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 2 wins.

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 | cop | vacation | bar | 

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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:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,227,757, 29 June 1986

Gross USA:

$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

A sequel titled "Still Running" was planned and different scripts were written. But Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines did not think any of them were strong enough to warrant a sequel and turned them all down.

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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

Ray Hughes: [Danny and Ray are driving around in Gonzales' stolen Mercedes. The car's cell phone rings, and Ray answers it] Hello? Hola! Julio!
Danny Costanzo: Tell him I said hello.
Ray Hughes: We've been lookin' all over for you, man! Uh, donde esta? Julio... Jul...
[takes the phone away from his ear]
Ray Hughes: He's very excited. Something about his car being stolen.
Danny Costanzo: His car was stolen?
Ray Hughes: I guess so.
[Back into the phone]
Ray Hughes: Jul... Julio look, you wanna file a report, amigo? Huh?
[Click]
[...]

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Connections

References Dirty Harry (1971)

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Soundtracks

I Know What I Want
By Patti LaBelle

User Reviews

Excellent

It's predictable. It's typical. It's very 80s. It's also very good. As was said before, the chemistry between the two stars is incredible. If you liked Beverly Hills Cop, you'll love this film (in fact, I just watched them both back to back, and enjoyed them both equally). It is non-stop one liners that drip with wit. As 80s cop movies go, this is among the best. There are tonnes of great scenes.