Bullet Points: Running Red

If there is one lesson action movies like 1999’s Running Red starring Jeff Speakman have tried to teach the world, it is that you can’t outrun your past.

Many an action hero has attempted to start a new life after a career that involved killing people and blowing things up, only to find themselves in a situation where their special set of skills are called upon once again…

• In Russia, Accent Has You: I fully understand that Jeff Speakman is not a classically trained actor, but if Speakman’s character Gregori is a Soviet special agent, I would think he should have a Russian accent. And if Speakman couldn’t pull off the accent, I am sure the producers could have hired somebody to do some ADR work so Gregori sounded Russian, especially at the beginning of the film when we flashback to a mission Gregori and his brother/fellow special agent Sergei were on in Spain that involved intercepting a deadly nerve gas before it got into the wrong hands. The most Russian thing about Speakman in this opening scene is his striped shirt.
• The Pain in Spain: The nerve gas mission goes completely sideways when Sergei was killed by the guy who was looking to buy the nerve gas. And then if that was not bad enough, Gregori witnesses his commanding officer, Alexi (Stanley Kamel) kill an innocent child. At this point it is no surprise that Gregori calls it quits.

• 10 Years Later: The movie skips ahead a decade and we find that Gregori (now known as Greg) has moved to the United States, became a stock broker, married a super hot wife (played by Angie Everhart), had a daughter and grew a beard like Jeff Speakman’s Deadly Outbreak co-star Ron Silver. At this point, I was not as bothered with the fact that Greg was not speaking with a Russian accent and was happy that Greg was able to start a new life for himself.
• Coked Up: But Greg’s happily ever after is about to come to an end, when his daughter convinces him to stop at the convenient store for some Coke and some snacks… you see mom has to work late so Greg and his daughter are going to eat the junk food that mommy usually frowns upon. Greg gets up to the counter when a bumbling exterminator knocks over a display of cans at the store… nice guy Greg goes over to help him up, but he has left his car keys on the counter, something to ne’er do wells playing a video game at the store couldn’t help but notice… they grab the keys and take off in Greg’s SUV… not realizing Greg’s daughter was in the backseat playing a video game. This leads to Greg hopping in the exterminator’s ambulance turned exterminator van and we get some car chase action, followed by Greg whooping some ass when he catches up with the joy riders. The beatdown is captured by an amateur videographer and the footage is on the news almost instantly.

• Just When He Thinks He’s Out: Greg’s old commanding officer, Alexi, is one of the millions who see Greg in action on the 6 o’clock news. Alexi also made his way to the United States when his days in the military were done and Alexi is now heavy into the real estate game… but he is still a shady bastard dealing with other shady bastards and doing shady things. But now that Alexi knows where his old comrade Greg is, he dangles a carrot in front of Greg that he’ll know he can’t resist… a chance to kill the man who killed Greg’s brother Sergei. Revenge doesn’t come cheap for Greg, who soon finds himself forced to do some dirty work for Alexi, like assassinate a congressman (played by Robert Miano) who is trying to block a land deal that would make Alexi a very rich man… Greg doesn’t want to do it, but Alexi has Greg’s wife and daughter!

Speakman transitioned from straight action movies to action thrillers as his acting career progressed in the 1990’s. Running Red did not break that pattern and had an action thriller vibe much like Jeff’s work in Memorial Day and Land of the Free.

Running Red would also mark the last big action role in Jeff Speakman’s career as Jeff would find himself taking on smaller supporting roles in the years that followed and he even dabbled in the horror genre once before being forced to leave the acting world due to health reasons.

Fans the world over have not ruled out a movie comeback for Jeff Speakman and I for one would love to see it… I’d also love to see some Bonus Bullet Points right about now…

• Familiar Face: The one and only Gene LeBell makes an appearance in Running Red playing one of the two roles he’s most famous for playing… a henchman. And for those of you keeping score, the other role Gene is famous for playing is that of a referee.
• PM Moment: One thing I have yet to mention in this post, is that Running Red was produced by PM Entertainment. PM Entertainment was known for their big action pieces and Running Red was no exception, with the standout PM moment being a chase involving two buses… one of which flips over, the other gets destroyed by an oncoming train.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Jeff Speakman shoot a guy with a harpoon, then Running Red is the movie for you.