I remember when Running Scared came to theatres, and nobody really cared about it. It must have been released with some other blockbuster that overshadowed it completely. It didn't help that it was advertised to be in the same ilk as something like a Walking Tall, and as a result, didn't interest me in the slightest. But something happened when it came out on video. People started renting it, and recommending it to others, and all of the sudden, here is this movie that I quote, “had to see.” People were apeshit, and I had no idea where it came from.

After seeing the film, I can see where people got their love of Running Scared. If it had been advertised as anything close to as intense and stylish as it ended up being, I'm sure it would have gained the theatrical interest that it deserved.

Wayne Kramer's previous effort The Cooler had a definite sense of style itself, and I suppose was edgy enough in its sex scene that it needed to be trimmed to receive an “R” rating. But it in no way prepared me for the overkill that is Running Scared. Kramer moves his camera in so many different directions, through windows, following bullets, and weaving in and out through his characters, that the camera itself is almost a sort of special effect. Everything in the picture has an unreal look to it, whether it's the unique blue/purple/green color palette, or just how (photography director) James Whitaker shoots his scenes. There is a depth in each frame that almost makes the film feel as though it is shot in a sort of inverted three dimensions; instead of it popping out its audience like traditional 3-D, it sucks them inwards. This feeling of involvement can be truly disturbing at times, for the film is unrelenting in its brutality and cruel subject matter. It is impossible to snicker at violence from a distance, when the film makes every effort it can to involve its audience in the onslaught. I normally do not applaud a film, in which its purpose is to showcase pointless violence (unless it's silly), but Running Scared is the rare exception. The ambition is to not allow the viewer to detach themselves from what is happening on screen, so they feel the fear and anger that its characters do, and in most ways, it succeeds in this goal.

There are bumps along the way, however. Especially near the end of the picture, where it makes two very mind-numbingly bad mistakes that are not in the spirit of the rest of the movie before them. Also, there really is no depth (on purpose), and the movie doesn't really give you a person to cheer for (Paul Walker's character makes some of the worst parenting decisions imaginable), which hurts some of the more suspenseful elements. I can excuse these shortcomings however, with a plot that is so out of control it's almost ludicrous (in a good way), and a style that is undeniable in both its cool, and its effect.