Home/Episodes/Running Scared

‘Running Scared’ (1986) With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan

November 26, 2024 · Running Scared (1986) · Action · Comedy · Crime · 1:33:14 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

Categories

What's Aged the Worst

Bill SimmonsThe lack of enough parts for black actors in Hollywood that prevented Gregory Hines from having a bigger career▶ 13:54
Chris RyanThe lack of enough parts for black actors in Hollywood that prevented Gregory Hines from having a bigger career▶ 13:57

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill SimmonsThey left so much money on the table with this - there should have been four Running Scared movies▶ 15:44

Joey Pants Award

Bill SimmonsJoe PantolianoJoe Pantoliano as Guido the Killer Pimp/Snake▶ 25:41
Chris RyanJoe PantolianoJoe Pantoliano - described him as 'the all-time 80s hood'▶ 26:10

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill SimmonsThe opening pickup basketball scene where people get punched and then there's a chase, followed by the scene where Crystal tells the neighborhood that Snake has $50,000 in small bills▶ 34:32
Chris RyanThe scene where Crystal designates the block as a neighborhood and tells everyone about Snake having $50,000 in small bills in a briefcase▶ 35:12

Apex Mountain

Great Shot Gordo Award

Chris Ryanthe Matching Tits t-shirts▶ 37:36

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

What's Aged the Best

Bill SimmonsRay Hughes and Danny Costanzo (the archetypal cop names), buddy cop movies with rival buddy cops, mid-80s Stephen Bauer, unannounced stop-bys in the 80s, dead bad guy coming down an escalator, the movie poster, and American hatred for the French in the 80s▶ 43:59
Chris RyanRay Hughes and Danny Costanzo (archetypal cop names), Dan Hedaya's Angry Lieutenant character, everything Stephen Bauer wears and does in the movie, characters barging into houses uninvited, company car pools, and 1980s derision for croissants▶ 44:02

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill SimmonsThe lunch that the girls serve on the boat with margaritas▶ 50:51
Chris RyanThe lunch that the girls serve on the boat with margaritas▶ 51:07

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill SimmonsBilly Crystal playing an Italian Chicago cop named Danny Costanzo when he's so obviously Jewish▶ 53:18
Chris RyanDanny and Anna's lack of magnetic chemistry that would explain her loving him so much she'd leave her dentist fiancé to go back with him▶ 52:25

Is There a Better Title?

Bill SimmonsSuggests multiple alternatives including 'One Last Job', 'Short Time', 'Chicago Heat', and jokes about 'Bisexual Buddies' and 'Homoerotic Chicago Cops'▶ 1:04:36
Chris RyanAgrees the original title doesn't work, suggests something related to their 30 days left before going to Florida but doesn't offer a specific alternative▶ 1:04:47

Casting What-Ifs

Bill SimmonsTom SelleckOriginally supposed to be Hackman and Newman as two old NYC cops, but they were never approached. Tom Selleck and John Travolta were going to be the cops - Selleck couldn't due to Magnum PI, Travolta's agent Mike Ovitz turned it down. Also mentions Peter Hyams wanted Darlene Flugel from To Live and Die in LA.▶ 1:05:41

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill SimmonsMultiple trivia facts: Billy Crystal accidentally hit himself with a pistol needing plastic surgery, wrote a 1986 book 'Absolutely Marvelous', said he watches the movie to visit with Gregory Hines, and the finale was shot at the State of Illinois Center▶ 1:14:38
Chris RyanThe State of Illinois Center was sold to Google▶ 1:15:51

Hanks or Cruise

Bill SimmonsTom HanksHanks - thinks Hanks could easily play Danny and should have made a movie like this in the 80s▶ 1:19:51
Chris RyanTom HanksSuggests Michael Keaton as a third option who would have been great as Danny after Night Shift▶ 1:20:30

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill SimmonsWhy Danny suddenly wants to stay a cop after everything that happened - he should want to go to Key West since he already paid for the bar▶ 1:22:56
Chris RyanWhen Danny gets shot in the chest by a fellow police officer, there's no accountability - they just tell him he should have watched where he was standing▶ 1:23:08

Is This Movie Better With

Chris RyanSamuel L. JacksonRamon Raymond as one of Julio's lieutenants or Sam Jackson in the Joey Pants role▶ 1:23:55

