We are very excited to announce two acknowledgments for Smash and Run from screenplay contests:
Smash and Run is a Semi Finalist in the 2022 Emerging Screenplays Action/Adventure Screenplay contest. This is very exciting, and they had this to say:
Smash and Run is a lively script that features a lot of action and in ways a general audience might find to be very unique and exciting. The parkour movement is growing strong and yielding a consider number of artists/athletes who continue to wow and amaze as it comes to some wildly creative ‘freerun’ style stunts. The writer is truly tapped into the movement.
Conceptually speaking, there’s a lot to embrace here. No one has really done a full-on parkour movie. As the writer mentioned in the logline this is basically Fast and Furious but on foot and, well, that sums it up very well.
So, like Fast and Furious, the action really steps up and the driving, or in this case the running, sequences are the heart of the story. It almost feels as though, perhaps, too much is happening from scene to scene but as it comes to good action scripts that’s all but expected. We like how well the writer seems to be in tune with this sport and how it all plays out on the page.
The writer takes on a number of relatable themes. We love how Falco is always on the losing end of his races and that this is basically due to a weakness or fear which is an interesting and effective choice as it concerns parkour runners. Generally speaking, fear doesn’t seem to be a part of their make-up.
And yet, here it is. Falco has a fear of heights, and it stumps him, limits him, keeps him from reaching his goals. This choice really adds some depth to both his character and the story. As well, it makes him very relatable which is important considering how very unique his unique skillset is.
Smash and Run also won the 2023 Capital Fund Screenplay Competition Hot 100! Here’s some of what they had to say:
SMASH AND RUN is a family friendly, action packed coming of age story. We follow FALCO and the K TOWN TRACERS, as they use their love of Parkour to catch a gang of robbers terrorizing the family jewel business. Along the way, Falco must confront his own pride, and fear of taking big leaps, to take down the bad guys, and prove to his family he is not a reject.
The opening scene reels us into the action, as we follow two perpetrators, fluidly gliding through the skies of LA, until they hit a target electronics shop and rob them clean. I also think the introduction to our underdog protagonist Falco is strong. Falco is a parkour loving teen stuck between two lives, gaining respect and safety on the streets, while behaving for his conservative, self-righteous family. He finds himself at odds with both sides, wishing to rebel from his cop step-brother, while trying to stop the street rats who rob his family’s store. Imagine if DOPE met a group of PARKOUR ATHLETES, and that gives us SMASH AND RUN.
I also love the precise location of Koreatown in LA, and how the film captures the beauty of this niche area, as well as the culture that comes with it. I appreciate how the characters fall
into clear, contrasting archetypes. For example, I love our antagonist EVA CRUZ OTSOA, a thug turned councilwoman, who uses her newfound power to protect her criminal kids, extort money, and feed into the family corruption. Though on the exterior she appears warm and in favor of LA progression, beneath that persona she is selfish and beguiling. The same can be said for FATHER G, who despite his Church position, is a pro-capitalist businessman with his hand in a number of crooked cookie jars. Though their career roles suggest they are heroes, in this story, these power hungry people are where evil hides.
We hope you’re as excited as we are by these reviews!
Ian Max Eyre
Smash and Run - Movie and Comic 