Running Scared (1986)

Two street-wise Chicago cops have to shake off some rust after returning from a Key West vacation to pursue a drug dealer who nearly killed them in the past.

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writers:

Gary DeVore (story), Gary DeVore (screenplay)

Stars:

Gregory Hines, Billy Crystal, Steven Bauer

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Hines	...	Ray Hughes
Billy Crystal	...	Danny Costanzo
Steven Bauer	...	Det. Frank Sigliano
Darlanne Fluegel	...	Anna Costanzo
Joe Pantoliano	...	Snake
Dan Hedaya	...	Captain Logan
Jon Gries	...	Det. Tony Montoya (as Jonathan Gries)
Tracy Reed	...	Maryann
Jimmy Smits	...	Julio Gonzales
John DiSanti	...	Vinnie
Larry Hankin	...	Ace
Don Calfa	...	Women's Room Lawyer
Robert Lesser	...	Supoena Lawyer
Betty Carvalho	...	Apartment Manager
Louis Perez	...	Thug

Storyline

Danny and Ray are two street wise cops in Chicago. When they are almost killed on a case, they are forced to take a vacation by their captain. Key West offers a substantial change over frozen Chicago. They decide to quit and open a bar in Key West. Upon returning, they find that Julio, the drug dealer who nearly killed them has made bail and is trying to complete a giant drug deal. They decide to complete their case against Julio before quitting, but then begin being careful. Their effectiveness drops as they find they can't operate the way they did before if they don't have the edge of a long time commitment.

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Plot Keywords:

shootout | gunfight | funeral | cop | vacation | 

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Taglines:

They've got 30 days to clean up Chicago before they retire to Paradise... Losing their police car, their suspect and having their cover blown is a real bad start.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 June 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Apunta, dispara... y corre

Filming Locations:

Navy Pier - 600 E. Grand Avenue, Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,227,757, 29 June 1986

Gross USA:

$38,500,726

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$38,500,726

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), David Foster Productions, Turman-Foster Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Hughes and Constanza are discussing living in Florida, they observe, in disparaging tones, that the only baseball there is during Spring training. However, five years later, Florida was awarded its first team--the Miami Marlins.

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Goofs

Lack of motion blur during the car chase on the El reveals that it was filmed with the vehicles moving slowly and then sped up to give the appearance of a chase.

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Quotes

Danny Costanzo: [driving their car on the L tracks] Try not to scrape the third rail, OK? There's about 600 volts in there.
Ray Hughes: It's not the voltage that gets you. It's the amps.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Big Business/A Taxing Woman/The Presidio/Bull Durham/Travelling North (1988)

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Soundtracks

Say You Really Want Me
By Kim Wilde

User Reviews

final Jeopardy is on!

yes the plot is implausible,and so politically incorrect that you can't believe.but the film does what it sets out to do-entertain.this is ground that has been covered before(Beverly Hills Cop as an example),but never in a way that is as much fun.the screenplay is o.k.,with the best dialogue reserved for Hines-Crystal banter.the other characters are basically filler.but generally well done(Joe Pantoliano as Snake is great).there are a few dead spots in the film,but these are usually rescued by Hines and/or Crystal,who seemed to be having a lot of fun.there is a fantastic chase scene late in the movie that alone makes it worth watching.altogether this '80's buddy movie still holds up.mostly because of the insanity of the two leads.