Run (1991)

"Run" is pretty much like the title says it is. A story about a Law student (Patrick Dempsey) running away from the police and some Mafia guys after been involved in the accidental death of the son of a mob boss while gambling in a small town. If you enjoy movies with great escapes, car chases and one innocent guy finding a way to solve some problems and arranging another ones this film is for you! But I must warn you, don't expect too much intelligence, or even better don't expect any kind of cleverness whatsoever here. This movie is just fun to watch, a brainless experience where you're gonna see some dumb moments and a plot hole bigger than the sun.OK, I'll spoil the fun a little bit. What happened to the gangster's son was an accident while trying to punch Dempsey's character (the guy tripped on a small tree). It all happened in a casino which was supposed to have a surveillance system with thousands of cameras. Okay this is not the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino but it's still a casino. If this surveillance system was used it could save a lot of trouble and no one (except the annoying gangster's son) would have died. But in the end the gangster (played by Ken Pogue, this guy really looks like Karl Malden) uses a modern surveillance system in order to find where Dempsey is (in some part of the hotel). In short: pointless.I've read here many people complaining about the editing quoting as a work of a drunken editor or something similar. Well, I haven't noticed anything wrong with it, I think that it was way better than many recent movies I watched lately with that shaky camera with no planning. The action scenes was good (the gateway in the mall was my favorite), the acting was the usual for a movie of its kind, nothing exceptional. Again, it is fun to watch. Go for it and don't trash it because it's not so great like "The Fugitive". 8/10

"Run" is one of those underrated gems that you hope to find when you take a chance and rent (or watch) a movie that you know very little about. I first rented this in 1991 when it came out on VHS and found it extremely entertaining...when the Mystery channel showed it again a while back, I made a point of catching it, and was pleased to note how well it holds up. This is the kind of movie where the performances are 'fat free' and underplayed and effective, where the stunts and action pieces are inventive and inspired without drawing too much attention to themselves, where the writing is economical and streamlined. Admittedly, "Run" is definite "B" caliber, with a pretty shallow plot and cardboard characters, but within its parameters (action/crime thriller with Hitchcokian elements) it does a wonderful job. Patrick Dempsey is a completely believable 'everyman', a skinny nerdish type who shows up at the wrong place at the wrong time and gets into a heap of trouble. With corrupt cops and angry hoodlums chasing him, he has no choice but to try to get out of a town that the Mafia seems to own from City Hall on down. The screenplay is tightly plotted, with the screws being turned tighter and tighter on poor Dempsey with each new development, and his character's only advantage is that he is, well, extremely slippery. Casting a skinny "geek" like Dempsey in this role was an inspired stroke . Dempsey is no one's idea of a typical 'action hero' and so he doesn't act like one...as a result his characters reactions are extremely credible. He can't do an "Ah-nold" or shoot things out like Dirty Harry - all he can do is squirm and wriggle and dodge his way out of tighter and tighter situations. And boy, does he (or his stunt doubles) wriggle. Action scenes and stunts in this movie are thus keyed to evasion,deception and Desperation. Our 'hero' slithers down stadium stairs and slides headfirst down bowling alleys and hurdles steeplejack style over and under obstacles and in general just runs like a rabbit from danger. Even at the climax, when he's finally been caught and subdued and is about to be thrown off a rooftop, he squirms so hard and frenziedly that the two hoodlums that were meant to toss him off end up losing their balance and falling in his place! "Run" is very enjoyable for what it is, and can be enjoyed by any fan of films like "The Man Who Knew Too Much". After a long slump, Dempsey eventually went on to great success on television (most recently in "Grey's Anatomy") and went from a skinny geek to something of a "hunk"...that cheers me immensely...there may be hope for us all.

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

The other reviews explain the plot so I won't repeat it. What really struck me about this movie was the many unique chase and fight scenes. For example, when was the last time you saw a foot chase through bowling alley pins and the machinery that sets them up? Or a car chase through a carnival lot? The scene on top of the building with our hero and the thugs reminded me of a 3 stooges routine. There's also one of the most unique ways of killing someone you'll ever see! I stumbled upon this movie without knowing anything about it and was thoroughly entertained. 3 out of 4!