DVD extras include hilarious commentary by writer/director/producer Josh Becker and star, Bruce Campbell. Score by Jo LoDuca (as usual). "Running Time" is a wonderful addition to any Bruce Campbell or Josh Becker collection and for anyone who loves the continued efforts of independent filmmakers.
Also like ROPE, it gets tangled up in its own device.
I can understand why someone would want to make (or act in) a film like this--the technical and performance challenges require one to be at his sharpest during principle photography. At the other end, well, there's almost no editing to do: you shoot the thing, pick the reels that work best together, and get to work on the soundtrack.
Between my curiosity about the technique and my fondness for star Bruce Campbell, I picked this one up at a local used DVD shop.
The plot's pretty standard crime fare--the most interesting twist is that Campbell's character, who starts the film in prison, is back on a job before the ink on his parole papers has dried (it's real time, remember). But the technique is the real star of this show--it's a guarantee that the unblinking camera, wandering and watching, will draw your attention away from the story. In my world, though, camerawork is supposed to support the story, not distract you from it.
The performances are good all around and suitable to the format (no exceptional gaffes or line flubs), but in the end, I think the average viewer will simply write this off as an interesting way to burn an hour and fifteen minutes.
