Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
The Popes are a family who haven't been able to use their real identity for years. In the late sixties, the parents set a weapons lab afire in an effort to hinder the government's Vietnam war campaign. Ever since then, the Popes have been on the run with the authorities never far behind. Their survival is threatened when their eldest son falls in love with a girl, and announces his wish to live his life on his own terms.
Running on Empty is a quietly exceptional drama built on a genuinely distinctive premise — a family permanently displaced by 1960s radical activism, navigating identity, sacrifice, and love while perpetually on the run. Sidney Lumet directs with restraint and emotional intelligence, and the ensemble cast, including River Phoenix (in one of his finest performances), Judd Hirsch, and Christine Lahti, delivers deeply felt, naturalistic acting that ranks among the best of late-80s American cinema. The plot elegantly interweaves the political past with an achingly personal present, particularly in the subplot of Danny's musical talent and his desire for a 'normal' life. Cinematography is competent and intimate but not visually distinctive — Lumet's workmanlike style serves the story without elevating it. The ending is emotionally resonant but purposefully understated and slightly unresolved, which suits the film's ethos but leaves some threads hanging in a way that feels less triumphant than earned ambiguity. Novelty is high: the film's specific milieu and the moral complexity of its parental figures make it truly singular in American drama of its era.