You Can’t Run Forever (2024)

You Can’t Run Forever (2024) Holy J.K. Simmons!!! He’s memorable in Juror #2 (2024), Red One (2024), Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 trilogy, but also in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021), as well as Whiplash (2014) and Jobs (2013). In this film, he has the most horrible role I’ve ever seen him in. He’s even worse than in Whiplash!

Michelle Schumacher, the director, seems to like him, as she also cast him in her comedy 3 Geezers! (2013). Hard to believe that the two had collaborated on a comedy, given that here we’re really treated to a thriller, which borders on the horrific. In fact, it’s clearly a film of gratuitous violence. People who still try to contradict me may have their brains scrambled or probably have no brains at all, because just because there’s extreme violence everywhere doesn’t make despicable and heinous acts normal! Let’s hear it!!!

Here’s the story: As Eddie and Miranda travel through a remote area, they unwittingly cross paths with a deranged sociopath, Wade, whose sole mission is to cause chaos. Wade fixates on Eddie, leaving Miranda momentarily free to escape, but he soon turns his attention to her. Wade proves to be a constant threat, staying one step ahead and relentlessly pursuing anyone who dares to help him. As in the very good Rampage trilogy – yes, those stories with that sniper on the loose – the main character kills anyone and everyone. Later, the director tries to justify this, not by an unhappy childhood, but by another rather banal reason. Banal, but not unimportant, because these things do happen. Every day, no doubt.

Think of The Joker (2019) or the excellent film Falling Down (1993). It’s always that one day too many that makes you lose it for good. The title of this film is really nice. I really like it! The actors are all very charismatic: J.K. Simmons, of course, but also Fernanda Urrejola, Isabelle Anaya, and Olivia Simmons. Unfortunately, we don’t see much of Allen Leech. It seems to me that there’s a lot of Simmons in this film.

The lead actor and one of the main actresses, but also the music, which is composed by a certain Joe Simmons! Having said that, there’s also plenty of Schumacher, although I was just talking about Falling Down, directed by Joel! This film is directed and written by Michelle Schumacher and produced by Randle Schumacher. The film was also written by a second person, Carolyn Carpenter, Michelle Schumacher, who is also a well-known director (John) and actress (Jennifer). I don’t know if there are any family links between all these people; I haven’t done enough research because it’s not easy to do. It would just be interesting to know, but not essential.

This film is pretty horrible from a psychological point of view. I said that the actors have charisma, but it’s not always very well acted, not always ultra precise. But that’s also down to the script: I don’t think I could talk quietly on the phone to someone who’d just killed my husband and was about to do the same to my daughter… unless, that is, I wanted to coax him into not committing that second crime.

At first, I thought it was just a fantasy of the director’s to make a film that didn’t talk too much, that got straight to the heart of the matter, that killed lots of people in less than five minutes, before launching two protagonists into an interminable chase. But the more the film progresses, the more we get explanations that still hold water, even though not everything is obviously coherent. Half an hour in, I thought I was going to waste my time again, but I’m glad I saw this film in the end. It’s not essential, but it serves as good entertainment and remains a decent thriller.