just needs to be intense, and that's what he is. Vera Farmiga is also very good as his wife in a role that could've easily been very perfunctory and pointless. Cameron Bright doesn't really do all that much as Oleg, he mostly just runs away and never smiles, but he's believable enough. People will tell you this movie is exploitive of children, but I don't really see it. Twelve year old's aren't so naive that they're gonna learn anything new from this movie.

On the downside, it's may be a little too long and slows down a few times too many times. The whole idea behind this movie is how bizarre and relentless it is, so slowing down having people talk doesn't help things much. On the other hand, maybe it'd be too much if it had never let up. Who knows.

Anyway, if you want something really stylish and whacked out and gruesome and offensive, this is the movie for you. If you worry too much about a movie being plausible and coherent, well this may not be your thing. I liked it, though.

Grade: B+

Im not sure if this film is incredibly great, or incredibly disturbing. There are a lot of parts in the film that are just plain not right, however there are topics that are rarely discussed in films.

The whole movie is just plain violent. A lot of killing right from the beginning. It goes from drugs, to sleazy families, to dysfunctional children and deprived people.

Im not a big Paul Walker fan, but he did an ok job in this one. Involving a child in films where they carry a gun and "shoot" at people is a little weird too.

Overall, its a movie that gets into topics and shows scenes that are really disturbing. However, it gives insight into what really goes on with dysfunctional people.

Not sure if it makes the movie great, or just plain wrong.

When the movie started, I thought it would pause at some stage and some random feel good song would play. Nothing like that happens. Running Scared is the movie a movie lover waits for all his life. All you people who go to DVD clubs to rent movies and look at the backside of the DVD to read if the movie has some acclaimed level of thrill or perhaps a digestible screenplay/storyline etc. - - RUNNING SCARED IS FOR YOU. Paul Walker has not done a better role. This role was perfect for him. I go to the movies to be shocked, surprised and hunted. I think I said the word "Whoa" some 15 odd times while watching Running Scared.
Excellent. Unassuming. Not self-conscious. Slick. Applause worthy entertainment.

Rent it. Steal it. Download it. Buy it.

This movie is off the chain. I'm not a Paul Walker fan but this movie is amazing. Great writing, great directing, great cinematography. It's without a doubt the illest movie I've seen all year. 5 stars *****