Running Scared

Theatrical Release Date: 2006 02 24 (USA)

UPC: 794043103056

Studio: New Line Home Video

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Graphic Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Rape & Sexual Abuse, Not For Children, Adult Humor, Profanity, Substance Abuse, Children in Peril]

Summary: A minor crook finds himself in major peril when a "hot" weapon goes missing in this violent crime thriller. Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) is a low-level "mechanic" in the Mafia who hopes to rise through the ranks by doing whatever is needed. One night, a drug deal goes very wrong when police show up and try to close down the operation; shots break out and a battle ensues, with a pair of of cops meeting a particularly violent fate at bad end of a gun barrel. Joey is given the gun that killed the policemen and is told to make it disappear so it can't be used as evidence; however, before he can do that, the weapon is stolen by Oleg (Cameron Bright), a friend of Joey's young son, who takes the pistol and uses it to shoot his abusive stepfather. Now that the gun is implicated in high profile crimes, it's vitally important that Joey find it as soon as possible, but his search for the firearm is complicated by the fact that Oleg's stepdad is affiliated with a rival gang of Russian mobsters, and that Rydell (Chazz Palminteri), a seriously corrupt police detective, is hot on Joey's trail. Joey's search for the gun takes him through the grim criminal netherworld of the city, where he must face off against nearly every sort of crook, con artist, and deviate that has ever walked the earth. Running Scared is from writer-director Wayne Kramer, who made a name for himself with the well-reviewed independent feature The Cooler. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Action

Features: ccCommentary with writer/director Wayne Kramer
Behind-the-scenes documentary
Storyboards drawn by Wayne Kramer

Running Scared

Format: DVD

Release Date: 06/06/2006

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS-ESD Digital Theater 6.1 System, DDS2.0 Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels

Runtime: 122 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Running Scared
1. Bad Deal [5:46]
2. A Simple Task [4:31]
3. Secret Stash [2:48]
4. "The Duke Lives" [6:59]
5. Domestic Dispute [5:16]
6. Damage Control [5:50]
7. The Dark Side [3:00]
8. Bad Pimp [3:38]
9. Let's Make a Deal [7:16]
10. Hide and Seek [7:06]
11. Thirsty for Truth [5:23]
12. Father & Son [1:42]
13. The Play Room [4:02]
14. Maternal Instincts [8:26]
15. Pep Talk [7:34]
16. "Nobody Knows Nobody" [6:59]
17. Showdown on Ice [4:32]
18. Going Home [12:37]
19. Pimpin' Ain't Easy [2:48]
20. Family Reunion [3:14]
21. End Credits [4:41]

Jason Buchanan

An unabashedly sleazy, semi-expressionistic action thriller that's so over-the-top in both style and substance that it's a miracle it doesn't collapse back onto itself and crumble into a heap of self-parody, Running Scared offers a sordid journey into a hell on earth in which law and innocence take a backseat to humankind's darkest impulses, bloodlust and revenge. For those with the fortitude to sit through a film where guns are held to grimacing children's heads and murderous pedophiles purchase pint-sized body bags in bulk, the element that sets Running Scared apart from the pack is a potent sense of danger in which the audience is never quite sure how far the filmmakers are willing to go in upping the ante. Starting off like a bullet out of the barrel and rarely slowing except to pile on convoluted plot point after convoluted plot point, Wayne Kramer's blood-spattered frenzy of a crime flick may, in the end, not be what one might consider a "good" film, though it is certainly far from boring. The world of Running Scared is a dark one indeed, and as faceless, menacing transients emerge from the darkness to prey on children and shutterbug pedophiles cast shadows that would give Murnau's Nosferatu a run for his money, the nightmarish vision of urban depravity quickly descends into a hyper-stylized representation of hell on earth. This is truly a world in which everyone has a hidden agenda and to trust is to die; and though a majority of viewers will simply be put off by the reprehensible cast of characters who populate Running Scared, those willing to set aside moral judgment and accept the film on its own twisted terms are in for a loud, audacious, and trashy two hours of entertainment that will leave shell-shocked viewers stumbling from their seats in a dizzied haze of disbelief. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Mark Isham  Composer (Music Score) 
Andrew D.T. Pfeffer  Executive Producer 
Brett Ratner  Producer 
Andreas Grosch  Executive Producer 
Andreas Schmid  Executive Producer 
Wayne Kramer  Director 
Wayne Kramer  Screenwriter 
Sammy Lee  Producer 
Stewart Hall  Executive Producer 
Stewart Hall  Producer 
Michael Pierce  Producer 
Matt Luber  Executive Producer 
Paul Walker  Actor 
Cameron Bright  Actor 
Vera Farmiga  Actor 
Karel Roden  Actor 
Johnny Messner  Actor 
Ivana Milicevic  Actor 
Chazz Palminteri  Actor 
Alex Neuberger  Actor 
Michael Cudlitz  Actor 
Bruce Altman  Actor 
Elizabeth Mitchell  Actor 
Arthur Nascarella  Actor 
John Noble  Actor 
Idalis de Leon  Actor 
David Warshofsky  Actor 

Country: Germany,USA