Director – Josh Becker (Alien Apocalypse, Spine Chillers)
Starring – Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II), Jeremy Roberts (The Invisible Man, The X-Files), and Anita Barone (Quantum Leap, The Sex Monster)
Release Date – 1997
Rating – 3.5/5
Blu Release – 3.5/5
Being born in the mid-80s and raised in the 90s gave me a different perspective than most horror fans. I lived through the video store era and cut my teeth on so many of the post-Night of the Living Dead horror titles. It’s because of this upbringing that I consider actors like Kane Hodder, Robert Englund, Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, and so on to be horror legends. They were such a huge part of my childhood. When I was in elementary school I watched Evil Dead II for the first time.
Those of you that read my reviews know the story behind this so I’ll skip it but this was when I was introduced to Bruce Campbell. I’ve been a lifelong fan of his but I haven’t seen his entire filmography due to availability. In 1997 Campbell starred in a crime film titled Running Time. The film recently got a blu release from Synapse Films who was kind enough to send a review copy my way. This is one I had never seen before and I couldn’t wait to dig into it. Thanks Synapse.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows Carl (Campbell) who is just released from prison after serving a five year sentence. He teams up with an old partner to do another job involving the prison warden who is laundering money. He is on a time schedule and has to work quickly to get it done before the warden arrives to pick up the cash. However, everything turns south on him resulting in some quick thinking and a few dead bodies. **Spoiler Alert**
I knew this wasn’t a horror title going into it but I had heard so many great things about it. In an interview once Bruce Campbell said this is a film that made him the proudest. That’s really saying something considering his body of work. I had also heard that this film was shot in one take but that’s not correct either. The movie was actually filmed over 10 weeks but the editing is so smooth that you would have believed it. I really enjoyed this one and I can see why Campbell talks so highly about it.
The acting in this one is great. Campbell, obviously, shines as the career criminal looking for that one big score. His charisma and bravado on screen is characteristically Campbell and he does a fantastic job holding down center stage. The supporting cast is just a big and bold as he is with some delivering just as memorable a performance as Campbell himself. I really enjoyed the casting in this one all around.
The story for this one is a linear and smoothly paced crime drama that is extremely thorough in the inner workings of planning a heist. The movie follows the crew as they work their way through each and every aspect of a heist even if it’s the most mundane task. It does get a little boring at times but the movie pays off big for those that stick with it.
Finally, this one has a little blood but where the film is in black and white you don’t really get the full effect of seeing the red. There is some deaths in this one but we don’t really get to witness it all unfold like in more traditional films. Those wanting a blood bath with be disappointed. Overall, Running Time is a well made crime drama that has an amazing cast and an unbelievably shot story that most cult cinema fans will really enjoy. The blu from Synapse looks absolutely fantastic but the film’s artwork is a huge turn off for me. I had to immediately reverse the artwork on this one. I highly recommend checking out this release.
Special Features:
All-New 2K scan and restoration of the original 16mm camera negative
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Presented for the first time on video with the original theatrical stereo mix
Audio commentary with writer/director Josh Becker and star Bruce Campbell
Run and Gun with Bruce Campbell – All-new interview/featurette (22 mins.)
Q&A footage from the Freaky Film Festival Premiere at the University of Illinois
Original trailer
Reversible cover art from artists Wes Benscoter and Gerry Kissell
