In a film that includes Nicolas Cage playing the main henchmen for a drug kingpin, it’s somehow Laurence Fishburne who gives the most out-there performance as a sleazy, small time drug trafficker. The film in question is Running With The Devil, a crime thriller from writer/director, Jason Cabell. Following a group of characters who are never named (referred to only as nicknames such as The Boss, The Cook, The Executioner, etc.), the film explores the various roles each person plays as the supply chain for the cartel is audited after a compromised shipment. But as federal agents begin to take notice of their operation, the network starts breaking down.
The film takes its time setting all the pieces and characters in place. We see The Cook (Nicolas Cage) doing some of his work at a restaurant before getting a call from The Boss (Barry Pepper) that about some concerns with a recent shipment. We meet The Farmer (Clifton Collins Jr.), and his family, who are helping out with the crops that will used for the drugs. There’s also The Snitch (Adam Goldberg), who does…exactly that after being caught with blow and two overdosed hookers that he was trying to dispose of at the request of The Man (Laurence Fishburne). And on top of all that, and more, is The Agent In Charge (Leslie Bibb), leading the investigation against the cartel.
As the plot moves forward, and the web of characters keep shifting and changing, it’s clear that Cabell is fascinated by the bureaucracy of it all. The process, the fail-safes, the tests, all the detailed steps taken by these kinds of organizations from making to smuggling to distributing the drugs. There are even points In the film where we track the progress of certain characters on a map like something out of an Indiana Jones film. It’s easy to get swept up in it, especially in how swift, and competently done a lot of the actions are, even if they are rooted in something terrible.
The structure kind of reminds me of something like Guy Ritchie’s early gangster movies with their intricate plotting and countless characters. Although, tonally, this is far from those. Running With The Devil is – for the most part – a humorless exercise, but what hurts its storytelling more is the lack of energy and momentum from scene to scene. While the stakes are really high, and the film is quick to kill off people who make regrettable mistakes, that sense of urgency is never really felt, with the exception of a few moments in the final act.
The performances are solid. The only issue that arises is that given how stoic and professional most of the characters are, it makes characterization wear out a bit thin. There’s not a whole lot for them to work with, but they do make the most out of what they have. Even Cage is mellow and soft spoken in this. It’s why Fishburne and to a lesser extent Goldberg stand out because there’s a little more room for them to play around and have fun with throughout the film, something most of the other actors aren’t really afforded.
Running With The Devil is a perfectly serviceable crime film. It’s competently put together, the actors are fine, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. There’s not a lot I can point to, and say, “that’s bad,” but there’s also not a lot going on under the surface either. It’s a watchable, but forgettable film that doesn’t lean on some of the more adventurous and fun impulses that it seems to be inspired by, which is a shame since it’s helmed confidently, there’s clearly a lot of research put into the details, and there appears to be a relatively sizable budget to warrant more exploration. But it does ultimately get the job done, which – oddly enough – feels perfectly appropriate for this film.