Running Scared (1986)

running_scaredrating-4.5Rarely these days do you see anything with the furious fun of a 1980's comedic buddy cop movie. And that's a damned shame, because those movies were a lot of fun.

And no buddy movie was better than Running Scared, a Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines movie, skipping the usual buddy movie staple that the principal leads don't like each other and are forced to work together... These men are the best of friends and closest of brothers, which provides for the best comedy. They aren't spending all their time butting heads, they're spending all their time recklessly going after criminals and delivering comedic one-liners that the other builds on.

The movie starts with the pair of sports-loving jokesters looking for trouble and finding it, chasing down drug-dealing bad guys and attempt to extort information on criminal operations. The lines are fast and furious and it was the action/comedy equivalent of "The Gilmore Girls", references and gags coming as quickly as they can spit them out. Most of the other characters are in on the game and give as good as they get, with the exception of uber-serious villain, Jimmy Smits, in one of his better roles, backed up by Joe Pantliano, in a bright fauxhawk.

Going too far, the two are sent on forced vacation, where they decide to give up the force and buy a bar in Key West. They go back to finish their work before retiring and, of course, get involved yet again in trying to stop the drug dealers and save Billy Crystal's ex-wife.

Really, one can't do much better than this kind of fun, upbeat action/comedy and more filmmakers in this modern age should draw from a source like this.

Billy Crystal should also be reminded that he used to be an excellent and funny actor, back before he killed everythign that was good about him with romantic comedies and other shitty pap.

At least we have this high point to look back on and cherish.

imdb   amazon