You Can’t Run Forever movie storyline. Miranda, a young woman already suffering from acute anxiety due to a past tragedy, faces a new terror when a serial killer chooses her as his new target. In a harrowing hunt through the woods, Miranda finds strength she never knew she had as she tries to elude her murderous tracker. Academy Award® winner J.K. Simmons stars in a spine-chilling thriller about the strength of family and the astonishing power of the human spirit.
You Can’t Run Forever (formerly titled The Woods) is an upcoming American thriller film written by Carolyn Carpenter and Michelle Schumacher, directed by Schumacher and starring J. K. Simmons. The film was released in the United States on May 17, 2024.
Film Review for You Can’t Run Forever
eteran actor JK Simmons (Whiplash) is the main reason to watch this basic horror-thriller, which isn’t as horrific or thrilling as one might hope. Simmons plays Wade, a cold-as-ice killer on a rampage, who kicks off the action by shooting some random people at a gas station. One of whom asks: “Why are you doing this?”; Wade’s response is: “Does it matter?”
This could have stood up as an interesting moment of frank nihilistic confession on behalf of a movie genre that loves to invent motivations for maniacs when it probably doesn’t need to bother; most of these kinds of films are about the thrill of the chase, and nobody really cares why the killer is a killer. It’s only a shame that this particular example just isn’t quite as thrilling as it should be.
The setting is promising; apart from Wade, our main characters are a troubled teen with tragedy in her past, a pregnant mum juggling her daughter’s trauma and impending new arrival, and a well-meaning stepdad hoping to do his bit to knit his new family together. And Wade does everything right, in terms of giving good cinema murder: he kills at random without remorse, he rides a Terminator-style motorbike while wearing Terminator-style sunglasses, he’s persistent and goal-oriented, and he has a creepy vibe.
The playbook is dutifully ticked off and Simmons commits to the role, but ironically for a film largely dedicated to predatory pursuit, it lacks the forward momentum and suspense needed to elevate it. Even the violence seems a bit half-hearted – not so much in terms of the actors’ commitment, but the physical staging. There are a few decent ideas here: we may not quite buy our protagonist, Miranda ( Fernanda Urrejola), ingesting magic mushrooms mid-pursuit, but once she has, the resulting trip provides a bit of variety. But the film is thrown off track when it decides to delve into Wade’s backstory in the second half; whatever happened to “Does it matter?”
You Can’t Run Forever (2024)
Directed by: Michelle Schumacher
Starring: J. K. Simmons, Allen Leech, Fernanda Urrejola, Isabelle Anaya, Olivia Simmons, Max Garfin, Nathan Vincenti, Michael Spears, Andres Velez, Kevin Quinn, June Clemons, Beau Linnell
Screenplay by: Carolyn Carpenter, Michelle Schumacher
Production Design by: Jordan Crockett
Cinematography by: Pietro Villani
Film Editing by: Evan Ahlgren
Costume Design by: Greg LaVoi
Set Decoration by: Mily Moreno
Art Direction by: Felicia Maunu
Music by: Joe Simmons
MPAA Rating: R for violent content including suicide, language, drug use and brief sexual content.
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Release Date: May 17, 2024
Views: 36
