AllMovie

This early-1980's b-movie delivers the expected goods and also weaves in a few surprises. Running Hot is especially interesting for this kind of film because of the ambition that writer/director Mark Griffiths has applied to the task at hand. The romanticized "misunderstood outlaw" premise is familiar stuff to fans of drive-in filmmaking and the plotting and dialogue have some rough edges but Griffiths makes his scenario feel fresh by investing it with unusually strong, well-developed characterizations and plenty of quirky details. As a director, he does a great job of conveying the atmosphere of the film's different settings -- a stretch of the film set at a massage parlor is particularly convincing in its seedy atmosphere -- and he gives the story a heartfelt quality that lends it unexpected heft. Griffiths is aided considerably in the latter department by excellent performances from a young Eric Stoltz and Monica Carrico: neither actor shies away from the flaws of the characters they play but both also invest plenty of charm and sincere emotion into their roles to create a duo the audience can cheer for. There is also memorable work from Stuart Margolin, who is convincingly scary as an initially decent cop who becomes a monster due to his desire for revenge. To sum up, Running Hot is definitely a b-movie but it's also better than you might expect in most areas.