Bullet Points: Run (1991)

I am not sure why I remember the trailer so vividly for Run. I wanted to see it so bad as a kid and I remember renting it from Turtle’s Records & Tapes. To this day, I still recall the name, Charlie Farrow and the tagline: All Charlie could do was Run. Now it is time for some BULLET POINTS to see if this trip down memory road was worth it. Or, am I blinded by nostalgia?

• THIS IS A STORY ALL ABOUT: Patrick Dempsey is Charlie Farrow. A law student who enjoys running and driving fast cars. Law school isn’t cheap, so to earn extra cash he agrees to drive a badass-brand-new-and-just-sold-and-needs-to be-delivered Porsche from Boston to Atlantic City. Of course, the car breaks down before he reaches his destination and he lands in a small town as crooked at the Hamburglar. While waiting for his car to get fixed, he passes the time by stumbling on a high-stakes poker game and ends up winning a ton of loot. Unfortunately for Charlie, the fella he beat at poker is a sore loser and viciously attacks him. The fight takes an accidental fatal turn. This accident turns into a manhunt for Charlie. Everyone is out to get him. The cops. The mob. Charlie is screwed. Charlie only has one option: TO RUN!!

• THE DEMPSTER: Here’s the key to understanding Patrick Dempsey’s Charlie Farrow: He’s basically Patrick’s character from Can’t Buy Me Love. Although, he probably can score some ladies without paying them to pretend to be his girlfriend. Patrick is portraying an action character while staying in his familiar comedic mode. It is the tone of the entire film. It is almost like this night on the run is one big laugh for Patrick. The funny thing is: The comedic undertone works well for Run.
• SWEET KELLY: Sometimes an actress is so hot, you could care less about character development. You pray she gets naked. While Kelly doesn’t get naked, she is the eye candy for the film. Kelly Preston is super fine in Run. When God created Eve, he created her in the image of 1991 Kelly Preston.

• ALMOST USA, CANADA: I figured out why I didn’t recognize a lot of the supporting cast. Run is a Canadian production. This means a lot of the actors are Canadian character actors. It is common in today’s movie making world to make movies overseas or in Canada, and pretend you’re filming in the GOOD ‘OL USA. Why? Because it is cheaper to film. If there’s a weakness in Run, it is the supporting cast. I’m always searching for supporting characters to cheer for. We just don’t have a lot of depth besides Patrick and Kelly. However, it is cool one of the actors is credited as: Electrocuted Gunman. In the words of South Park: Blame Canada. Another possible theory: Perhaps a lot of the plot development for the important supporting characters was cut to only focus on Patrick running for his life? 

• THE UNKNOWN MVP: Here’s what makes Run special: The stunts. The stunt work is insane. It looks like Patrick is running all over the place playing roll-in-the-dirt with Kelly Preston, and then boom, the next scene he is clean as a whistle. Patrick keeps his clothes spotless throughout the entire runtime. It is cinematic magic. We have crazy car chases, lots of running and some really fun death scenes. A lot of effort was made in producing the action in Run. Mic Rodgers is the stunt coordinator. He is also the stunt double for Mel Gibson. He has been working with Mel since Lethal Weapon. Maybe, just maybe, he learned some tricks from the greatest stuntman ever, Dar Robinson. This is my theory. I can’t prove it, but in my heart, I believe Dar would approve of the believable stunt magic in Run. 
• Final Verdict: Run deserves your attention. I rarely hear anyone talking about it. What we have is a cool survive the night / run your ass off / chase flick. Patrick Dempsey isn’t your stereotypical action stud, but he is very serviceable. Run not walk to Amazon Video and check this bad boy out.

What? You thought you could get through a review without BONUS BULLET POINTS!

• LochNess: While I did complain about not recognizing a lot of the actors, one of Patrick’s college buddies is the man with 240 acting credits to his name: Lochlyn Munro. 
• Pants on the Ground: Losing your pants can literally kill you in Run.
• Cheating at the Alley: If you want to learn how to improve your bowling score, Run is the movie for you. The Human Strike is something that must be seen. 
• A Whole New World: While watching the end credits, I noticed Run is a Walt Disney production. Imagine Run in Today’s Magic Kingdom Cinematic Universe?
• Frying Pan > Sub Machine Gun: The BULLET POINT says all I need to say.