Evangelos Giovanis
The Bottom Line
Ambition trumps filmmaking expertise in this ragged low-budget effort.Directors
Evangelos Giovanis, George GiovanisScreenwriter
Evangelos GiovanisCast
Louis Zorich, Sam Coppola, Evangelos Giovanis, George GiovanisNumerous unsavory characters intersect in this gritty crime drama by the sibling directors Evangelos and George Giovanis.
A raw, visceral intensity is the most compelling element of Run It, an otherwise uneven urban drama directed by the sibling filmmaking team of Evangelos and George Giovanis,
each of whom also play major roles. Featuring a plethora of unsavory
characters, undeveloped subplots and a confusingly jagged narrative,
this extremely low-budget effort is mainly notable for its willingness
to get down and dirty.
The complex storyline interweaves the gritty stories of multiple
characters whose fates intersect. They include Andrew (Evangelos
Giovanis), a substitute high school teacher whose fraying nerves as a
result of his unruly students result in his being fired after he resorts
to excessive discipline. Bad turns to worse when he subsequently
accidentally kills his senile father’s caregiver, and when his criminal
brother Manny (George Giovanis) and his cohort (Doug Elridge) attempt to hit him up for money after they fall victim to some equally ruthless thugs.
Another running plotline involves one of Andrew’s students, Jermain (Joshua Scarlett), struggling to cope with a father who’s a heroin addict and a mother who’s involved with an abusive drug dealer.
The filmmakers--who besides their other duties were also responsible for the screenplay, cinematography, editing and even the musical score--don’t quite possess the technical chops necessary to realize their high ambitions. The frequently off-kilter camerawork and editing displays an amateurish quality, and despite the presence of such familiar faces as the late Sam Coppola (Saturday Night Fever) and veteran character actor Louis Zorich the acting is uneven at best.
Featuring copious doses of violence, profanity and nudity—the female characters on display are frequently depicted in exploitive fashion—Run It belies its title with a sluggish pacing that makes the film seem far longer than it actually is.
Opens May 31 (Vago Productions)
Cast: Louis Zorich, Sam Coppola, Armen Garo, Evangelos Giovanis, George Giovanis, Doug Eldridge
Directors/producers: Evangelos Giovanis, George Giovanis
Executive producers: Themistoklis Giovanis, Vasiliki Giovanis
Screenwriter: Evangelos Giovanis
Director of photography/composer: George Giovanis
Editor: Evangelos Giovanis
Not rated, 110 min.
Another running plotline involves one of Andrew’s students, Jermain (Joshua Scarlett), struggling to cope with a father who’s a heroin addict and a mother who’s involved with an abusive drug dealer.
The filmmakers--who besides their other duties were also responsible for the screenplay, cinematography, editing and even the musical score--don’t quite possess the technical chops necessary to realize their high ambitions. The frequently off-kilter camerawork and editing displays an amateurish quality, and despite the presence of such familiar faces as the late Sam Coppola (Saturday Night Fever) and veteran character actor Louis Zorich the acting is uneven at best.
Featuring copious doses of violence, profanity and nudity—the female characters on display are frequently depicted in exploitive fashion—Run It belies its title with a sluggish pacing that makes the film seem far longer than it actually is.
Opens May 31 (Vago Productions)
Cast: Louis Zorich, Sam Coppola, Armen Garo, Evangelos Giovanis, George Giovanis, Doug Eldridge
Directors/producers: Evangelos Giovanis, George Giovanis
Executive producers: Themistoklis Giovanis, Vasiliki Giovanis
Screenwriter: Evangelos Giovanis
Director of photography/composer: George Giovanis
Editor: Evangelos Giovanis
Not rated, 110 min.
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