''Running Scared'' is a 1986 American

action comedy film The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the Americ ...

directed by

Peter Hyams Peter Hyams (born July 26, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer known for directing the 1977 conspiracy thriller film ''Capricorn One'' (which he also wrote), the 1981 science fiction-thriller ''Outland (film), Outl ...

and written by Gary Devore and Jimmy Huston. It stars

Gregory Hines Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. As an actor, he is best known for '' Wolfen'' (1981), '' The Cotton C ...

and

Billy Crystal William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. ...

as two Chicago police officers who attempt to bring down a drug dealer before they retire. The film was released by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

on June 27, 1986. It received mixed reviews, with praise for the performances of Hines and Crystal, but criticism for its mix of action and comedy, and grossed over $38 million.

Plot

Ray Hughes and Danny Costanzo are two police officers working on Chicago's North Side, known for their wisecracking demeanors and unorthodox police methods, which get results in their various cases. One such case involves trying to bust up-and-coming drug dealer Julio Gonzales. After arresting Snake, one of Gonzales's associates, they convince him to wear a wire in order to get the necessary evidence to put Gonzales away. When they approach the meeting place (a cargo ship) they find that Gonzales has acquired a large store of Israeli Uzi submachine guns. Snake is setting the detectives up, however, prompting the detectives to rush in by acting as though Gonzales was preparing to kill him. Gonzales reveals his ambition to be the Spanish " Godfather" of Chicago, but chastises Snake for letting the detectives get close, and Snake is shot dead by a subordinate. The pair look as though they will be killed, but two undercover detectives in Gonzales's gang step in to make the arrest. In the ensuing gun battle, most of the gang escape, but Ray and Danny capture Gonzales. Back at the station Ray and Danny expect to be praised, but instead their captain chastises them for their sloppy work (as revealed by Snake's wire) and orders them to take a vacation. On vacation in

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

, the pair begin to question their career choice after the experience and decide to retire and open a bar. When they return to Chicago and inform the captain of their intentions, they find out that Gonzales has been released and is free on bail. Incensed, they vow to capture Gonzales before retiring, but by being a little more careful in the process. To add insult to injury, Captain Logan assigns them the additional task of training their replacements before they go. They must train detectives Anthony Montoya and Frank Sigliano, none other than the two undercover officers who saved them from being killed in the Gonzales bust. During one of the attempts to capture Gonzales, Ray and Danny confiscate a large shipment of cocaine coming from

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. To get it back, Gonzales kidnaps Danny's ex-wife Anna, whom he still loves and has been trying to reconcile with, and says he will trade her for his drugs; otherwise, he will kill her. Danny agrees, leading to the final confrontation inside the high-rise atrium of the State of Illinois Center. During the ensuing fight, Danny and Ray rescue their would-be protégés in a way similar to their own rescuing, and Gonzales is killed. Anna and Danny reconcile and he and Ray decide not to retire after all.

Cast

Production

In 2010, Hyams recalled that he had wanted "to remain earthbound" and desired a comedy that was "not stupid" and where the action was not "mean-spirited or bloody or graphic." MGM's script about retiring NY cops turned into a tale of non-retiring young Chicago cops, offering fresh casting possibilities and a unique city backdrop.Down-to-earth job for Hyams LAWRENCE VAN GELDER. The Globe and Mail; Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont3 July 1986: C.3. He noted that amidst numerous cop movies, he chose to opt for more unconventional actors and chose Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines, who proved to have great chemistry."Peter Hyams Film by Film" ''Empire''
accessed 30 July 2014 Hines persistently campaigned for his role, proud that the film featured a "black guy

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is i ...

sex scenes," deviating from the norm of the black character being devoid of sexuality, as opposed to his white counterpart. He recalled that Hyams was "tough to work with" but that he didn't want to "put the guy down."Gregory Hines: a dancer hits the screen and gets the girls: INAL EditionPhilip Wuntch Dallas Morning News. The Citizen; Ottawa, Ont. ttawa, Ont0 June 1986: D10. Crystal, valued for his improvisational skills, contributed "little pearls" to the script, supported by Hines' chemistry. He noted that his risky improvisations were only possible due to Hines' solid presence.'Undercover cop is closest to being me,' says Crystal: UN EditionLisa Robinson Special to The Star. Toronto Star; Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont7 July 1986: D6. Filming spanned September 1985 to January 1986 across MGM Studios in

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights, Californi ...

, in addition to location work in Key West, and Chicago.

Reception

''Running Scared'' was a moderate box office success, earning over $38 million. Reviews were mixed, however, and the film has a current 63% rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, based on 24 reviews. The site's consensus states: "''Running Scared'' struggles to strike a consistent balance between violent action and humor, but the chemistry between its well-matched leads keeps things entertaining." Film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

recommended it, saying that the film "transcends its dreary roots and turns out to be a lot of fun".

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', however, advised people to "stay home and watch ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, Ricardo "Rico" Tub ...

'' or ''

Cagney and Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...

''" instead.

Box office

The film debuted at #5 at the U.S. box office, with a weekend gross of $5,227,757, with a total gross of $38 million. It was the 26th highest grossing movie of 1986.

Soundtrack

The ''Running Scared'' soundtrack was released in conjunction with the movie and contained a mix of songs and music featured in the film. The album sold well and produced three top 15 hits with performances by

Klymaxx Klymaxx is an American all-female pop/ R&B band from Los Angeles, California. The band's classic lineup consisted of Bernadette Cooper, Lorena Porter Shelby, Cheryl Cooley, Robbin Grider, Lynn Malsby, and Joyce "Fenderella" Irby. Klymaxx is bes ...

, Michael McDonald,

New Edition New Edition is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B/Pop music, pop group from the Roxbury, Boston, Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by singer/rapper Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a new edition of the Jackson ...

, and

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

. Producer

Rod Temperton Rodney Lynn Temperton (9 October 1949 – 25 September 2016) was an English musician, songwriter, and record producer. Temperton was the keyboardist and principal songwriter for the 1970s funk band Heatwave, writing songs including "Star of a ...

also contributed two songs with his band The Rod Temperton Beat Wagon. Originally

Nik Kershaw Nicholas David Kershaw (born 1 March 1958) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He came to prominence in 1984 as a solo artist. He released eight singles that entered the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart during the decade, i ...

was going to have his song featured in the movie soundtrack, which he especially wrote for the movie, also titled 'Running Scared'. Subsequently, It was reviewed by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

and was turned down for reasons unknown. The song by

appears on this third studio album, Radio Musicola.

Track listing

Singles chart positions

Album chart position

References

External links

* at MGM.com * * * * ''Running Scared''at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

{{Peter Hyams 1986 films 1986 action comedy films 1980s buddy cop films American action comedy films American buddy cop films 1980s English-language films Fictional portrayals of the Chicago Police Department Films about Colombian drug cartels Films directed by Peter Hyams Films produced by Lawrence Turman Films set in Chicago Films shot in Chicago Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American police detective films Films with screenplays by Gary DeVore 1980s American films English-language crime films English-language action comedy films English-language thriller films English-language buddy comedy films