Just One Oscar

Best Double Feature

Chris RyanBustingBusting (because of Hyams connection)▶ 1:26:53

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill SimmonsYou can't go from marrying a cop to marrying a dentist▶ 1:28:15
Chris RyanIf you think you want to move to Key West, you should go and stay, don't go back to Chicago▶ 1:28:20

Who Won the Movie

Chris RyanBilly CrystalAgrees it's close between Crystal and Hines, acknowledging Crystal's career benefit▶ 1:29:03

Movies Referenced (48)

Title (year)LinksMentionsMentioned byFirst
Running Scared (2006)IMDb ↗Lb ↗44Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 3:07
Lethal Weapon (1987)IMDb ↗Lb ↗11Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 7:13
Midnight Run (1988)IMDb ↗Lb ↗8Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 8:46
Bad Boys (1995)IMDb ↗Lb ↗7Bill Simmons▶ 7:38
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)IMDb ↗Lb ↗7Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 9:31
The Nice Guys (2016)IMDb ↗Lb ↗3Chris Ryan▶ 9:47
21 Jump Street (2012)IMDb ↗Lb ↗2Bill Simmons▶ 7:46
Fargo (1996)IMDb ↗Lb ↗2Bill Simmons▶ 21:05
Halloween (1978)IMDb ↗Lb ↗2Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 1:27:32
Miami Vice (2006)IMDb ↗Lb ↗2Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 8:28
Moon (2009)IMDb ↗Lb ↗2Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:36
Rushmore (1998)IMDb ↗Lb ↗2Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 54:18

Directors Referenced (6)

NameLinksMentionsMentioned byKnown ForFirst
Iyi TubiIMDb ↗Lb ↗4Chris Ryan, Bill SimmonsEx Machina, World War Z▶ 1:06:26
Peter HyamsIMDb ↗Lb ↗4Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 29:28
Mel GibsonIMDb ↗Lb ↗2Bill Simmons, Chris RyanBraveheart, Lethal Weapon 3, Conspiracy Theory▶ 8:16
Michael MannIMDb ↗Lb ↗2Chris Ryan, Bill SimmonsThe Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 8:28
Mitch GaylordIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Bill SimmonsBatman Forever▶ 31:04
Robert AltmanIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Bill SimmonsGosford Park▶ 1:19:30

Actors Referenced (58)

NameLinksMentionsMentioned byKnown ForFirst
Billy CrystalIMDb ↗Lb ↗39Bill Simmons, Chris RyanCity Slickers, When Harry Met Sally...▶ 5:12
Gregory HinesIMDb ↗Lb ↗21Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 12:34
Joseph Van De YachtIMDb ↗Lb ↗20Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 4:02
Michael McDonaldIMDb ↗Lb ↗13Bill SimmonsThe 40-Year-Old Virgin, No Way Out, Twister▶ 4:17
Tom HanksIMDb ↗Lb ↗10Bill Simmons, Chris RyanCast Away, Big, Forrest Gump▶ 14:44
Dan HedayaIMDb ↗Lb ↗7Bill Simmons, Chris RyanThe Usual Suspects, Commando, Mulholland Drive▶ 44:32
Jimmy SmitsIMDb ↗Lb ↗6Bill Simmons, Chris RyanIn the Heights▶ 41:53
Ben StillerIMDb ↗Lb ↗5Bill Simmons, Chris RyanTropic Thunder, Zoolander▶ 16:41
Michael JordanIMDb ↗Lb ↗5Bill Simmons, Chris RyanSpace Jam, He Got Game▶ 36:31
Tom CruiseIMDb ↗Lb ↗5Bill SimmonsTop Gun, Minority Report▶ 31:38
John TravoltaIMDb ↗Lb ↗4Bill Simmons, Chris RyanPulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Saturday Night Fever▶ 56:02
Kid CudiIMDb ↗Lb ↗4Bill Simmons, Chris RyanThe Harder They Fall, Don't Look Up, Need for Speed▶ 30:38

Writers Referenced (4)

NameLinksMentionsMentioned byKnown ForFirst
Gary DeVoreIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Bill SimmonsRunning Scared▶ 29:31
Jimmy HustonIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Bill SimmonsRunning Scared▶ 29:31
Roger EbertIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Bill Simmons▶ 32:42
Taylor WorstIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Bill Simmons▶ 13:15

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

NameLinksMentionsMentioned byKnown ForFirst
Christophe LegalIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Chris Ryan▶ 30:46