zardoz-13 "Outland" director Peter Hyams' "Running Scared" is a fast-paced, Chicago-based, buddy picture, police procedural melodrama. Interesting enough, "Running Sacred" is reminiscent of earlier thriller that Hyams helmed "Busting" (1974), with Robert Blake and Elliot Gould. Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines are cast as two unlikely but charismatic detectives in hot pursuit of a murderous drug dealer. Bristling with amusing wisecracks and agile shootouts, "Running Scared" is straightforward enough but predictable with our heroes doing very little that is ultimately surprising. Nevertheless, you've never seen Billy Crystal as macho as he appears here, and he never did anything like "Running Scared" afterward. Jimmy Smits is cast as a wannabe 'godfather' gangster, and he is reasonably vindictive. The memorable soundtrack featured songs performed by Klymaxx, Michael McDonald, New Edition, and Patti LaBelle. "Man Sized Love," "Sweet Freedom," and "I Know What I Want" were among the hits that "Running Scared" yielded.Everything starts with our plainclothes heroes, Danny Costanzo (Billy Crystal of "Analyze This") and Ray Hughes (Gregory Hines of "Waiting to Exhale"), on stake-out when they spot notorious cocaine dealer Julio Gonzales (Jimmy Smits of "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones") and his flunky Snake (Joe Pantoliano of "U.S. Marshals") in a low-rent neighborhood getting out of a Mercedes. A chase ensues. Our heroes nab Snake, but Julio manages to elude them until. They follow Snake to his apartment, and he admits that he is carrying $50-thousand dollars in an attaché case. Later, when Snake agrees to wear a wire and take them to meet Julio, things go south and Snake bites the dust. During this shootout, our heroes run afoul of a pair of DEA agents, Detective Frank Sigliano (Steven Bauer of "Scarface") and Det. Tony Montoya (Jon Gries of "Napoleon Dynamite"), and their superior, Captain Logan (Dan Hedaya of "Wise Guys") reads them the riot act and makes them take a vacation. The guys go about as far away from Chicago as they can possibly get and wind up in Key West, Florida, where they are amazed that everybody comes out to watch the sun set. One of the running subplots involves Costanzo's ex-wife, Anna (Darlanne Fluegel of "To Live and Die in L.A."), who likes to show up when Danny least expect her. Eventually, Julio abducts her so that he can recover his cocaine."Dogs of War" scenarist Gary DeVore and "Final Exam's" Jimmy Huston pile up the clichés in their thoroughly average screenplay. To his credit, Hyams doesn't allow the action to loiter, and we get a few rewarding action scenes, including a reckless chase on the L tracks through Chicago and a cool scene where our heroes are trapped in an undercover cop car made to look like a taxi cab as a garbage truck crushes them while they struggle to get out of it. As is the case, Hyams doubles up as the cinematographer and director. Dan Hedaya enlivens the scenes at police headquarters, but he never shouts at his detectives. Many of the critics who wrote about this movie during its initial release complained about the bogus snow on the streets. "Running Scared" boasts all the earmarks of a quintessential 1980s' police drama.

Maziun This is a sadly forgotten 80's action comedy . It's more comedy than action , but it's definitely an enjoyable and fun movie coming from not that bad director as other want you to believe - Peter Hyams. It's pure 80's fun that stood the test of time . The only thing that might be outdated is the super car chase (which I like) . The action scenes are done well and the final is really exciting . The movie is fast and funny.Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines have good chemistry together. It's fun to watch them arguing with each other. It's also refreshing to see they are already friends at the beginning of movie and know how to work with each other. They act like big kids and are adorable.It was good to see Joe Pantoliano ("Memento") and Darlanne Fluegel ("To live and die in LA") in supporting roles. The soundtrack is nice with songs by Patti LaBelle " I know what I want" and Fee Waybill "Running scared" .Good fun from the era of best action comedies. I give it 7/10.

Kieran Green Ray Hughes The much missed Gregory Hines and Danny Costanzo Billy Crystal are a pair of wisecracking Chicago cops. In an effort to bring down Drug Baron Gonzales, (Jimmy Smits) the pair unintentionally blow the lid off an undercover operation, Their superior Officer Dan Hedeya orders the pair to take a vacation where whilst upon vacation in Florida they sample the good life and plan to develop a further taste for it, but the pair decide to try and take down Gonzales, 'Running Scared' is a terrificly paired Comedy thriller from Peter Hyams, the director of other such great films as 'Capricorn One' 'Outland' who most film buff's neglect to mention these days!

tomloft2000 yes the plot is implausible,and so politically incorrect that you can't believe.but the film does what it sets out to do-entertain.this is ground that has been covered before(Beverly Hills Cop as an example),but never in a way that is as much fun.the screenplay is o.k.,with the best dialogue reserved for Hines-Crystal banter.the other characters are basically filler.but generally well done(Joe Pantoliano as Snake is great).there are a few dead spots in the film,but these are usually rescued by Hines and/or Crystal,who seemed to be having a lot of fun.there is a fantastic chase scene late in the movie that alone makes it worth watching.altogether this '80's buddy movie still holds up.mostly because of the insanity of the two leads.