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Category: Thriller

  • Running Scared (2006)

    Running Scared (2006)

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    The 1970s was a decade that was almost dominated by gritty crime thrillers that were hard-hitting and relentless. Some of the seminal ones included Dirty Harry, Death Wish, Taxi Driver, The French Connection, Serpico, and The Godfather. There were plenty of gritty crime movies in the 80s and 90s, but by the 2000s, things had changed. Instead of the hard-R gritty crime and action movies, we were getting watered-down and over-stylized PG-13 thrillers. This change in genre conventions rather upset writer/director Wayne Kramer. Kramer earlier got some attention with 2003’s The Cooler, which was a hit with critics despite underperforming financially. It went on to win and be nominated for various awards, including an Oscar nomination for Alec Baldwin. With this critical reception, Kramer decided to follow it up with a throwback to the gritty crime movies he loved. This led to the vastly underrated 2006 thriller, Running Scared.

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    After a drug bust gone wrong, low level mobster Johnny Gazelle (Paul Walker) is tasked with disposing of a gun. This particular gun, a small snubnosed revolver was used during the drug bust to kill a dirty cop. Johnny stashes the gun in his basement, unaware of his son (Alex Neuberger) and his friend Oleg (Cameron Bright) watching. Oleg ends up stealing the gun and uses it to try and kill his abusive stepfather Anzor Yugorsky (Karel Roden). After hearing the gunshots, Johnny goes to investigate and, upon realizing what gun was used, runs out to find it. It’s a race against time as Oleg is running from the Russian mafia and crooked cop Detective Rydell (Chazz Palminteri). Along the way, Johnny’s wife Teresa (Vera Farmiga) also gets involved as she tries to save Oleg. Things continue spiraling out of control as we go further down the rabbit hole.

    As mentioned before, Kramer wanted this to be more in the style of gritty 70s crime thrillers, and he succeeded. This film perfectly captures the grit and grime of many of those crime thrillers from the past. There’s excessive violence, nudity, swearing, and some pretty dark and disturbing moments throughout that deal with fairly dark themes. In addition, the cast here is phenomenal, particularly Paul Walker, Vera Farmiga, Chazz Palminteri, and Cameron Bright. At the time, Walker was mostly known for The Fast and The Furious movies, and this really shows his range. He’s constantly on edge and full of energy that you can tell he’s dedicated to this role. Vera Farmiga, who was relatively unknown here, is terrific in the film, especially when it becomes about her. Chazz Palminteri is fantastic as always, and Cameron Bright, especially for a child actor, also does a great job.

    If there are any problems I have with the film, the main one is with the structure. While there is a somewhat straightforward narrative, some parts feel like small vignettes that go from one to another. Also, there are some characters who are introduced but then just leave never to be seen again. At times, the movie feels a bit scatterbrained, especially with how the editing is done. Not to say that the editing here is poor, far from it, but it can seem all over the place. Issues aside, I still think this is a terrifically underrated crime thriller that deserves more attention. Especially with Paul Walker’s unfortunate death, this really showcases how much talent he had as an actor. While the movie wasn’t a huge financial hit, it was well-received by critics, and it’s easy to see why. Running Scared is a great hidden gem that’s worth watching.

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  • The Meg (2018)

    The Meg (2018)

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    These days, it seems that we are inundated with shark movies, with a new one coming out almost every year. Most of these are cheaply made, have terrible acting, very shoddy CGI, and are intentionally cheesy and ridiculous. Of course, every now and then, we get one that tries a bit more, such as The Shallows. Granted, no shark movie can every hope to live up to Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws, which still remains the gold standard. Shark movies we get nowadays include the Sharknado series, Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, Sharktopus, and Jurassic Shark. Hell, at the time of writing this, there’s a new one that premiered on the SyFy channel called Santa Jaws (yeah, seriously). Amongst these made-for-TV shark movies, now we have a big-budget version of these kinds of movies with The Meg.

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    We follow rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham), who is dealing with an incident from years ago. He was rescuing people from a downed submarine when he left some to die when the hull was attacked. While many, including Dr. Heller (Robert Taylor), think he’s crazy and a coward, Taylor believes something attacked them. Cut to the present where billionaire Jack Morris (Rainn Wilson) is meeting with Dr. Minway Zhang (Winston Chao). Dr. Zhang and his team have been constructing a giant undersea research facility called Mana One, which Morris paid for. Here, we also meet Zhang’s daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), Jaxx Herd (Ruby Rose), and James “Mac” Mackreides (Cliff Curtis). They’re trying to explore the Mariana Trench, but things go south when a submersible they send in is attacked. Taylor is recruited to save the crew, but when a Megalodon shark is discovered, it’s all a matter of survival.

    From the setup, the plot of the film is pretty basic. At one point, Statham even points out some of the cliches about his character. Apparently, this is based on a book of the same name by Steve Alten, which I have not read. While I’m unsure how accurate this follows the book, I can say this movie is one hell of a ride. I’m sure some will roll their eyes at this, but it’s just pure fun that shouldn’t be taken seriously. I mean, this is from the director of Cool Runnings, 3 Ninjas, and both National Treasure movies we’re talking about. This is really the kind of movie you don’t need to think too hard about. It’s just the perfect August movie: not a huge summer blockbuster but not totally dreadful either. It helps that this has a pretty solid cast, with Statham obviously being the best part.

    That isn’t to say that the rest of the cast is bad, far from it even. Rainn Wilson is funny as always, Ruby Rose is pretty awesome, and Cliff Curtis is an enjoyable addition. Also, Winston Chao and Suyin do a great job, really selling the father-daughter relationship they have. There is a little girl here, namely Shuya Sophia Cai as Meiying, but rather than being annoying, she’s actually adorable. Of course, there are some pretty intense moments here, especially when the megalodon is masked in darkness. While it is primarily CGI, the shark is still a pretty intimidating presence, and you do get legitimately scared. It all leads to an exciting climax where the survivors have to try and kill the shark, and it’s awesome. There’s even a moment I won’t spoil where Statham officially enters the Action Hero Hall of Fame. I won’t say it, but you’ll know.

    Overall, this is a fun summer movie to end the season out on. With a great cast, some fairly decent camerawork, and a fun climax, The Meg will please any shark movie fan.

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