Running Time

Very enjoyable, oddball little shortie. When Carl got out of the pen after five years for theft, he and his idiotic best friend went directly into another heist. From the very start nothing went anywhere except the wrong way for these bungling losers. These stupids even hired a junkie as the getaway driver. Gad! When this caper went totally awry I thought Carl and his buddy should have had a lot more trouble getting away from the crime scene. They merely ran down pretty much deserted streets with no one chasing them even though three shooters were only seconds behind at one point. Although fun to watch the entire thing was just too unbelievable; no way these jackasses could have escaped the area without giving themselves away. Anita Barone was fine as the broken hearted hooker who badly needed to put her trust in someone.

"Running Time" is more a cinematic stunt than a movie. It provides intellectual diversion but little emotional involvement. All of the edits in this "continuous take" project are obvious, but it is great fun to watch Bruce Campbell do what he does so well. Anita Barone is especially good in what is essentially an underwritten part as Janine, the whore with the heart of gold. As an added bonus, the movie is shot with all-Steadicam and gave me both a headache and an upset stomach. I haven't had both of those while watching a film since "Galaxy of Terror"! I soldiered on 'til the end because I wanted to see what happened next, so I'll declare "Running Time" a cut above a mild diversion.

Carl has been in stir for five long years and is finally getting out. All he has thought about behind bars is pulling off the perfect heist, which he's got all planned out. Released, a free man again, Carl immediately meets up with his crew, enjoys the services of a prostitute (who happens to be an old flame) and sets out to rob the prison laundry system. Despite all his meticulous planning, that cruel mistress fate has a few tricks up her sleeve for Carl that will make his perfect score seem like the job from hell.

Directed by Josh Becker, 'Running Time' is a tense, atmospheric heist movie made to look like it's filmed in one continuous shot. This is something that is used in a lot of films, and can be distracting and gimmicky, with the audience often ignoring the narrative; spending their time instead trying to spot where the cuts are hidden. It never appears like a gimmick in 'Running Time' though, heightening the stress and tension of the situation Carl is in, as well as maintaining the audience's rapt attention throughout the movie's run.

It is also filmed as if it's happening in real time, another technique that can appear gimmicky in some movies, but- again- doesn't here, adding a sense of urgency to the proceedings. In fact, Kurt Rauf's handling of the cinematography feels consistently fresh and inventive, while the choice of shooting it in black and white lends the movie an atmosphere of film noir. Under Becker's direction, 'Running Time' has terrific visuals that stand out in the viewer's memory long after the credits have rolled.

Bruce Campbell delivers an understated performance as Carl, a criminal with a conscience. He never goes over-the-top, and his personality doesn't overshadow the role- which sometimes happens when the material he's working with isn't very strong (see 'Alien Apocalypse', also directed by Becker, if you have any doubts about this last point). He plays Carl like a classic, charming anti-hero, the kind one could imagine someone like Burt Lancaster would have played in his day. It's a shame the film isn't more widely seen as its one of Campbell's finest on-screen performances (up there with his terrific turn as Elvis in 'Bubba Ho-Tep').

The screenplay- written by Becker and Peter Choi- is strong and full of snappy, pulpy dialogue that would not be out of place in some of David Mamet's work from the late 90's. The story rockets along at a brisk pace, though a melodramatic, clichéd love story sub-plot involving the aforementioned prostitute does make the film drag a little- in the second half especially.

Though these scenes are well acted by Campbell- and Anita Barone as the prostitute- they are the weakest part of the film and could have benefitted from a more active set of hands during the editing process. Also, the members of Campbell's gang aren't very interesting or memorable characters, which is a shame as the actors perform admirably in their roles.

The film is engrossing though, not to mention highly entertaining. The heist sequence is particularly well filmed and acted, feeling as tense as a stretched bowstring in the last round of an archery competition. The story is fairly unpredictable as well, and Joseph LoDuca- who has scored a lot of Campbell and Becker's work, from 'The Evil Dead' to 'Xena: Warrior Princess'- provides an atmospheric soundtrack that contributes effectively to the film's frenetic, swift pacing.

Though some of the supporting roles are a little lacking in characterization and there are some sequences that could have used tightening up- either during the writing stage or in the editing room- this is one movie you don't want to miss out on. Shot with a distinct visual style and featuring a strong, subtle performance from Bruce Campbell, 'Running Time' is an enjoyable, original whirlwind of a crime caper.

It's an idea with the potential to go wrong, but Hitchcock made it work with Rope, and now Josh Becker has done the same with Running Time; a film with the word 'cult' written all over it! The fact that this film is shot in black and white makes it stand out somewhat from the crowd of nineties films, but it's the way that it's filmed that is Running Time's claim to fame. Becker shoots the film in one continuous shot that follows around lead character Carl through one day. This idea worked brilliantly for Hitchcock, but I was worried that it might not work so well for a movie about a heist - but it really couldn't have worked better! As mentioned, the plot follows Carl Metushka - a man newly released from prison. He meets up with his buddy, and it soon becomes apparent that Carl hasn't decided to stay away from the life of crime. No, he and his friend have a heist planned and we watch as they pick up a couple of people needed for the heist, and proceed to do the actual robbery...but you can't expect a plan like this to go off without a hitch.

The fact that Running Time is filmed in one continuous shot means that it's very easy to get into. This is complimented by the running time, which is extremely short at just sixty five minutes, and means that the film really doesn't have time to get boring. Becker keeps things interesting with a constant flow of action, and some rather amusing dialogue, which ensures that the film constantly makes for fun viewing. One of my major reasons for seeing this film was because of the presence of B-movie maestro Bruce Campbell. Campbell has a lot of charisma, and this shines through excellently in this film. Campbell is a very handsome man, and Becker makes good use of that fact with his role here. The rest of the cast are secondary to Campbell, but good use is made of all of them, and they all give realistic performances. The film is a little preposterous as certain things, the ending especially, are a little silly -but it really doesn't matter as Josh Becker's experiment is a huge success and overall, I can't not recommend that everyone takes the time to track Running Time down!

This is an amazing movie. I popped the DVD into my player expecting a typical Bruce Campbell b-movie, but "Running Time" turned out to be much more than that. It succeeds on every level. Bruce Campbell shines in the leading role. I just love this man. This has got to be one of his best movies, right up there with the "Evil Dead" trilogy and "Bubba Ho-Tep". Actually, the whole cast is great. I especially fell for Anita Barone who I'd like to see in a lot more movies in the future. I won't spoil it for you, but watch out for her first meeting with Bruce Campbell's character in the movie. It's hilarious.

"Running Time" is shot in beautiful black and white, which gives the movie a film noir feeling. The script is written very cleverly with some witty dialog and tight pacing. From the beginning we are drawn into the story. The old real time formula works here for a change, although the concept does sometimes lead to a few lengths here and there. Still, the movie is far from ever getting boring and at 70 minutes running time "Running Time" (haha) is maybe even a bit too short. Doesn't matter. For me this one is an overlooked sleeper. If you get a chance, watch it!