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| Forums Index -> Out of Genre Experience -> Running Scared |
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 Posted:
Tue Jun 20, 2006 7:42 pm
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 357
Location: Orlando, FL
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| Ok this movie came and went out of the theaters pretty fast as I remember it, but I got the opportunity to see it on DVD and it's actually pretty good. Sort of like Pulp Fiction but with crackheads, Russian gangsters, pimps, hookers and dirty cops. Paul Walker's acting is decent to which I was surprised. Any thoughts? |
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| Posted:
Tue Jun 20, 2006 7:48 pm
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 4360
Location: NYC baby!
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I'm having a hard time grasping what was good about this movie. I mean, there are a lot of people, whose opinions I respect, recommending this and I all but hated it.
SPOILERS
First of all, the script is so loaded with one plot convenience after another. Everyone just HAPPENS to be in the right/wrong place. And when that kid gets in the van that just HAPPENS to belong to a couple of pedophile, child porn, killers I wanted to punch myself in the face.
Although, it did lead to the strongest scene in the movie with the wife going there to get him.
The scene in the hockey rink was an annoying mess as well.
And I have a question...If you have spent the last 12 years of your life in DEEP cover to bring down a MOB boss, then why the f*** would you shoot him when you had him disarmed? Wouldn't you arrest him?
I would have liked it more if they didn't throw everything into the movie that they did. I liked how at first Paul Walker's character was behaving very cop-like and then you realize why. That was a neat twist that I didn't see coming (shush).
All in all I felt it was way too bombastic, conevenient and it had one hell of a cop-out ending. |
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| Posted:
Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:51 am
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Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 534
Location: North Dakota
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I loved it, loved how damn brutal and gritty it was. A lot of people can't get passed Paul Walker, I don't mind the guy, he's like this generations Keanue Reeves, pretty harmless.
This movie is just a great, violent good time, I loved the end shoot-out with the hockey pucks and the guy getting his head blown off with the shotgun, can never get enough of that nowadays, really pushed the envelope on a lot of stuff.
Far as blood spray goes this movie went beyond anything I've seen in awhile. I liked the zany editing style (not too much and it serves the story) but what got me was how insane the movie got, towards the end I just felt like anything goes. I loved how the kid angle was like a Grim Fairy Tale on acid, loved all the Alice In Wonderland references.
Been reccomending this flick to everyone I can, they all seem to dig it. Really interested in what this director is going to do next (The Cooler rocked as well.)
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Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:54 pm
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Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 1237
Location: ORLANDO
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This movie comes down to the age old battle of Style vs. Substance.
And Style one over in this one. And the Style here was far from original. It was all wannabe Guy Ritchie with wannabe Tony Scott in a wannabe Tarrantino world.
It had scenes of brutality and explosive violence all for the sake of having brutality and explosive violence. Been there, done that, got the shirt.
The movie had a good premice with a sort of "Alice in Wonderland" structure, but with beyond unbelievable plot points and non-existant character development this film had nothing positive going for it.
The one thing that stuck out as being bothersome was the entire sequence of events involving the Perverse Couple. Remove every scene involving those characters and it affects the movie's overall plot in no way at all. It was pointless other than presenting vile characters in order to see get wasted. Resulting in a very empty sequence of events that could have been used to provide more impact to the overall story.
Oh, and how the dialogue was atrocious.
But worse was the convininet 3rd act twist revealling the truth behind Gazelle's role in all this. That was total bs and reeked of a screenwriter having no idea where to take things and tacked on that little convinient twist in order to justify the character's actions and involvements. It did nothing but even sink the films credibility even lower. Not to mention the bs ending.
A real shame since I enjoyed The Cooler. |
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| Posted:
Wed Jun 21, 2006 4:11 pm
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 4360
Location: NYC baby!
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Some Spoilers
| EvilRex wrote: |
The one thing that stuck out as being bothersome was the entire sequence of events involving the Perverse Couple. Remove every scene involving those characters and it affects the movie's overall plot in no way at all. It was pointless other than presenting vile characters in order to see get wasted. Resulting in a very empty sequence of events that could have been used to provide more impact to the overall story. |
But the scene was still effective in it's own right...
| Quote: | | But worse was the convininet 3rd act twist revealling the truth behind Gazelle's role in all this. That was total bs and reeked of a screenwriter having no idea where to take things and tacked on that little convinient twist in order to justify the character's actions and involvements. It did nothing but even sink the films credibility even lower. |
I actually think that was one of the few things that worked in the overall story...He did some really "detective/cop like" things...From the way he went next door to inspect the gunshot, to how he knew police crime scene prodcedures, to checking the time card...Which until the reveal I thought was just bad writing because it was all to procedural...But that twist made it fall into place and make sense...
| Quote: | | Not to mention the bs ending. |
That I completely agree with you 111110% |
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| Posted:
Wed Jun 21, 2006 5:22 pm
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Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 1237
Location: ORLANDO
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| Quote: | | But the scene was still effective in it's own right... |
I can respectively disagree because I can see where you may feel that way. The scene did have some elements that made it work.
