Tetrady not as good as all the hype

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

2freensel I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

sol- Suspected of being spies, two former military serviceman with a stolen box of hi-tech military equipment find themselves on the run from their own government in this action thriller set in the early 1960s. The time period is no coincidence, coming off as an intentional tie-in to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba and all the paranoia of the military in the lead-up to it. What the filmmakers intended to say by linking their heroes' plight to the historic event is hard to work out though. The military are portrayed as extremely inept, constantly losing the two ex-servicemen after capturing them (the pair jump out of the back of a moving van at one point), so perhaps the intention was to hint at the notion of the Bay of Pigs failing due to the military being distracted when they should not have been? In any case, the movie unsteadily walks a fine line between serious thriller and straight-out comedy. With Judge Reinhold imitating a monkey in order to hitch a ride at one point (!), the film certainly has its humorous moments, but the action for the most part comes off as grim and serious. On the other hand, there is little sense of danger in the air since the military are really that inept here... and the list goes on. Most disappointing in any case is how seldom the servicemen actually use all the nifty gadgetry that they have smuggled out in the box. A captivating thriller could have easily been shaped through the pair eluding the military MacGyver style. Never to mind, 'Running Scared' is a film that certainly has its moments, but they far between if not necessarily few.

kevin olzak 1980's "Running Scared" hasn't been seen on the TV airwaves since its heyday in the 80s, and its ongoing obscurity is rather mystifying to me (I caught its HBO debut in 1982). After all, it boasts a terrific cast for a low budget actioner of the time, with rising stars Ken Wahl and Judge Reinhold supported by veterans such as Bradford Dillman, John Saxon, and Pat Hingle, all of whom contribute good performances. Still, it's the relatively unknown Annie McEnroe who steals the film as the tough rich girl who helps the unwitting fugitives fight back against the odds (she prevents things from becoming too grim). I first saw the pretty brunette topless in 1981's "The Hand," liked what I saw (who wouldn't?), then caught her in this, her feature debut after a pair of TV movies. She is so solid and dependable that I would have thought her career would skyrocket, but such was not the case (perhaps "Howling 2" really did turn out to be worse than I first believed). Other reviewers are throwing brickbats at this feature, and it's rather unfair, as it was never intended as anything more than the PG rated quickie it clearly is, delivering on everything promised (including the happy ending). Were it rated R, and failed to deliver on violence or nudity, that would be different. Catch it and find out what others seem to be missing. As for Annie McEnroe, thanks for the memories.

dbdumonteil Borrowing its title from a famous Roy Orbison song,this film is much fun ,humor and entertainment.Its political background might elude the young generations but it inspires its vital madness:all the secret agents paranoia hot on the heels of two poor guys -soon to be joined by a girl -make a funny spoof on the spy thrillers.Even the ending recalls that of "Thunderball".The characters are all caricatures ,from the boy's fathers to the paranoiac villains (John Saxon )whose one and only fear is the commies.Judge Reinhold is much fun to watch :Here,he looks like the missing link between Jerry Lewis and Jim Carrey.He is not far from a cartoon character (Goofy).His best moment happens when he is aping Del Shannon singing "runaway" while his enemies shows themselves.

zpzjones I'll be as brief as I can be. This is a well done early Judge Reinhold /Ken Wahl picture. Before both actors went on to bigger things, Wahl to TV's Wiseguy and Reinhold to Fast Times at Ridgemont, Stripes & the Beverly Hills Cops movies. RS is filmed on location for the most part in the Everglades. It starts with the boys in 1961 Panama and they are coming back to their hometowns in the Everglades after a 3 year stint in the Army. Knuckle head Leroy(Reinhold) has stolen a foot locker full of 'goodies' from his base. A rifle, some grenades and a camera that is infra red and can take night time pictures. The guys hop a DC-3 Cargo plane back to the states and on the way back the plane lands at some airfield presumably in the Caribbean somewhere. Leroy snaps a picture with the infrared camera and leaves the tearoff on the plane. The DC-3 eventually lands in Florida bringing the boys' home. Later some soldiers cleaning the plane find the tear off part of Leroy's picture and take it to a strange individual(played by Bradford Dillman) whose planning a Cuban invasion. Chaz's(Wahl)image appears in a positive print of the tearoff negative when the photo is developed by the would be invaders. Mistaking Leroy & Chaz to be privy of the Cuban invasion, the men involved in the planned invasion now set out all over the Everglades looking to hunt down Leroy & Chaz. The boys separate for a while then get back together and meet up with a wealthy but sassy rich blond named Sallie Mae. One series of adventures leads to another with the trio escaping always in the knick of time from their Cuban pursuers. Mind the Cuban leader is played by John Saxon.The movie boasts some great filming such as the boys' first encounter with two girls at a jukebox joint and subsequent makeout in the girls' station wagon, and the airboat getaway from Leroy's parents house. Or the scary night the boys' and Sallie Mae spent in the swamp. As time goes on a romance blossoms between Chaz & Sallie Mae. Leroy however is finally caught and secretly interrogated by Dillman & his gang. In short they beat his face! Chaz & Sallie Mae go back to her dad's sprawling estate(Dad's in Europe...how convenient) and clean up. The Cubans track them to the house and abduct Sallie Mae by boat. Chaz jumps in another boat and pursues them to the Cuban hideout. Leroy has now managed to escape his captors. He has managed to find some dynamite and is now wiring the compound to be blown to Kingdom Come. Chaz rescues Sallie Mae and they rescue Leroy and finally foil the villains. As the credits roll Dillman has been tied up on a boat by the trio and is set adrift in this boat with it's engine running and steering set for CUBA.This is a sadly forgotten movie. It used to appear on cable all the time in the 80s. A low point is that this is supposed to take place in 1961 Florida. Early in the film when the armed guerillas first set out to pursue the boys' Saxon and his men use a big yellow Ryder van minus the word Ryder. No problem but the van is a late 70s model Chevrolet and is out of place in 1961 Florida Everglades. Other than this flaw and the fact that leroy manages to carry his heavy 'goodies' footlocker while being on the run, the production is top notch and had some solid acting from the cast. Also I should mention the great Pat Hingle has a minor role here as Chaz's father. Enjoy this.