Fans of Bruce Campbell that are looking to watch something a little bit different with him should watch the recent Synapse Films Blu-ray release of Running Time, a 1997 tongue-in-cheek crime drama.
Written, produced and directed by Josh Becker, his film Running Time has gone for the unique as it was both shot in full-screen (something along the lines of a 1:37:1 aspect ratio) and in black and white. In addition to that, Running Time is a single-take film ala Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope and shot in real-time, not unlike Robert Wise’s The Set-Up was.
The plot for Running Time is as simple as it gets. After being released from a 5-year jail sentence Carl Matuska(Bruce Campbell, Maniac Cop) is already planning a heist with his best friend Patrick (Jeremy Roberts, The Mask) along with a couple of accomplices. The plan is not complicated but things go terribly wrong during the heist, ranging from a flat tire on route to death to being chased by the cops as the heist took too long! The timing for this heist is critical but nothing is working out as planned. After the semi-botched heist Carl, who was shot hides out at the home Randi/Jane (Anita Barone, The War at Home), a former lover and decides that he wants to rekindle his relationship with her, causing more drama.
Running Time is a fun flick running at a brisk pace because the movie is barely over an hour. The black and white photography for this picture gives it a neo-noir atmosphere. The cast does a great job in their performances with probably over 100 F bombs being exchanged. Bruce Campbell’s over-the-top performance once again shows that he is one of the greatest icons in cult cinema ever! A special kudos should also go out to cinematographer Kurt Rauf who must keep up with the actors, who are moving around non-stop.
Synapse Films releases Running Time on Blu-ray. On the back of the Blu-ray case, it is advertised as having an “All-new 2K scan and restoration of the original camera negative.” The image does look sharp and polished throughout. The grey scale is balanced with strong details to be indoor and outdoor scenery. I found the image quality to be crisp and clear during entire video presentation.
The English 2.0 DTS-HD Master audio soundtrack for this release is perfectly fine with dialog and various noises such as gunshots coming in clearly. No audio issues such as drop-offs are hissing were detected. English subtitles are available for this release.
The Blu-ray offers several supplements for your enjoyment. There is an audio commentary with co-writer/director Josh Becker and actor Bruce Campbell.
A featurette, called Run and Gun is an interview with the screen legend himself, Bruce Campbell, who reflects on the film and how he first met Josh Becker.
Q&A, which took place in 1997 at Champagne-Urbana Freaky Film Festival, is with Josh Becker and Bruce Campbell who introduce a screening of Running Time, which does not make it in time, forcing the duo to, you guessed it, doing a Q&A session
A trailer rounds out the extras.
I thought Running Time was an amazing well-done film. Bruce Campbell fans and die-hards should not miss this one. The Blu-ray release from Synapse is outstanding and worth the time and investment! Give it a spin!
Running Time
Director- Josh Becker
Cast- Bruce Campbell, Jeremy Roberts, Anita Barone
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Synapse Films
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date-5/24/21