No Rastro da Bala

When you watch this overlooked film, you might find it is wrought with a oft-manic Paul Walker who's trying to dispense with his adolescent roles. Kramer combines a Tony Scott and Paul Verhoeven with a touch of David Cronenberg aesthetic and it works effectively. Cameron Bright plays (again) a pivotal role as a catalyst for propelling the narrative forward. What's great, is how Kramer does not try to dilute the more explicit elements while also not turning it into a unapologetic documentary of war torn Liberia. Great performances by all, particularly Farminga who is opposite of her part in Scorsese's The Departed.The only flaw: Walker's overly dramatic. Trying too hard to carve out his own niche like DeNiro, or Hanks. Anyone can emote frantic and manic with abundant enthusiasm, but if Walker can internalize as much as spout poetic slurs and epithets, he wouldn't just have the Fast franchise on his resume.

The gangster Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) is in charge of getting rid of the guns that killed dirty cops in a transaction of drugs between Italian mobsters and Afro-Americans. However, Joey hides the guns in the basement of his house instead of throwing in the river, and his ten years old son Nicky (Alex Neuberger) and his best friend Oleg Yugorsky (Cameron Bright) witness Joey hiding the gun. When Oleg's abusive stepfather Anzor Yugorsky (Karel Roden) beats his mother Mila (Ivana Milicevic), Oleg steals the weapon from the basement and shoots Anzor, running away home with the gun. Along the night, Joey, the Russian and the Italian mobster and the dirty cops chase the little boy trying to retrieve the gun and disclose who ordered the boy to shoot his stepfather.

"Running Scared" is a great surprise and pure action, recalling the style of "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs". The camera work is stylish and amazing, and the gore story in spite of having many clichés is engaging with great lines. Paul Walker is excellent in this type of role, and I particularly loved the scene of Teresa Gazelle (Vera Farmiga) with the two pornographers, when she calls 911. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "No Rastro da Bala" ("In the Tail of the Bullet")

RUNNING SCARED is a pretty interesting movie. It has its share of flaws, but it does offer something new, and is a lot different to the usual cops 'n' bad guys thriller that I was expecting. In many ways it's like a modern-day fairy tale, with lots of references to the classic stories of old (such as Hansel and Gretel) and a couple of characters facing bizarre and violent adventures during a single night.

First off, the good stuff: the cast is pretty hot, particularly Paul Walker, who gives a MUCH better performance than he does in the films he's best known for, the Fast and the Furious series. Similarly, Vera Farmiga can be guaranteed to deliver some strong acting, and the cast of various goons and bad guys are well picked. In addition, the film has a real Tarantino vibe to it; the direction is edgy and the violence explicit. The script isn't bad. Some of the direction is a little over the top and distracting in places, but for the most part it works.

The flaws are that it meanders slightly in places, and it also goes on for a little bit too long. The whole paedophile sub-plot, while being suspenseful, seems to belong in a different film altogether and really extends the running time. The ending is also rather predictable. But for the most part, this edgy and intriguing, and offers something different to the usual clichés we've come to expect from this genre.

This was an extremely graphically violent film with some gratuitous nudity. A lot of extremely well played roles. characters were simple with complex backgrounds. It kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire film wondering what was next. I left feeling like I had just had a two hour seizure. Every time you thought you had it figured out it threw a curve at you. From beginning to end it was fabulous and realistic. Paul Walker gave an excellent performance and you really got into his skin. The supporting cast was excellent, development of the characters rolled out in a believable manner with out a bunch of unnecessary revelations. I will buy this movie when it comes out on DVD. If you enjoyed Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction you will probably really enjoy this film.

This movie is probably one of the best I've seen in a long while. The action scenes were in your face and looked pretty damn realistic. The special effects were freaking awesome and the director did some really cool stuff which will blow you away. The acting was very believable and the plot worked very well. It reminded me of Training Day the way the story unfolded while we went along for the ride. The plot is freaking awesome and I can't wait to get the DVD. An AWESOME movie!! Definitely must watch this again. The thing to remember when you watch this movie is that it's a ride just sit and enjoy it. I've never felt a need to promote a movie but this one is too good to let others miss it. It is painful to watch in some scenes and at times you're actually totally disgusted once you figure out what's going on. It's crazy the emotions that this movie brings out.