Run Hide Fight is a thoroughly satisfying thriller about the resilience of the human spirit.
A 21st century take on the Die Hard narrative, the film drops an ordinary person into a hostage situation and follows her courageous efforts to thwart a gang of modern-day terrorists. The film is suspenseful, exciting, and well worth a couple of hours of your time.
The main character is Zoe (an outstanding performance by virtual unknown, Isabel May), a disillusioned and angry high school senior struggling to find a new normal following the recent death of her mother.
Unlike John McClane in Die Hard (be prepared for numerous comparisons here), Zoe is not a tough-as-nails, experienced law enforcement officer. She’s a fragile, grieving teen who’s lost her comfortable relationship with her father, Todd (Thomas Jane), her drive to excel in school, and her youthful faith in happy endings.
It takes some skill to write a contentious protagonist and keep her relatable; writer/director Kyle Rankin does a good job of introducing Zoe as sympathetic, in spite of her deliberate efforts to push people away.
Much of the first act is devoted to Zoe’s relationships with the two people she’s closest to: her father, who struggles to find the right balance between caring parent and stable authority figure, and her best friend, Lewis (newcomer, Olly Sholotan), who demonstrates unwavering patience with Zoe’s prickly exterior.
As with Die Hard, the story is rapidly kicked into high gear when an ordinary day is violently interrupted by a group of terrorists, in this case, of the school shooter variety. Led by charismatic Tristan, this team of misfits turned monsters crashes (literally) into the cafeteria and turns the school into a battleground where only one side is armed.
At this point, the story surges forward with edge-of-your-seat suspense as Zoe’s classmates and the adults in the building all make choices they believe will keep them alive. Of course, some of these choices pay off and some do not. The unpredictability of Tristan and team’s behavior makes them a terrifying foe; the fact that Tristan knows for a fact that the school administration will adhere to a predefined crisis-management playbook (which Tristan has read) makes their attack equally tragic.
This is also the point where Zoe begins her transition from antisocial teen to hero. Many recent movies and television shows have mistakenly offered up “heroes” who overcome obstacles because they possess physical strength, fancy fighting (or supernatural) abilities, noble values, and flawless personalities. Rankin wisely recognizes that drama is far more compelling when a flawed character transcends her weaknesses to make the right choices.
Zoe is a hero because when faced with a choice between certain escape and attempting to save others, Zoe chooses the latter. Unlike Die Hard’s John McClane, who is trapped along with the other hostages, Zoe has the opportunity to save herself and leave her teachers and fellow students to fend for themselves or wait for law enforcement to save them. Instead, she makes the conscious choice to go back in and rescue as many as she can. It’s a pivotal moment in her character’s journey, and whether we realize it or not, it gives us, as the audience, a reason to root for her above and beyond the simple fact that she’s the movie’s main character.
As with Die Hard, the film’s primary entertainment value comes from Zoe’s efforts to save the hostages and ultimately thwart the villains’ plans. It is difficult not to get a cathartic sense of pleasure when watching a character fight back in a seemingly hopeless situation, especially one we can all too easily imagine impacting ourselves and our loved ones.
Equally enjoyable – and in contrast to Die Hard, where there is no question who will emerge the victor – is watching a movie that doesn’t promise a happy ending for the main characters from the start. Without this guarantee, we are able to enjoy real suspense as we experience the events along with the characters.
Run Hide Fight is not a perfect movie. The first act is a little clumsy, and Zoe’s driving thematic element can feel a little forced at times. But it offers interesting, well-rounded characters we care about, a tightly written, unrelenting second act, and a timely topic that raises several excellent questions regarding the response options currently available to public schools in crisis situations.
For all of us who might fantasize about having the courage to save lives in an active shooter situation, it’s a welcome opportunity to live vicariously through a smart, tough, resourceful young woman in just such a scenario.