Run - Lauf um dein Leben

OK, it isn't Lawrence of Arabia, but this film is a fun chase movie that pits a college kid against the combined might of a small community crime figure and many of his paid-off local cops. The ways Patrick Dempsey, the hero, succeeds is a far cry from the super-competent methods of previous and more formulaic eras. There is just the right mixture of humor and suspense that makes one enjoy this film in spite of knowing that it isn't exactly high-brow entertainment.

Read a couple of user reviews about this movie, and they say it was forgettable pap. I disagree. Granted, it will not win any awards, but it's an enjoyable movie.

Patrick Dempsey puts in a credible performance as a kid on the run. Some complain that it's just one big chase scene. News flash! The name of the movie is "Run"! You get what you expect to see.

Besides, if it's so forgettable, why are we talking about it 12 years later?



-Dave

I just think that Patrick Dempsey is a way under rated actor. He really pulls the lead role in any movie he's starred in. This movie is one of them.

Charlie (Patrick Dempsey) gets mixed up with the son of a gangster, and although he didn't have a hand in it, the gangster's son's death gets blamed on him. Son's dad isn't exactly happy about it either, and orders his troops to go and catch this guy. He also puts 50G on his head. 50G attracts attention of local cops. They want to sell Charlie to the gang boss for the reward money. This is not Charlie's day, but he's more resourceful than you expect.

As I've already mentioned, Patrick Dempsey is pretty awesome in this movie, and so is the movie itself. It's kind of funny, kind of suspenseful, and kind of exciting. All this has got lot to do with the way Charlie carries himself in this movie.

The movie is unbelievably good, and I'd like to see Patrick Dempsey get more good roles like this in the future.

I would consider Run in comparison to an Anthony Michael Hall movie called Out of Bounds and make the recommendation for the former if this is the kind of movie that you're in the mood for.

Out of Bounds, which I think came out in 1986, stars Hall as an Iowan kid who goes to visit his brother in Los Angeles. Through a case of mistaken identity, he suddenly finds himself in a world of trouble, running from drug lords and cops, because (insert forced gasp here) he picks up the same gym as another person who was smuggling dope. Well, not to give away to much of the story, he finds this quirky girl to help him out.

Out of Bounds is very similar to Run in that, through mistaken assumptions, a kid is on the run from both the mob and crooked cops. A girl helps this kid out in his desperate struggle to escape a whole slew of maniacs. Run and Out of Time are both basically films about kids spending a whole movie trying to figure out how they're going to avoid their doom.

Run, however, makes for a much better movie than Out of Time, despite people's inclination for early Anthony Michael Hall movies. In Out of Time, he hardly acted like he wanted to be in the movie. Other than the girl that helps him out, it is a whole lot of nothing and rather predictable "coincidences."

Though only a B movie, it Run is much more exciting with efforts in acting as well as action scenes (such as the police car falling off of the mall parking garage and the man dangling over the edge from his pants leg). If you like Patrick Dempsey and Kelly Preston, you're probably certain to enjoy this film. It's actually a good lazy day kind of film.

In Boston, the law student and lucky poker player Charlie Farrow (Patrick Dempsey) works in a garage and is hired by his boss to deliver a Porsche in Atlantic City. The car has an injection problem on the highway, and while waiting the repair, Charlie asks the cab driver to take him to a restaurant. The guy sees the fancy car and the destination, Atlantic City, and wrongly decides to take Charlie to a local casino, believing he is a millionaire. Charlie wins all the gambles and the loser Denny Halloran (Alan C. Peterson) tries to hit Charlie, but accidentally stumbles, hits his head on a counter and dies. His father, the powerful mobster Matt Halloran (Ken Pogue), puts a reward on Charlie, and the gangsters and dirty cops chase him along the night. Charlie runs to save his life, with the support of Karen Landers (Kelly Preston).

"Run" is one of the most entertainment chase movies I have ever seen. The story is flawed, I know, but is also very charming and funny. The lead actor Patrick Dempsey is perfect for the role, and his character looks like a cat with seven lives, lucky to win the game, survive the chasing and seduce the adorable Kelly Preston. Her astonishing beauty is another plus in this underrated, amusing and highly recommended action movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Fugindo Para Viver" ("Escaping to Live")