Themes: Escape From Prison, Prostitutes, Death Row
Main Cast: Monica Carrico, Eric Stoltz, Stuart Margolin, Virgil Frye, Richard Bradford
Release Year: 1983
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Convicted of murdering his father, 17-year-old Eric Stoltz is sentenced to death. While in prison, Stoltz begins a pen-pal correspondence with fortysomething prostitute Monica Carrico. A long distance romance results, culminating in Carrico helping Stoltz escape from death row. When he finally makes it to the outside, it turns out that Stoltz was innocent all along-and a fat lot of good this does him. Best to ignore the haphazard plot of Running Hot and concentrate on the performances and the action highlights. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
This early-1980's b-movie delivers the expected goods and also weaves in a few surprises. Running Hot is especially interesting for this kind of film because of the ambition that writer/director Mark Griffiths has applied to the task at hand. The romanticized "misunderstood outlaw" premise is familiar stuff to fans of drive-in filmmaking and the plotting and dialogue have some rough edges but Griffiths makes his scenario feel fresh by investing it with unusually strong, well-developed characterizations and plenty of quirky details. As a director, he does a great job of conveying the atmosphere of the film's different settings -- a stretch of the film set at a massage parlor is particularly convincing in its seedy atmosphere -- and he gives the story a heartfelt quality that lends it unexpected heft. Griffiths is aided considerably in the latter department by excellent performances from a young Eric Stoltz and Monica Carrico: neither actor shies away from the flaws of the characters they play but both also invest plenty of charm and sincere emotion into their roles to create a duo the audience can cheer for. There is also memorable work from Stuart Margolin, who is convincingly scary as an initially decent cop who becomes a monster due to his desire for revenge. To sum up, Running Hot is definitely a b-movie but it's also better than you might expect in most areas. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Louise Baker - Shane; Joe George - Officer Berman; Laurel Patrick - Angie; Sorrells Pickard - Ex-con in desert; Juliette Cummins - Jenny; Matt Boston; Ben Hammer - Danny's Father; Clark Howat - Judge; Darrow Igus; Gwen Owens; Richard Walsh; Lesley Woods - Charlene's Mother; Rory Calhoun; Seth Kaufman - Bailiff; Geno Havens - Foreman; Bob Carroll - Harry
Credit
Anthony Cowley - Art Director, Zachary Fever - Co-producer, Mark Griffiths - Director, Andy Blumenthal - Editor, Dimitri T. Skouras - Executive Producer, Al Capps - Composer (Music Score), Katherine G. Vallin - Production Designer, Tom Richmond - Cinematographer, David Calloway - Producer, Roger George - Special Effects, Gerald B. Wolfe - Sound/Sound Designer, Mark Griffiths - Screenwriter
