Run with the Hunted

An urban tale of lost innocence, writer-director John Swab’s film is operatic in emotion, Shakespearean in tone and epic in ambition. Young Oscar is running from a dangerous past and lands among a gang of young pickpockets. He eventually becomes their surrogate father, teaching his brood honor among thieves. But the stakes are high and betrayal is always lurking. When a woman from the old days arrives, Oscar must confront the flawed code that rules his life. Run with the Hunted is a sweeping drama that is both stirring and unsettling. We meet an ensemble cast of dangerous but compelling — and sympathetic — characters, led by the oddly paternal Birdie (veteran actor Ron Perlman). Cinematography deftly captures the look and feel of the amoral landscape they inhabit. This film grabs your gut from the start and never lets go. (Woodstock Film Festival)