‘Run Sweetheart Run’ Review – Enjoyment Is Sacrificed On The Altar Of Needing To Say Something

Directed By: Shana Feste

Starring: Ella Balinska, Pilou Asbæk, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Aml Ameen, Dayo Okeniyi, Betsy Brandt, Clark Gregg

Plot Summary: Initially apprehensive when her boss insists, single mom Cherie (Ella Balinska) is tasked with meeting with one of his most important clients. To her relief the client is the charismatic Ethan (Pilou Asbæk). The influential businessman defies expectations and sweeps Cherie off her feet. But at the end of the night, when the two are alone together, he reveals his true, violent nature. Battered and terrified, she flees for her life, beginning a relentless game of cat-and-mouse with a blood-thirsty assailant hell-bent on her utter destruction. In this edge-of-your-seat dark thriller, Cherie finds herself in the crosshairs of a conspiracy stranger and more evil than she could have ever imagined.

Before I dive deep into the muddied and blood-soaked waters of Run Sweetheart Run, I think it’s worth mentioning a few things. I love nothing more than kick-ass, women-driven horror films. Hell, I think we need more of it. That’s not virtue signaling; I believe that to my very core, and with every fiber of my being. However, while I am overjoyed that we are finally reframing horror from a female perspective, I did not connect with this movie. Run Sweetheart Run has a pretty damn good set-up giving us a meet-cute from hell. Director Shana Feste does conjure up a solid first act with plenty of atmosphere, only for all of that build-up to quickly dissolve in the second act.

The movie highlights some very timely and important issues, specifically, it’s a horror show just being a woman. Yes, this is very much worthwhile to explore. The issue is not so much with the message but in how it’s delivered. Namely, it’s hammered bluntly into the viewer’s skull over and over until you’re begging for mercy. It is reminiscent of Follow Her, another female written, directed and lead horror film from earlier this year. It talks about the same issues but does it in a way that feels fresh and brings home the message it’s aiming for in a less clunky and overt way.

Run Sweetheart Run swings for a pretty interesting internal mythos which is admirable. Sadly, the movie’s poorly paced, and when we do get the big twist, it’s jarring and feels unearned. Feste ignores the film’s own worldbuilding and breaks the cardinal film rule of “show don’t tell” with exposition dumps that only hint at a better film under its overwrought preaching.

Fortunately, the acting is top-tier here with Ella Balinska utterly dazzling and hypnotizing which carried the weight of the clunkier elements. The young performer is insanely talented, and she navigates being charming, painfully relatable and a badass in the blood caked and battle-scarred mold of Ripley and Sarah Conner. Pilou Asbæk plays Ethan, and he is absolutely having a delightfully wicked turn as the villain. Asbæk sees the line of hammy and with an impish glee dances over it while flipping us the middle finger, and damned if it did not work. Oscar-nominated actor Shohreh Aghdashloo is, as always, a treasure, and like her counterparts, she does not mess around with her crackling and wryly sardonic turn as the First Lady.

Run Sweetheart Run is a real bummer because, despite not liking aspects of the film, it is extremely well directed and acted. It also has a visual flare that is really on point. Any enjoyment is sacrificed on the altar of needing to say something. However, a skilled director knows that they can easily have an entertaining film and still get their message across – it’s not a one or the other situation. By the end, I felt like I was not so much watching a fun, gory good time as I was a lecture. Other female-lead horror movies have shown you can make blistering take downs of the patriarchy yet still deliver it in an enjoyable package.

Run Sweetheart Run will be available on Prime Video on October 28, 2022. 

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