Imagine in an alternate world where Patrick Dempsey is the lead of all the biggest action films from the 1990’s. This could have happened had one movie been a box office hit. This week a look back at one of Dempsey’s action thrillers from 1991, Run.
Logline
Charlie is a law student who also works at a garage. When he gets the job to deliver an expensive car to Atlantic City, the young professional who has a passion for gambling, gains access to an exclusive club.
This private gambling area has an opening at their poker table, where Charlie promptly finds a home, and wins. He not only wins a hand, but multiple hands, and when his opponent Denny Halloran loses his money, he threatens Charlie. Told by the dealer Karen to get out, Charlie tries to leave only to be confronted by Denny.
Cornered, Charlie is bracing for an attack, when Denny trips in mid fight, and falls cracking his head open and dies on the spot. Charlie doesn’t know what to do but run. (Pun very much intended.)
While fleeing the scene, Charlie must contend with the fact that Denny was the son of a local mob boss, and they are out to get him. Seeking help from the police, Charlie learns that Mr. Halloran owns most of the cops. Fearful of the mob and the cops, the only person that Charlie can trust is the poker dealer Karen.
By chance, and luck, Charlie is going to have run as fast as he can, and he just might survive the night.
High Praise
Everyone loves Patrick Dempsey, and he once again shines in a mediocre role. Charlie isn’t a complicated figure, and anyone could play him, but Dempsey makes the most of this standard part. He’s charming and witty, and during the 1990’s with action thrillers like Run, you need someone with Dempsey’s charisma to keep the story going.
There is a certain believability to Dempsey that allows the audience to believe he is a law student, and good at fixing cars, while also being a great poker player. Dempsey makes us want to believe that as his night descends into chaos, he keeps it together and fights off the mob and the cops to keep himself alive. Patrick Dempsey makes us trust that this law student somehow knows how to fire a machine gun with relative ease.
Kelly Preston is one of my favorite actresses and any movie that she is in I am always willing to give my attention. She once again makes the most out of a standard supporting role that anyone could play, but not everyone would make memorable.
Mob controlled gambling scenarios will always interest me, and the fact that we have a regular joe character trying to beat two enemies at once makes me wish I could wait in line for Run at the theatres.
What Were They Thinking
The only time the bad guys hit anyone when they fired multiple shots was one cop. Charlie should have at least been wounded to make it a little more real.
It seems way too easy to operate a machine gun.
Why would the mob hitmen take Charlie to roof of the dog track that Halloran owns to throw him to his death? Wouldn’t that make a mess that would require a massive cleanup? The scene is played for laughs but seems ridiculous.
There were no big stars in mob or cop roles. One more name to the marquee would have made a difference to the film’s success.
Backlot Knowledge
- Christopher Lawford, the first son of Peter Lawford and Pat Kennedy, also the nephew of President John Kennedy, plays Martins.
- Kelly Preston replaced Tracy Pollan in the role of Karen.
- The film may take place in Atlantic City, but a sharp viewer will observe that the film was shot for some part in Canada. When Charlie is running from the cops in the mall, viewers will see the sign for the Canadian retail giant Eaton’s.
- Roger Ebert may have referred to the film as a bargain basement version of Martin Scorsese’s After Hours, but the revered critic still gave the movie a thumbs up in his review.
- Though the film may have failed at the box office, it did find an audience on home release, but has not been released on DVD or Blu-ray.
- This was the second of two films released in 1991 that was aimed at turning Patrick Dempsey into a leading man. Mobsters was also a box office failure.
Critical Response
{Snub-Skip this Film, Overexposed-Desperate for Something to Watch, Money Shot-A Perfect Film For Any Device, Magic Hour– You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen, Award Worthy– This Film is Cinema.}
I am not saying that Run is award worthy, nor it is a critical think piece that everyone should see. The movie is designed as a non-stop action adventure that delivers. From the first moment, the script is constantly moving, and Dempsey aptly leads the picture from beginning to end.
Run gets a Money Shot award. This is the ideal film for any device.
Call Sheet
- Patrick Dempsey as Charlie Farrow
- Kelly Preston as Karen Landers
- A.C. Peterson as Denny Halloran
- Ken Pogue as Halloran
Productions Team:
Directed by Geoff Burrowes
Produced by Hollywood Pictures / Silver Screen Partners IV
Written by Dennis Shryack and Michael Blodgett
Release Date: February 1, 1991
Budget: $16 million
Domestic Box Office Gross: $4,409,328
Coming Attractions
Next week, a look back at the Martin Scorsese drama, Bringing Out the Dead.