A Run for Money (1999)

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

A Brilliant Conflict

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

In this year's KVIFF, there were special screenings of Turkish director Reha Erdem's films, whom I have known little about, so this film serves properly as an introductory piece. The film is a modern-day parable and the thematic target "money" has been under the lash for the story of an upright man's life turns upside down after he inadvertently acquires a bag of windfall. Enjoyably the film follows a strictly engaging narrative, chronically recounts the cause and effect of the psychological swings which is slowly but deadly eroding one's normal life and dramatically impairing one's moral conscience. Although there is an obvious moralizing route going on throughout, the building-up of the tension has been relentlessly effective, a three-way chasing in the ferry is complacently done. Leading man Taner Birsel has a wooden appearance at first, but his bookish image has managed to be a perfect template of the story, all in all, his average-joe rendition is more convincing and edifying. Zuhal Gencer, stars as the lonely-temptress-next-the-door, but in a very derogatory manner, who is not only ridiculous but miserable as well. When the final repercussions suddenly swoop in out of nowhere, it feels like a "wonderful surprise", as a dooming coda cannot be evaded, what about a wholesome breakdown? It may be the perfect outlet after a series of lies which cannot be amended. Anyway, the film is a delightful and hold-it-together triumph despite of its slightly orthodox notion, it's a tough call to assess the values of "money is the worst of all evils", since the double-edged theory is dominating our mainstream societies now, A RUN FOR MONEY could be a bold criticizer, and what's more important is its ripple effect may at least give some remedy to some radical money-seekers.

Up and coming Turkish director and writer Reha Erdem took to the international festival circuit to win wide critical acclaim and a sadly missed opportunity to represent his country at the 73rd Academy Awards with this compelling sophomore feature that deserves a much wider audience than it has thus far manage to find.Unknown actor Taner Birsel gives a wonderfully nuanced and carefully judged central performance as an inconceivably honest man torn apart by his own misguided actions in the corrupt and corrupting city on the Bosporus that itself becomes the menacing villain of a movie with no other apparent external protagonist to drive the story along.The fledgling filmmaker manages to maintain an almost unbearable level of tension that he continues to ratchet up right to the bitter and twisted end of this epic battle of wills between a humble man and the painfully rendered city that represents everything he despises and yet is doomed to become despite his valiant efforts of defiance.I fell down on my own.

This is a compelling and gripping film. The plot is strong and intelligent and it develops very well. At its most obvious, it is an interesting exploration of how people and society can become obsessed with money and how this obsession can take over a person and lead to tragedy.It also deals with a theme, less obvious, of how one's own choices can change one's life and how one can, out of one's own doing, bring about either one's own salvation or one's own destruction. The main character is constantly faced with choices and it is his decision each time that moves the plot along. He repeatedly is faced with a decision that could radically alter the outcome, leading to salvation or deeper into tragedy. The film is all the more fascinating because, aside from the money, there are essentially no outside forces working on the main character, the outside forces bring only choices that he must face and each time it is entirely within his power to choose either way. He essentially chooses his own fate every time leading himself all on his own down the path of trouble.The film is expertly crafted, with great cinematography, directing, plot development, and acting. As a result, it is extremely compelling and convincing, and the characters are real, evoking strong empathy, sympathy, understanding, anger, and frustration. The film grips one so much that I didn't relax a muscle throughout the whole thing, as I was enveloped in the tension of the film, even though it is not "action-packed" at all.Moreover, the film convincingly shows how a "normal" person, basically honest but uptight about money already, might react to an event like this. It beautifully portrays the way the fear and uncertainty over his decision in such a chance event eat away at the main character, gradually pushing him deeper to a mental and emotional breaking point, and eroding his very sanity. The film portrays this breakdown wonderfully.This is a movie that is so effective and powerful that it stays with the viewer long after it's over.

5 years ago, i heard a lot about Kac Para Kac but i couldn't watch until last night. There are no words can tell, except perfect. Acting, lights, Istanbul , story and music are excellent. I think this movie has great and suprising ending. The relationship between the actor and money is interesting. He always carry his money somewhere to somewhere and count them and at least eat 100$!! This is what people feel about money exactly. It's true but it hurts you when you are watching. I was very suprised when i thought that how could a piece of paper has so importance. Actor like Dostoyevski's one of heros. He has double characters, everyone knows him honest and reliable person and he is so until he has half million $ by coencidence. My rating 10 / 10