But I was so turned off by the performance of the actress playing the wife that her involvement in the scene was more of a nuisance.
Not to mention her horrible follow up scene with the incredibly bad line: "I've never seen evil until the true evil I saw today." Give me a fucking break with the forced, trite dialogue.
But I'll give it this, there was a genuinely creepy atmosphere created with the whole Playhouse room with plastic on the floor and camera and big screen TV. The use of surreal images in the shadows was effective as well.
But the scene came in too little too late with just another dangerous situation a child finds himself in and we're in and out with very little impact on the overall plot and character development.
You pointed out the early scenes of Gazelle and his use of his weapon in a more Law Enforcement manner rather than a criminal. He did use detective skills also. So I agree that the twist wasn't as far fetched as I earlier argued. I still think it was very hackneyed and handled amateurish. There could have been much more impact to the overall story and characters when Gazelle's true identity is revealled. |
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| Posted:
Wed Jun 21, 2006 5:28 pm
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 4360
Location: NYC baby!
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| EvilRex wrote: | | Quote: | | But the scene was still effective in it's own right... |
I can respectively disagree because I can see where you may feel that way. The scene did have some elements that made it work.
But I was so turned off by the performance of the actress playing the wife that her involvement in the scene was more of a nuisance.
Not to mention her horrible follow up scene with the incredibly bad line: "I've never seen evil until the true evil I saw today." Give me a fucking break with the forced, trite dialogue. |
I'm talking about the scene itself from the moment she showed up to it's ending...Nothing before and nothing after. I agree that it really did nothing for the movie. And it bothered the fuck out of me that the kid randomly went into THAT van. |
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| Posted:
Thu Jun 22, 2006 3:44 am
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Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 284
Location: IL
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| i had no interest in seeing it when it was in theaters but DAMN... i sure wish i had now..... what a great and intense and just all around kick-ass flick... i've watched it 3 times since getting on DVD... Paul Walker... i forgive you for the other films you've made... EVEN Meet the Deedles. |
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| Posted:
Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:24 pm
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 2683
Location: Savannah, Georgia
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| Didn't See It Coming wrote: | I'm having a hard time grasping what was good about this movie. I mean, there are a lot of people, whose opinions I respect, recommending this and I all but hated it.
SPOILERS
I liked how at first Paul Walker's character was behaving very cop-like and then you realize why. That was a neat twist that I didn't see coming (shush).
All in all I felt it was way too bombastic, convenient and it had one hell of a cop-out ending. |
I did pick up on Walker's alternate persona when he went into the basement with the gun and the flashlight and held them in a very cop-like fashion.
I saw this in a theater for free and for once I wish I'd paid. It was nihilistic, dark, intense, twisted, and so far over the top it was amazing. I really liked it.
_________________
"I hate all sports as rabidly as a person who likes sports hates common sense." - H. L. Mencken
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| Posted:
Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:24 pm
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Joined: 25 Jun 2006
Posts: 74
Location: Rhode Island
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| Posted:
Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:18 am
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 253
Location: Sweden...
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Despite the shortcomings pointed out by others I can't help liking this movie. It's just such an over-the-top ride. And yes, the child molestors had nothing to do with the story, but those scenes were seriously creepy.
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"One should judge a man mainly from his depravities. Virtues can be faked. Depravities are real." - Klaus Kinski |
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| Posted:
Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:59 pm
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Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 1237
Location: ORLANDO
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I still think this movie is very over-rated.
It just tried too hard to be edgy that it came out fake.
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Open your textbooks to the chapter concerning your death. |
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| Posted:
Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:42 pm
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 357
Location: Orlando, FL
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| To each his own, I saw it last night again and it's still a good movie to me, in fact I put it as underrated. I've showed it to two people and they loved it. |
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| Posted:
Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:14 pm
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 8773
Location: DON'T TOUCH MY BAGS IF YOU PLEASE. MR. CUSTOMS MAN!
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The best part of THC closing up shop?
Now this thread's in the right place.
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Kate, Honey, I may be a bastard, but I'm not a fucking bastard.
"Guaranteed adventures for every citizen should be in the Bill of Rights."-Sam Hell |
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| Posted:
Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:46 pm
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 1545
Location: NJ
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I finally caught this over the weekend and I really enjoyed it. Walker does redeem himself in the acting department. I'll definetly buy the dvd and I have to say Lester the Pimp deliberately acting like the stereotypical movie pimp had me cracking up. It was like it was his first day on the job.
I'm a mack-daddy pimp! Gold.  |
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