Running Through Darkness

I stumbled on while chillin' on Tubi. Yeah, it's an oldie but it fresh, but let me tell ya, it ain't playin' by the rules. Running Through Darkness ain't your typical jam-it's breakin' all them societal expectations, ya feel me? It's ahead of its time, straight up. So, here's the deal: it's about this regular dude Calvin, played by Landon Beard, who comes across this messed-up chick, Robin, played by Lillian Bornstein. She's been left for dead, and bam! Calvin gets sucked into her shady, messed-up world, yo. No spoilers, but lemme tell ya, this indie gem's a real eye-opener. It's worth a watch, no cap.

Running Through Darkness is a dark and effective thriller with a story that will keep you guessing. A man tries to help a woman, who then makes him an ominous proposition. He gets sucked in to a world of threats, crime, and violence. The story goes to some really unexpected and dark places that I did not expect. It really will keep you on the edge of you seat as you try to guess the twists and turns. The writing was very effective in this way. The directing was very good also. The cinematography was fantastic, most especially during an epic foot chase sequence. If you're looking for a thrilling adventure, this film is your ticket.

Ok, it is clearly not a Hollywood production. The license plates say Nebraska for crying out loud! I'm sure that is where they filmed it and all things considered, it's pretty freaking good.

The no-name cast are probably all local theater people, and that's awesome! The biggest "name" in the film is some guy who was in Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July - and it wasn't Charlie Sheen or Tom Cruise. In fact, this was a lot better than anything they've turned out in the past few years.

Technically the film moves at a very good pace and the cinematography was impressive for such a small movie. Oh, and the score was SPOT on for every scene.

It's not perfect, but it's just as good as other low/no budget films (El Mariachi/Following) from people that went on to become big time directors.

Our main protagonist goes out for a jog and finds an old flame beaten by the side of the road. She asks for his help, to kill the man who hurt her. He looks into this guy who turns out to be a proper nutcase. But suddenly he is in danger because this volatile guy wants something from him. Now both his morality and his will to survive are challenged and he must decide on how to get out of this nightmare. We follow his struggle, question his reasoning and ultimately root for him to survive this ordeal.

Despite the budget constraints I feel that this indie has achieved what it set to do, pull us into the world of deceit and despair, where we root for the protagonist to come out alive.

All too often you see people of color portrayed in films as either racial stereotypes, or scapegoats for racial stereotypes. This film stands tall and just tells a simple story about people in an insane situation. It was so great to see a black protagonist not bound by social expectations. I kept waiting for that to come into play and it never did. A great surprise. Very progressive.

Character and casting aside, the film itself is pretty impressive. It reminded me of what independent films were like, before celebrities started making them their pet projects. Obviously no one famous was involved. I didn't recognize anyone in the film, which helped lend credibility to the characters and situations. There were some very tense moments between the main character and the bad guy.

One thing that really stood out to me was the music. It hit in all the right places and set a perfect tone for the film. OH! And the chase scene was a lot of fun, too. Thank you to the filmmakers for putting out such a truly independent film. A lot better than most of the stuff I've seen in the theaters (and online) lately.