3 out of 5 stars (average)
Thank you to Brooke Levenstein and Hulu for sending me a screening link for Run. It is available on Hulu in the US now.
I have a soft spot for movies like Run. Premiering on Hulu in the US, the new suspense-thriller packs plenty of shocks into its briskly-paced 89 minutes and provides the ever-engaging Sarah Paulson and newcomer Kiera Allen with good roles to sink their teeth into. Run is an enjoyable and well-acted suspense-thriller that shows the dark side of a mother’s love.
Chloe Sherman (Kiera Allen) is a disabled yet college-bound teen homeschooled by her loving mother Diane (Sarah Paulson), who has helped her maintain a degree of normalcy. However, Chloe grows suspicious when Diane refuses to spill the beans on a new medication, leading her to a shocking discovery the likes of which she was never prepared for.
It’s hard to talk about Run’s strengths without getting into spoilers, but I can say that Kiera Allen is a star on the rise and Sarah Paulson delivers yet another engaging performance in a career full of them. Director and co-writer Aneesh Chaganty keeps the suspense up from the word go and gives the proper time to establish Chloe and Diane’s relationship without it feeling sluggish. The twists are properly shocking and the 3rd act manages to be the craziest section without going off the rails or sacrificing plausibility. This isn’t a cinematic game-changer, but it’s an enjoyable thriller that gets in, does exactly what it sets out to do, and gets out in a timely fashion. I also applaud the film for portraying Chloe’s disabilities as ever-present yet manageable. Allen shows solid range here and holds her own with Paulson without missing a beat, so I imagine we’ll see more of her in the future. Run is a well-crafted suspense-thriller with some chilling twists that should prove entertaining over the holidays. See it on Hulu.
Rated PG-13 for Disturbing Thematic Content, Some Violence/Terror, And Language