Carl (Bruce Campbell) is serving a ten-year prison sentence but he gets out in five.  He’s met outside the prison by his old criminal partner. Patrick (Jeremy Roberts).  After Carl makes up for lost time with a prostitute named Janie (Anita Barone), he and Patrick try to rob the prison’s laundry system.  Carl’s spent most of his time in prison carefully plotting out the heist but he didn’t take into account that his old criminal crew is made up of incompetents.

Running Time is only 70 minutes long and the film’s story plays out in real-time.  The movie itself is edited in such a way to create the impression that it was all shot in one continuous take.  It’s gimmicky but, like the film’s noir-style black-and-white cinematography, it works, creating a narrative the feels relentless.  It also makes it clear that Campbell’s Carl is a true career criminal.  He’s not out of prison for more than a handful of minutes before he’s trying to pull his next heist.  Crime is all that Carl really know, which makes his dilemma at the end of the movie (Janie or the money?) very effective.

Running Time is basically a showcase for Bruce Campbell.  Director Josh Becker was a longtime friend and associate of Sam Raimi’s and started his feature career as a production assistant on The Evil Dead.   Running Time feels like it was made with Campbell in mind and Carl is a character who plays to all of Campbell’s strengths.  It’s the perfect film for Campbell’s style of acting and Campbell is just as good when he’s planning the heist as when he’s arguing with Janie about the way that he treated her when they were both in high school together.  (His scenes with the excellent Anita Barone are some of the best in the movie.)  Running Time features Bruce Campbell at his best.