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There is so much to say about this movie, and be rest assured that they are all positives and if you haven’t seen the movie yet, you just have to.
Starting from the family setting as a family tries to make a normal life for themselves, while they are on the run at the same time, reaches home for many of us.
The actors also gave some solid performances that makes the movie even realer. Lahti in particular gave one of her best performances here. The younger actors were also very impressive as they try their best to play roles that adults should play.
Their dark past would keep them on the run for much of the movie, and they did keep things tense as it can be. I also enjoyed the fact that there was minimal to no scenes of violence of any sexual nature.
‘Running On Empty’ is a look into the emotions of a family who are tired of a life on the run - being forced to change your home, your name, your appearance, and your backstory; just to change them all over again in a couple of months. It is effective in showing how tiring this can get, and how any relationships outside of that reality can fracture. In an emotional conversation between the mother character of Annie (Christine Lahti) and her father, we can see how this lifestyle has cut off contact between them entirely, sacrificing their relationship for her political views.
A similar fact can be observed with the eldest son of the family, Danny (River Phoenix), repeatedly showing that he no longer wants to be a part of the life he has been forced to live. He’s holding some responsibility for a crime that had nothing to do with him, yet can’t escape it without sacrificing his parent’s freedom.
At certain times it feels like it could be a movie made for TV, but then becomes more real again - perhaps due to the believable relationships between the characters, and good performances.
This film is often forgotten nowadays, but if you can, I recommend watching it.
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