Review of Running Scared (1986) by Berringer C — 22 Jan 2019

The Eighties seemed like they were chock full of buddy cop films where the protagonists indulged themselves in blissfully sarcastic banter while they utilized tactics which were not always within the boundaries of the law. "Running Scared" is no exception to this rule. Here you have Danny Costanzo (Billy Crystal) and Ray Hughes (Gregory Hines), two Chicago police officers who have made it their personal mission in life to take down drug kingpin Julio Gonzales (Jimmy Smits). Their banter is some of the best in the business and their tactics are certainly bending all the rules listed in their academy textbooks. From dragging a handcuffed suspect to the funeral of Danny's Aunt Rose to arranging a faux police line-up using one criminal and four cops, Danny and Ray certainly know how to color outside of the lines.

Unlike some of the other films in this subgenre, there is a darker, grittier feel which bestows a palpable sense of danger upon all of the action sequences. There's a real notion that one (or both) of our heroes might not make it to the end of the picture. Unfortunately, that's all this feature really has going for it to separate it from the crowd. Other entrants in the buddy cop subgenre believe in the "lean and mean" approach whereas "Running Scared" opts to put more meat on the bone. Too much meat, in fact, which leaves the viewer with a much fuller plate than they should have. I mean, all of the cliches are present from Danny and Ray's struggling love lives to the blown undercover operation to the impending retirement of the main characters (replete with the tired "I'm getting too old for this shit" mentality) to the training of their replacements which Danny and Ray are dead set against.

To its credit, it does have a car chase on the Chicago "L" and an undercover cop car (painted like a taxi) being lifted into the back of a garbage truck which are quite inventive moments. In the end though, this is just a solid little buddy cop film that doesn't stay with the audience all that long after viewing, which is a shame considering how well Crystal and Hines play off of each other verbally. With a tighter screenplay and fewer cliches, this could have ranked alongside "Beverly Hills Cop" as one of its decade's best examples of the buddy cop formula.