This movie took a lot of liberties with its plot; such that it would've been better as a comedy.
Charlie Farrow (Patrick Dempsey) was an extremely good or extremely lucky poker player. While on his way to Atlantic City he gets introduced to an illegal backroom casino where he tries his hand at poker there. He was cleaning up, but one player couldn't accept losing: Denny Halloran (Alan C. Peterson). He hated losing so much that he was going to physically make Charlie continue playing. In his attempts to corral Charlie he tripped, hit his head and died. This was witnessed by no less than a dozen people.
Now here's where it gets shoddy. Instead of people calling the paramedics, they all begin to panic and attempt to detain Charlie. Why? Because Denny Halloran is the son of Matt Halloran (Ken Pogue), a local mob boss. The word gets to daddy Halloran that his son is dead and--because criminals don't reason very well--father wants Charlie dead. He has worked it into his mind that Charlie either killed his son or was the direct cause of his son's death, and for that Charlie must die. Now Charlie must run.
Come to find out that Big Halloran runs the entire Podunk town of Sawtucket, or Pawtucket, or whatever the place was called, so Charlie has no where to run or hide. He is incapable of escaping this one-horse town which seems to have a police chopper at its disposal and no end to corrupt cops. Charlie's running takes him all over while crooked cops and gangsters chase him with guns ablazing.
When I watched this movie back in the early 90's I thought it was cool. Watching it again almost 30 years later all I can think is, "Why, when I saw this I didn't just run?"
Charlie Farrow (Patrick Dempsey) was an extremely good or extremely lucky poker player. While on his way to Atlantic City he gets introduced to an illegal backroom casino where he tries his hand at poker there. He was cleaning up, but one player couldn't accept losing: Denny Halloran (Alan C. Peterson). He hated losing so much that he was going to physically make Charlie continue playing. In his attempts to corral Charlie he tripped, hit his head and died. This was witnessed by no less than a dozen people.
Now here's where it gets shoddy. Instead of people calling the paramedics, they all begin to panic and attempt to detain Charlie. Why? Because Denny Halloran is the son of Matt Halloran (Ken Pogue), a local mob boss. The word gets to daddy Halloran that his son is dead and--because criminals don't reason very well--father wants Charlie dead. He has worked it into his mind that Charlie either killed his son or was the direct cause of his son's death, and for that Charlie must die. Now Charlie must run.
Come to find out that Big Halloran runs the entire Podunk town of Sawtucket, or Pawtucket, or whatever the place was called, so Charlie has no where to run or hide. He is incapable of escaping this one-horse town which seems to have a police chopper at its disposal and no end to corrupt cops. Charlie's running takes him all over while crooked cops and gangsters chase him with guns ablazing.
When I watched this movie back in the early 90's I thought it was cool. Watching it again almost 30 years later all I can think is, "Why, when I saw this I didn't just run?"