I know the film business can be tough, and sometimes it’s even harder to write a cohesive story that reads well on screen. But then, there are people who make filler films. These are films that a production company puts out that are just there. They had to fill an obligation for making a film, pull a shell of a script together, and then put it out (usually straight to DVD). Running With The Devil is not the first nor the last film that does this.
What is really baffling about this movie, is that they have a pretty good cast list. On top of having Cage, you have Laurence Fishburne, Leslie Bibb, and Adam Goldberg. This could have had the makings of a decent film but the plot is very generic. A tenacious federal agent (played by Bibbs) follows the supply line of a group of experienced cocaine dealers. They are followed from origins on the farm, through the smugglers, cartel bosses and onto corrupt officials. All with the DEA trying to bring them down. I don’t really need to explain much more on the plot than that. It’s not a terribly bad one, but there were ways they could have elevated it. And that needs to start with giving your characters names.
It’s rare for me to be invested in a character when I don’t know a single thing about them, especially their name. Cage is “The Cook”, Fishburne is “The Man”, Bibbs is “The Agent In Charge”, and the trend continues from there. To the point where no one in the film ever gives anyone a name. Not a single name was uttered in this film making it frustrating to watch.
