Sir Edmund Hilary climbed mount Everest and even he wasn't as far over the top as "Running Scared." It's hard to survive the low oxygen at such a high level too because the film starts out fairly realistic and grounded. Paul Walker plays a low-level gangster involved with organized crime who gets rid of guns used in shoot- outs and heists. The shit hits the proverbial fan however when a gun he was supposed to dispose of is used by a young kid, a friend of his 10 year old son, to shoot his abusive father.

The film, a departure sophomore effort from Wayne Kramer ("The Cooler"), begins with a bloody, violent Tarintino-esque shoot out between drug dealers, mafioso and dirty cops. Dirty cops become the villains here because, as we know, in this politically correct world, there are no villains anymore except for dirty cops, the Russian mafia and pedophiles. Kramer makes use of all three and his film soon becomes a an ultra-violent graphic novel come to life with references to homosexuality, pedophilia, John Wayne, hockey teams, and snuff films all used to promote creepiness and unease. Most of the time the vile and disgusting issues used in the film are only served up as fodder for the hip cinematic intelligentsia to laugh at so that they may show off just how cynical and cool they really are. The film's headlong dive into the unrealistic insanity of pedophile snuff film makers is the first sign that the film has begun to defy gravity and head for the apex of the hill in order to hurl itself over the top. In this Kramer succeeds swimmingly.

Kramer's film is edgy, gritty, graphic and weird and if one allows himself to go with the flow of the film, the fun does begin to take over and one can lose themselves in the insanity of it all. If you can't let go of convention and reality of it all, that is. However, if you don't enjoy Tarantino and films like "Sin City," then this film may indeed have you running, scared for you sanity, towards the theater exit.

Notes:

With Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga, Chazz Palminteri and Alex Neuberger (who looks like a young JTT).

Brett Ratner is a producer. Score by Mark Isham.

John Wayne's 1972 film "The Cowboys" is referenced and shown.

Filmed in New Jersey and the Czech Republic.

The sixth film to have this title since 1972.

Report Card

Script: B-

Acting: A

Cinematography\Lighting: A+

Special Effects\Make Up: B+

Music: A

Final Grade: B