The Paul Walker R-Rated Gritty Crime Thriller On Streaming That’s More Than It Seems

Written and directed by Wayne Kramer, Running Scared is a brutal movie that aims to elicit strong reactions from the audience. It stars Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga, and Chazz Palminteri. The story follows a low-ranking mafioso who is tasked with getting rid of a gun used to kill corrupt police officers. But things go awry when the gun falls into the wrong hands.

Running Scared begins with a botched drug deal between New Jersey mobsters and a Jamaican gang, which leaves two corrupt police officers dead. Mobster Tommy Perello (Johnny Messner) asks his subordinate, Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker), to dispose of the guns. Joey hides them in his basement, unaware that his son Nicky (Alex Neuberger) and his friend Oleg (Cameron Bright) saw him.

Oleg, who lives in an abusive home, steals one of the guns and shoots his stepfather Anzor (Karel Roden), who works for the Russian mafia. When Joey goes to investigate, he realizes it was the hidden gun used in the shooting and races to find Oleg before the police. Running scared, Oleg spends the night wandering the city and runs into various shady individuals.

Oleg eventually meets a prostitute named Divina (Idalis DeLeon), who decides to take care of him. They go to a diner and meet Joey, who tells his boss, Frankie Perello (Arthur J. Nascarella), about Oleg having the gun. Oleg hides the gun in the diner bathroom before leaving with Divina. Police officers find Oleg and return him to Anzor.

Oleg escapes again and finds shelter with a friendly family. But when he becomes wary of them, he secretly contacts Joey’s wife, Teresa (Vera Farmiga), who forcefully enters the family’s apartment. Running Scared then devolves into chaos as the feud between the rival gangs escalates. Joey finds himself in an impossible situation and is eventually forced to make a revelation with terrible consequences.

Running Scared premiered in the UK in January 2006, followed by its North American release a month later. According to director Wayne Kramer, the film didn’t receive much support from its distributor. There wasn’t an official premiere, and there was almost no theatrical release. He added that the trailers misrepresented the film because they couldn’t show children in danger due to MPAA rules.

This meant that a core aspect of Running Scared was missing from the trailers, making it seem like a generic action movie without its unique edge. The film earned $3,381,974 at the box office from 1,611 screens, averaging $2,099 per theater. However, it fell short of its $15 million budget, earning only $9.4 million worldwide.

Critical reception for Running Scared was mixed, with the film currently holding a 41 percent critics rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. According to critics, the film is packed with frenetic energy and excessive violence but lacks in terms of story. Positive reviews highlighted the cast’s performances and the film’s stylish presentation.

Running Scared was released on DVD in June 2006, featuring special content like an audio commentary by Kramer and a making-of featurette called Through the Looking Glass. It received a Blu-ray release in 2013 and is currently available via video-on-demand on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play.