Running Scared review

Corrupt cops, sleazy pimps, kiddie-fiddling pornographers: just what has Paul Walker got involved in now? This dark, lurid thriller from Cooler director Wayne Kramer certainly puts the Fast And The Furious hunk through the wringer as a lowly Mob goon whose race against the clock to retrieve a 'hot' pistol brings him into bruising contact with the dregs of Noo Joisey society. After two hours of scummy, bloody mayhem, though, he's not the only one needing a bath.

Set over the course of one increasingly unhinged night, Kramer's script bulges with larger-than-life characters (the John Wayne-fixated gangster is a standout) and sharply edited action beats. But bringing kids into the mix leaves a nasty taste in the mouth, particularly in an ugly scene that sees Cameron Bright's runaway lured into a paedophile's den.