A few days ago a friend of mine bought a 42" Plasma HDTV. We wanted to test it with a DVD to see how the plasma screen would perform on quick transitions during action scenes. So we went to the nearest video rental store in search of an action-packed movie. There was this one DVD that called out on me: Running Scared. The blurb said, "Makes Kill Bill Look Like Sesame Street." I thought to myself, Oh yeah? We'll see about that!

We popped the DVD into a BOSE system and waited for the first action sequence to grace the 42" plasma. Holy crap! Now that is agonizingly cool! To sum it up, the movie is a thrilling cinematic ride into a deep, dark, demented rabbit hole. Adding violence to movies is easy. Making intense violent movies that don't lose their artistry, meaning, and message is a craft. Director/Writer Wayne Kramer pulled it off on this one. The camera angles, extreme close ups, symbolic color schemes, weird erratic sequences, and surreal plot twists were all integrated seamlessly to give the audience a journey that's hard to forget. So that goes for the exterior aesthetics of the film. As for its interior appeal, you really have to put yourself in the shoes of the main characters and do some thought experiments in order to appreciate the complexity of the scenarios. What would I do if I was in Joey Gazelle's situation? How far would I go to retrieve the gun to save my ass and family from the mafia? Then switch your awareness to the young character, Would I've done the same thing as Oleg Yugorsky? How far would I go to protect my mother from my abusive stepfather? And then inhabit the psyche of Teresa Gazelle and ask yourself, Should I leave it to the cops or pull the trigger? You see, this movie is not just about bad people. It's a movie about good people who are put into double bind situations wherein they have to act fast. Understanding our center of gravity within the color spectrum is very useful. But as people would say, the real test of character is how we react (or consciously act) when we find ourself between a rock and hard place.

Running Scared is a cool action-packed movie about the good and the dark side in each and everyone of us. This is not a feel-good movie. It has elements of strong violence, disturbing sexual content, and effing f-bombs all over. It will make you sweat, hold your breath, grind your teeth, and even scratch your head at times. It's my favorite Paul Walker movie so far. As Quentin Tarantino said, "this movie is from the pelvis." I think he's right.

As for the plasma HDTV, it passed the test with flying colors. My friend decided to keep it.

~Submitted by C4Chaos

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