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Run Movie Review

Run is a 2020 thriller film directed by Aneesh Chaganty and starring Sarah Poulson and Kiera Allen. It’s a crazy, but wildly entertaining genre flick.

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“Hospital or police?

Police“

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Chloe is this very sickly girl bound to a wheelchair. Once she discovers that maybe her mother is the one responsible for her current state, she tries desperately to escape from her clutches. This is such a ridiculous, but fun movie that reminded me pleasantly of ‘Baby Jane’. It is so briskly paced that it goes down very easily, all the while offering a commendable level of genuine thrills. Some scenes, especially the escape ones, are immensely intense.

My main issue here is the lack of more psychology behind this storyline. The characters and their drama were ripe for more themes on human psychology, but unfortunately we never got that as the movie sorely relies on genre thrills and not much sophistication. Again, I loved the twists and turns and how it all ended, but still it’s a high-concept idea that needed more polish.

The performances are amazing. They actually cast an actress who is herself in a wheelchair, which was a very admirable move on the filmmakers’ part. And Kiera Allen is truly excellent. She is believable throughout and she emotes superbly.

As for Sarah Poulson, as years go by, she gets to act in increasingly crazy roles, this one being her most unhinged character so far. She’s absolutely fantastic and the switch from a caring mother to a full-on villain was very smoothly conveyed on her part. Poulson here is so delightfully evil and I lived for her presence in every single of her scenes.

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Run is also very well shot, scored and solidly directed. Aneesh Chaganty is the man behind 2018’s ‘Searching’. That movie was immensely original and sophisticated. This one is clearly not like that and is inferior, but it’s still a great showcase of the director’s skills as he so expertly ratchets up the tension, especially in the second half. I just wish the movie had more on its mind.