Night Of The Running Man (VHS) (1994)

Overrated thriller with unbelievable charming beatnik hero with silly gouty beard who evades mob killer from recouping stolen money and murder. The best most gripping part of the film is the roll of the killer who is mesmerising on screen and has the best ending line. The hero is a bit wet and his girlfriend unbelievable as someone who would so easily fall in love with a man on the run - especially a dumb one!

I came across this film when looking for a kindle version of the book that this is based on (unfortunately one does not exist) but I have read and enjoyed the book several times. From what I can remember the film does stay pretty faithful to the book. At the start of the film we don't know much about Las Vegas cab driver Jerry Logan but he seems a bit jaded and down on his luck. After picking up a passenger in a hurry to take him to the airport it soon becomes clear that some very dangerous people are after the passenger and willing to go to great lengths to stop him. Whilst Jerry just manages to get away, his passenger is less lucky. Jerry returns home to his trailer to discover that the passenger left a case full of money in the back of his cab. When hit man David Eckhart - excellently played by Scott Glen - comes to get the money and deal with Jerry, Jerry manages to evade him and realises that he has to go on the run and it seems that there is not much that he is leaving behind. While the chase is exciting, I have to agree with other reviewers that Jerry is fairly inept in his escape and relies on a lot of luck to get away - straight off he books a train in his own name (at least with the clever idea of booking a destination further than the one where he intends to get off), tells a waitress where he is really going etc . Even when he starts to get a clue of just what resources and resourcefulness his pursuer has, he still fails to take any real precautions - booking a flight, going to the house of a nurse who has covered for him etc. Having said that, I do think that it is an exciting chase with some interesting elements to the plot (e.g. the background on who lost the money and its significance, the rival that Eckhart enlists to help him etc). I don't think that the romance and Eckhart letting Jerry go to get the money on his own were that plausible but it all builds to an exciting conclusion. I don't think that Jerry is as well developed in the film as he is in the book but I do like the basis premise of the story: man finds lots of money and is immediately forced to run - what is he going to do?

The reason I much prefer Amazon Prime to Netflix is the constant inclusion of older and more obscure films in their catalogue. This, to me, is much more important than any original series they offer. Since having Amazon Prime, I've been re-acquainted with some older films while also catching some movies that I used to see in their VHS case but never quite made the plunge.There are a few too many holes in 'Night of the Running Man' to make it a classic, but it is still a very intriguing little thriller. The first thing to be made aware of is that the main protagonist (an uncommonly sleazy looking Andrew McCarthy) is dumb; he makes decisions that make you want to yell at the screen with frustration. But what is interest is that this is apparently the intention - his character's survival in this film is mostly based on luck. The fact that this is the case is emphasised by Scott Glenn's final line. So rather than an unlikely hero who suddenly becomes a superman, here we have a loser who stays a loser and just about gets away with his life. The film belongs to Scott Glenn who is an exceptional villain though he is run close by the equally crafty John Glover (who nearly always shines). 'Night of the Running Man' is a slick thriller about a man in over his head and comes recommended.

This was a good pacey thriller that didn't let up. Andrew McCarthy gave a strong performance as a cabbie who makes off with the loot and is ably pursued by relentless Scot Glenn as the hit man hired to stop him.It is a chase on foot, by car, train and plane with various support for both Glenn and McCarthy's characters.It really was a consistent and well put together storyline and everyone in the cast gave a first class performance. There were one or two things that just didn't make sense to me, but I won't elaborate as it would spoil it. Other than that it is a good one for a Saturday Night in with Pizza and popcorn.

Having watched this film on UK television (and enjoyed it) I was pleasantly surprised when it came available on DVD. However I wasn't prepared for seeing this 'uncut' version. There are some scenes which were clearly edited for tv viewing but it was a better film for it. Let me explain - a scene where the hit man confronts a mugger in an alley is unnecessarily graphic in its violence. Likewise the 'boiling feet' scene just lasts a little too long for comfort as indeed, at the other end of the spectrum, two love scenes are overly long (do we really need to see every hip thrusting and writhing movement to get the point across?). The 12 rating marked on the cover of this Dutch copy is clearly incorrect for the UK in its present form and is realistically 15 - 18. A film with a good director in charge and despite my slight reservations with the editing of certain scenes, and a story which is a little implausible at times, it can be recommended.