Matt Rindini’s short drama suffers mainly because of its short format. And I mean that as a compliment because I really like the concept for “The Runaround Club,” but feel it’s a good short film that could transform in to a great dramatic thriller. It could work as a film about a crisis of conscience with two criminals, both of whom see a family committed to a more dead end life than their own. It could almost be like “The Desperate Hours” meets “The Ref” sans the comedy.
On its own, “The Runaround Club” is a fine short thriller with a lot more time needed to extrapolate on conflict and inner turmoil. When we first meet Lucas and Sam, they’re driving in a car with a wounded man named Jack who wonders if they know his daughters at all. We then go backwards in to the narrative, to meet the pair of criminals again, both of whom break in to a house to steal possessions from the owners. Little do they know the house they’re in is owned by an older man who is possessive and very violent with his two daughters. With Sam now in the clutches of the intimidating and violent dad, and Lucas hiding in the basement, the pair have to decide if they want to cut and run, or help out the two grown women hopelessly victim to their dad’s volatile personality.
As I mentioned, this is a feature length narrative squeezed in to a fifteen minute short film, and I’d love to see this re-visited someday. It could translate in to an uneasy and compelling film about broken families, psychological prisoners, and overbearing fathers. On its own though, “The Runaround Club” is a solid short film with tight direction from Rindini and great performances all around. In particular John Depew is very good as the violent Jack, whose hold on his family is mysterious, but very tough to defeat. Rindini knows how to create a very claustrophobic and seemingly bleak drama and I like the implications in the final scene. “The Runaround Club” is a tight and entertaining short film with Rindini and writer Andrew Gleeson really invoking a premise that deserves an audience.