Movie Title: Running Scared
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Writer: Gary DeVore and Jimmy Huston
Starring: Gregory Hines, Billy Crystal, Steven Bauer, Darlanne Fluegel, Joe Pantoliano, Dan Hedaya, Jimmy Smits
Review: Before Lethal Weapon there was Running Scared.
Two of Chicago's Finest (Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal, yes, Billy Crystal) take on an up-and-coming drug lord (Jimmy Smits). It sounds like your run of the mill action movie, but this one is funny, memorable, action-packed, and the chemistry between Hines and Crystal makes me wish that this had become a franchise that would have entertained audiences every few years. Plus you have one of the best casts ever put together - the best character actors populate the screen and story scene after scene.
Filmed in Chicago, Running Scared makes great use of the locations which, much like the Blues Brothers, makes the city a character all its own. One of my favorites that kind of fell through the cracks. Definitely worth checking out!
Fun Fact: The original script was written for Gene Hackman and Paul Newman before Peter Hyams decided to make the Hughes and Costanzo characters younger.