Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Running Scared Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 23, 2024

Peter Hyams' "Running Scared" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by Peter Hyams; making of featurette; outtakes; remastered vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Chicago is not New York. Yes, they are both huge cities where a lot of criminals roam free, but they are just not the same. Heck, the South side and the North side of Chicago are like two completely different cities, with unique problems that affect people who live there in completely different ways. You do not have to take my words for granted. Go to Chicago when the Cubs and the Sox clash and talk to the people who root for them. Ask them if they are alike, ask them if they think that the South side and the North side are alike, and then ask them if they think that Chicago and New York are alike. So, why do I mention all of this? I mention it because watching Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines, two New Yorkers, play Chicago cops in Peter Hyams’ film Running Scarred is pretty darn funny, but it is that other kind of funny. You know, the you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me kind of funny, which is mostly awkward in a pretty bad way. I mean, they do look funny freezing in the brutally cold Chicago weather, but this does not change the fact that they do not look like Chicago cops. They do not behave or sound like Chicago cops, either. (By the way, these two, the attitude and the lingo, go hand in hand). On the South side, where they are supposed to be “working”, the cops are a very tough bunch, and they look tough, too. There are some pockets there that are a battlefield and would never tolerate the type of characters Crystal and Hines play. I am sorry, but this is the truth, and anyone who knows Chicago and the South side will tell you that it is so.

But Running Scarred is supposed to be an action comedy, correct? Plus, it comes from the 1980s, which means that it can choose and twist its facts as much as it wants, correct? Yes, and yes. However, it is a rated-R film for a reason, which is that it was supposed to be at least somewhat authentic as well. This is why it spends so much time explaining and visualizing how drug dealers operate in Chicago, and how with the right connections some become untouchable. Unfortunately, the authenticity is not there. Hyams and his crew visit a lot of famous locations in Chicago and capture some lovely visuals, but they cannot hide the obvious, which is that neither Hyams nor Crystal and Hines understand the city.

If you ignore everything that I mentioned above, you could have a decent time with what is yet another buddy-cop film with plenty of cliches. Crystal and Hines are working hard to bust a notoriously elusive drug dealer (Jimmy Smits) as he expands his business with top-quality product that is being imported from Columbia. When an elaborate operation they have set up delivers their target but earns them suspensions, the two travel to South Florida and after soaking up the sun decide to open a bar there. They return to Chicago to finalize their retirements but learn that the drug dealer has been released and begin tracking him down again. Soon after, the two also agree that trading Chicago for South Florida was a very bad idea. (Yeah, right).

The blending of comedy and action is average at best. There is seemingly endless material where Crystal and Hines simply go through the different cliches that are part of the buddy-cop repertoire, so you can guess how various situations will be resolved before they even start. Also, the two undergo pretty dramatic character transformations, with females initiating both, that end up being defined by the cliches, too.

The film’s greatest strength is the on-location photography. There are good panoramic visuals and several very good action sequences that are done the old-fashioned way, without digital trickery.

Apparently, Gary DeVore and Jimmy Huston’s original screenplay was supposed to unite Gene Hackman and Paul Newman. However, when Hyams committed to do the film, he chose Crystal and Hines.

Running Scared Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Running Scared arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Running Scared made its high-definition debut with this release from Kino Lorber in 2014. This rerelease is sourced from the same master, but the technical presentation is different. What is different? This time the gamma levels are set properly, and the encode is optimized. Despite some small inherited limitations, but the film looks quite good because the current master is not digitally manipulated and has a strong organic appearance. Delineation, clarity, and depth are always pleasing, and density levels are strong. Color balance is good, too. However, this is an area where some meaningful improvements can be made to ensure that saturation levels and darker nuances are as good as they need to be. Image stability is very good. Lastly, I noticed a few small blemishes and dark spots, but there are not distracting large cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Running Scared Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless track sounded very good on my system, which I did not find surprising because the overall quality of the master that was used to produce this release is quite good. I assume that when this master was prepared, the audio was fully remastered. The dialog is clear, stable, and easy to follow. Dynamic intensity is very good, though it has to be said that the film has a lot of diverse action footage that produces great dynamic contrasts.

Running Scared Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director Peter Hyams.

• Making of Featurette - in English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Billy Crystal Outtakes - in English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Selected EPK Scenes - in English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Running Scared. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Running Scared Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have seen Running Scared several times over the years, and each time I find more in it that I think should have been done much, much better. However, the film's biggest problem is its desire to sell Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines, two New Yorkers, as Chicago cops, which is an impossible task. I think that the two look very awkward and destroy the integrity of the film, which is almost an impossible task too because it comes from the 1980s, a decade that produced some of the most ridiculous genre films. This reissue from Kino Lorber is sourced from the same master that was used to produce the label's original release. However, the technical presentation of the film is different. RECOMMENDED only to the fans.