Running Time (1997)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Josh Becker

Writers:

Josh Becker (writer)
Peter Choi (screenplay)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Time is Running Out!

Plot:

Running Time was filmed in black and white, in real time, and seemingly takes place in one continuous...

Plot Keywords:

Thief | Heist | Real Time | Ex Convict | Getaway Driver

Cast

Bruce Campbell	...	Carl
Jeremy Roberts	...	Patrick
Anita Barone	...	Janie
William Stanford Davis	...	Buzz (as Stan Davis)
Gordon Jennison Noice	...	Donny (as Gordon Jennison)
Art LaFleur	...	Warden
Dana Craig	...	Mr. Mueller
Curtis Taylor	...	Prison Guard
Bridget Hoffman	...	Receptionist
Jules Desjarlais	...	Bagman (as Jules DesJarlais)
David Kirkwood	...	Security Guard
James Rose	...	Fake Shemp
Butch	...	Fake Shemp
Paul Harris	...	Fake Shemp
Jack Perez	...	Fake Shemp

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (16 mm prints) | Stereo (35 mm prints)

Certification:

UK:15

Filming Locations:

Glendale, California, USA

Company:

Blood Money Partners LP

Trivia:

The film was shot, entirely in order, in 10 days, with the last day ending at 10 AM.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: About 41:50 into the movie, Carl ducks behind a large garbage can. A police car drives down the street, and the camera man with camera is reflected on the police car's window.

Quotes:

Janie: This is ridiculous. I can't just pack up and leave, go to Austria or wherever.
[looks around apartment]
Janie: Why not? What the hell is stopping me?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Nel cuore della notte (2002)

An ambitious, and hugely successful experiment!

It's an idea with the potential to go wrong, but Hitchcock made it work with Rope, and now Josh Becker has done the same with Running Time; a film with the word 'cult' written all over it! The fact that this film is shot in black and white makes it stand out somewhat from the crowd of nineties films, but it's the way that it's filmed that is Running Time's claim to fame. Becker shoots the film in one continuous shot that follows around lead character Carl through one day. This idea worked brilliantly for Hitchcock, but I was worried that it might not work so well for a movie about a heist - but it really couldn't have worked better! As mentioned, the plot follows Carl Metushka - a man newly released from prison. He meets up with his buddy, and it soon becomes apparent that Carl hasn't decided to stay away from the life of crime. No, he and his friend have a heist planned and we watch as they pick up a couple of people needed for the heist, and proceed to do the actual robbery...but you can't expect a plan like this to go off without a hitch.

The fact that Running Time is filmed in one continuous shot means that it's very easy to get into. This is complimented by the running time, which is extremely short at just sixty five minutes, and means that the film really doesn't have time to get boring. Becker keeps things interesting with a constant flow of action, and some rather amusing dialogue, which ensures that the film constantly makes for fun viewing. One of my major reasons for seeing this film was because of the presence of B-movie maestro Bruce Campbell. Campbell has a lot of charisma, and this shines through excellently in this film. Campbell is a very handsome man, and Becker makes good use of that fact with his role here. The rest of the cast are secondary to Campbell, but good use is made of all of them, and they all give realistic performances. The film is a little preposterous as certain things, the ending especially, are a little silly -but it really doesn't matter as Josh Becker's experiment is a huge success and overall, I can't not recommend that everyone takes the time to track Running Time down!