Run – A Ridiculous But Well-Acted Formulaic Thriller (Early Review)

Another victim of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Run (not to be confused with the short-lived HBO comedy series of the same name), saw its theatrical release date shifted several times from its initial date of May 8 to now a November release on Hulu. In the end, perhaps the film plays better on a streaming service, giving the film a chance to be viewed by a wider audience, but the more likely outcome is one where the title merely gets lost in the shuffle among the service’s many other film and television offerings. That being said, the film is sure to still find an audience among genre fans or those eagerly anticipating the follow up to Chaganty’s 2018 surprise hit Searching. Though the film is a simple one on the surface, it is best enjoyed by viewers that are willing to keep up with its one too many not surprising and increasingly ridiculous twists and turns over the course of its roughly 90 minute running time.

Run is a film best experienced going into it blind but it shouldn’t be that hard for any audiences who have encountered any of the film’s promotional material. The film brings absolutely nothing new to the table, however, it still provides a somewhat entertaining watch though it will probably be for unintentional reasons. Meanwhile, the story is also one that is hard to talk about without giving too much away as a homeschooled teenager named Chloe Sherman (Allen) begins to suspect that something is wrong with her mother Diane (Paulson). Chloe lived a fairly isolated life with her mother since birth with her mother controlling every move she makes. It’s clear that something is wrong with this picture and to the film’s credit, it doesn’t waste any time. Chloe is not a slouch of a character by any means, however, things would just get increasingly ridiculous from there. The fantasy world in which Diane had created for herself and her daughter was slowly crumbling and through this, viewers got to truly see who Diane was as Chloe was forced to rise to the occasion.

Run was at its best whenever Chloe was on the case, trying to uncover the truth. The suspense was there, overplayed score and all, but the film’s derivative nature tempered that feeling somewhat. As a result, the pacing faced an odd distinction of being too fast and too slow. Of course, this was until the train went completely off the rails as the film put all its cards on the table and the intensity picked up. However, the lack of development, because of the film overreliance on tropes, made any potential good will feel unearned. This was especially the case with the film’s ending. Nevertheless, though the final act is undoubtedly ripe with enough crowd-pleasing moments, they just didn’t connect as much as they should have.

Ultimately, the best part of Run was its performances as they keep the film watchable. Paulson, a big enough name over the last decade plus, will get plenty of attention here for her unhinged performance as Diane Sherman. While her character arc shows some impressive range, she arguably turns the dial up a little too high at times which made some scenes tough to watch. The big takeaway here should be Allen’s star-making performance, in her first feature film, as Chloe Sherman. She was an absolute force here as the dynamic teen, carrying the film with a compelling and relatable performance. The story may have been a derivative one but she allows the viewers to connect with her as she holds her own against the likes of Paulson.

At the end of the day. Run is not a masterpiece by any means but for what it is, it is still a serviceable watch.

*still courtesy of Hulu

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.