"Run" is a Generally Suspenseful and Well-Acted Thriller
“Run” Film Review
65/100 “sweet/sour”
By: Keaton Marcus
After having his breakout movie with the excellent techno thriller Searching, promising director Aneesh Chaganty has returned for his second film: Run. Starring Sarah Paulson and Kiera Allen, this was originally supposed to arrive on Mother’s Day with an entire marketing campaign surrounding it considering the plot. However, due to the pandemic, it only recently landed on Hulu with plenty of impressive buzz from critics. This movie may be far from special, but I would be lying if I didn’t write that it was a total blast. It’s an extremely fast-paced, taut thriller with above-average performances from its capable cast that mostly transcend the constrictions its familiar storytelling. It reminded me of others in the genre, and I’ll get into that later on, but this was a hugely entertaining 90 minutes. In terms of comparisons, this is no where near as good as Chaganty’s feature debut, nevertheless, I didn’t regret watching after finishing. It’s undeniably flawed, from the far-fetched final 30 minutes to plot conveniences, but in terms of what we have received in 2020, you could call this top-tier.
The film is about a girl named Chloe (Allen), who was paralyzed at birth and has been in a wheelchair ever since. Her protective mother, Diane (Paulson) has been keeping her home schooled before she finally goes off to college as the two are waiting on notes regarding just that. It’s hard to explain the plot because what drives the story forward from here is a series of twists that give realization to Chloe that not everything is as it seems. I won’t give much of anything else away in case any readers haven’t watched, but what I can tell you is that it has to do with the medications Diane’s giving her. Slowly but surely, Chloe’s life devolves into madness as her mother begins to control her actions more consistently, and she starts to fear that Diane may not be her real parent. Enough said there since I can’t write any more without giving away some serious details that could squander the maximized potential of your viewing. Overall, the gist of it is that Sarah Paulson’s character begins to show her true colors as a psychopath with a past that’s fueled her actions. Alright, I will shut up now.
Sarah Paulson, as usual, is a fantastic actress who’s really managed to nail the role of a psycho with a troubled past, whether it’s in Ratched, Glass or this. Her portrayal of Diane does truly send shivers down spines in several moments, and the performance gave me Kathy Bates vibes from Misery. The script doesn’t give the actress a whole lot to do and it’s impressive what she was able to accomplish without much character development or really screen time for the first half of it all. It is when the movie begins to spin its wheels and turn into a chilling hostage story that Paulson gets to show off her acting chops, clearly having a whole lot of fun with the role. Kiera Allen is also very strong in her first feature role, and since the actress is actually in a wheelchair, it brings a sense of realism to a movie that would usually have none. She shines when her character is trying to escape without the usage of legs, and when I saw her crawling, it gave a sense of authenticity that an actress that could walk wouldn’t have been able to bring. Otherwise, there isn’t really other notable cast members, and for the most part, these two women did a solid job without a lot of help from behind the camera.
Disappointingly, Chaganty seems reasonably content with settling for an enjoyably ludicrous thriller without much creativity to differ it from others in the genre, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be thoroughly entertaining. Subjectively, this was the flawless distraction from the crazy world we live in, and I admired that at the very least. Run did not blow me away in any respect, and that is perfectly fine considering what it wants to be: mindless fun. As I mentioned, this has a similar story to Misery, which I thought was mediocre at best, so that didn’t help. Nevertheless, the relentlessly fast pacing, focused plot and rock solid performances really drove it home as a respectable movie with no true aspirations. I enjoyed how this movie solely focused on two rival characters, and refrained from getting overly convoluted and ridiculous (exempting the third act twist with no logic behind it). I wouldn’t consider myself disappointed exactly, but I was a massive fan of Chaganty’s directorial debut, and this was a considerable step-down from that level. Still, if one is seeking mere entertainment value, get some popcorn and stream it for free. What have you got to lose at this point?
The final opinion is: Despite a lack of compelling characters or smart storytelling, Run is a suitably predictable, tense, and well-acted thriller that is the perfect distraction watch…$TREAM IT
IN THIS ARTICLE:
Rated: PG-13 (for mild violence)
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes
Directed By: Aneesh Chaganty