Running Scared (1986)

Directed by: Peter Hyams
Format: DVD
DVD Features: Outtakes/Behind the scenes, trailer
Starring: Billy Crystal, Gregory Hines, Dan Hedaya, Joe Pantoliano

**This movies has been nominated for a Gummi Award in the Best Dialogue category.**

I'm old enough to remember the 1980's. The hair, the spandex, the sport coats...the legwarmers (shudder). If there was a committee to suppress the comeback of legwarmers, I'd join up. As much as I detest the fashion and a great majority of the music from that decade, there are moments when I recall it with amusement. Thoses moments are mostly connected to the period's rare gems of film. I've ranted before about all of the great movies I remember from the 80's, bit it's the advances in technology that I get a kick out of. There's just something about a cell phone the size of a dictionary that cracks me up. Yes, Running Scared features one such phone and even a box of 8-track tapes!

Running Scared is a mid-eighties "buddy cop" comedy. Danny Costanzo (Crystal) and Ray Hughes (Hines) are officers with The Chicago Police Department. The pair are a little rough around the edges and don't always do things by the book. Nevertheless, they get the job done. Their latest case involves a known drug smuggler - Julio Gonzales (Jimmy Smits), who has been recently released from prison and is already up to no good. Hughes and Costanzo are on the case, sure that something smells fishy but lack the evidence to back up their hunch. They capture one of Gonzales' henchmen, Snake (Pontoliano) and convince him to wear a wire - unaware that they're about to tangle an undercover op.

The banter between the two partners is often clever and amusing. In one scene, the pair get held up by a couple of petty theives. Far from being rattled, Costanzo and Hughes exchange whitty remarks, "Pointing a gun at a police officer - can we waste them for that?" They also take quite a bit of liberty with The Miranda Rights. What makes the comedy here so effective is the delivery. Each line is delivered with a straight face, expert timing and so nonchalant that they're often easy to miss.

The plot, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. It's very typical of the genre and the era. In Running Scared, can be found the following: the requisite hard ass Sargent, the suspended leave of absence for bad behavior, the pissed off ex wife and the familiar "bad guy kidnaps loved ones" scenario. But, certain scenes make up for the unoriginal content. I particularly enjoyed the car chase on the train tracks, the rigged police line-up and the ways Hughes finds to distract his lover's boyfriend. One thing I didn't expect was the ending. Have you seen the Simpson's "Schwarzenegger/Mendoza" send up? Well, without giving too much away, I'll just say that it always seems to be a curse when cops decide to retire.

I got more than I'd hoped for with Running Scared. I expected to groan and roll my eyes a lot, but I didn't expect to laugh. I expected cheesy one-liners, race related humor and terrible hair. I even expected Hines to do some dancing. On all counts, I was pleasantly surprised. There's a reason Crystal was a star.

Overall Rating: 3 1/2
Hottie Rating: 0

Alternate Recommendation: Rush Hour
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