Running on Empty (1988)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writer:

Naomi Foner (written by)

Release Date:

9 September 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

In 1971, Arthur and Annie Pope blew up a napalm lab to protest the war... Ever since then they have been on the run from the FBI. They chose their lives. Now their son must choose his.

Plot:

The eldest son of a fugitive family comes of age and wants to live a life of his own.

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam War | Fugitive | Government | On The Run | Father Daughter Reunion

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Christine Lahti	...	Annie Pope / Cynthia Manfield
River Phoenix	...	Danny Pope / Michael Manfield
Judd Hirsch	...	Arthur Pope / Paul Manfield
Jonas Abry	...	Harry Pope / Stephen Manfield
Martha Plimpton	...	Lorna Phillips
Ed Crowley	...	Mr. Phillips
L.M. Kit Carson	...	Gus Winant
Steven Hill	...	Donald Patterson
Augusta Dabney	...	Abigail Patterson
David Margulies	...	Dr. Jonah Reiff
Lynne Thigpen	...	Contact at Eldridge St.
Marcia Jean Kurtz	...	School Clerk
Sloane Shelton	...	Mrs. Phillips
Justine Johnston	...	Librarian
Herb Lovelle	...	Hospital Clerk

Also Known As:

À bout de course (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Un lugar en ninguna parte (Mexico) (Spain) [es]
Ahava B'Milkud (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Al filo del vacío (Argentina) [es]
Die Flucht ins Ungewisse (West Germany) [de]
Elämänä pakotie (Finland) [fi]
Fly genom livet (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Flykt utan mål (Sweden) [sv]
O Peso de Um Passado (Brazil) [pt]
Stracone lata (Poland) [pl]
Vivere in fuga (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | France:-12 | Finland:S | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Empire Stages of New York, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Double Play

Trivia:

Director Sidney Lumet writes in his book "Making Movies" about an argument between River Phoenix and writer Naomi Foner. A scene in the movie concerns the character played by Phoenix being interrupted while practicing a classical piano solo. In the script, when he is caught, he breaks into a jazz riff to cover his "embarrassment" at being caught doing something serious. Phoenix fought hard against this, feeling that his character would never be embarrassed about working at the piano. Lumet was so impressed by the point Phoenix made, he shot the scene the way Phoenix wanted it.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: As they stop at a gas station on the run from authorities, one of the characters is shown removing a Delaware license plate from the front of the gray van. Delaware has never issued nor required front-mounted plates.

Quotes:

Annie Pope: What are we doing to these kids? They’ve been running their whole lives like criminals, and they didnt do anything!

Movie Connections:

References Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

Soundtrack:

Lucky Star

Doesn't make the mistake of glorifying crime

This is a fantastic movie. Definitely one of the 5 best I've seen in recent memory. Someone that wrote a review here felt that the two parents are placed upon a pedestal by the film makers, but I don't think this is the case at all. They are accountable for their actions and know what they did was wrong. They have to pay for their actions throughout their lives and will likely turn themselves in as soon as they can be assured that their kids will be safe. The kids are the ones I feel sorry for, not the parents.

I think the main point of the movie is to make people aware of how the actions/decisions they make can hurt other people, including themselves. People often make rash decisions without thinking about the long term consequences their actions cause for themselves and other people.