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Running with the Devil

Running with the Devil is a written and directed by Cabell in his feature directorial debut. The story follows the CEO of a who dispatches his most trusted and to a compromised shipment from its South American origins through the , examining the chain of individuals involved in the narcotics trade. Starring as the enigmatic "Cook," a key operative in the operation, the film also features as a agent pursuing the cartel, as the ruthless "Executioner," as the cartel boss, and as another official. The film explores the global cocaine supply chain, depicting scenes from Colombian fields to urban American streets, while highlighting the moral ambiguities and violent consequences faced by those entangled in the drug trade. Produced on a modest , Running with the Devil received a in the United States on September 20, 2019, distributed by . It grossed $111,218 worldwide. Critically, the film received mixed to negative reviews, with a 25% approval from critics on based on 24 reviews, who criticized its clichéd narrative and uneven pacing despite praising Cage's committed performance. Audience reception was slightly more favorable, earning a 37% score on the site. The movie later became available for streaming on platforms like , broadening its reach beyond theaters.

Synopsis

Plot

The film opens with a violent scene in which a naked man is untied in a , forced outside, bound to a post, and set ablaze, an event later revealed to be the execution of a key member. The narrative then shifts to the origins of a shipment in rural , where The Farmer and his wife harvest leaves, chew them to extract paste, and process it into raw bricks, which they deliver to local handlers for $1,000 per kilo. This pure product marks the start of a that will multiply in value over 30 times by the time it reaches street dealers in . In , The Boss, the cartel's CEO, grows concerned over a compromised shipment causing deadly overdoses on the streets, as users are dying from an unknown contaminant mixed into the . He dispatches The Cook, a mid-level operative and owner responsible for , to trace the problem back through the entire , accompanied by The Executioner, a brutal tasked with eliminating any threats. Parallel to this, The Agent in Charge, a determined official, is driven by personal tragedy: the overdose death of her sister, who left behind a young daughter now in her care after the girl discovered her parents' bodies following a tainted dose. The Agent interrogates low-level players, including a young known as The Snitch, who agrees to cooperate by planting a tracking device on the next shipment in exchange for leniency. The shipment's journey unfolds across continents: from The Farmer's delivery in , it is smuggled via backpack mules through jungles, loaded onto boats to , , parachuted into in the United States, and finally transported northward by and truck toward . The contamination originates with , The Cook's reckless associate and a heavy user himself, who experiments by cutting the with and to boost its potency and profits, inadvertently causing a string of fatalities, including two prostitutes who overdose during a private party. Panicked, enlists The Snitch to dispose of the , but the boy is arrested and flips, alerting The Agent to the adulterated load. As The Cook and The Executioner retrace the route southward, they uncover the tracking device en route, leading The Cook to execute The Snitch in a remote confrontation while The Agent's team narrowly escapes. The duo presses on, navigating double-crosses, checkpoints, and robberies that highlight the perilous of the , with the drug's value escalating dramatically at each border. Meanwhile, The Man, handling the final leg to , deliberately sabotages The Cook during a river crossing by cutting his rope, presuming him drowned to claim the shipment solo; The Cook survives but emerges crippled and vengeful. The storylines converge in a bloody climax back in . The Man delivers the drugs to The Boss but is dispatched to supervise production at the source, where The Executioner ambushes and imprisons him in a brutal mirroring the film's opening. The Cook, limping but resolute, arrives to expose The Man's betrayal and tampering; he directs The Executioner to douse The Man in and ignite him, avenging the near-death and securing the cartel's purity standards. The , having tailed the , witnesses the immolation from afar and relays the , fueling her pursuit. In the aftermath, The Cook retires to his everyday life, but The confronts him at his ; sensing the end, he accepts his fate as she shoots him point-blank. The film's non-linear structure intercuts these arcs—the shipment's , The Agent's , and the operatives' descents—to build , culminating in a that underscores the drug trade's unrelenting persistence, as a mid-credits scene shows The Farmer resuming his harvest uninterrupted.

Themes

Running with the Devil delves into the moral ambiguities of the international drug trade, presenting a where no character emerges as a clear or , as nearly everyone involved is implicated in the and corruption. The examines personal accountability through its portrayal of individuals at various levels of the supply chain, from producers to enforcers and , each facing ethical dilemmas that highlight the blurred lines between necessity and in illegal enterprises. This approach avoids overt moralizing, instead allowing the consequences of their choices to underscore the pervasive ethical gray areas in such operations. Central to the film's exploration is corporate complicity in and the dehumanizing effects of the industry, depicted as a sprawling, inefficient yet relentless global system that amplifies the drug's value from $1,000 per kilo in Colombian fields to exponentially higher prices in urban markets. This "Rube Goldbergian" machine grinds down human lives, transforming participants into or victims without regard for their , as evidenced by abrupt scenes of intense where life holds little value to those in power. The traces how a single compromised shipment ripples outward, destroying lives across countries from to and revealing the industry's broad, insidious reach. Redemption through sacrifice emerges subtly, particularly in the agent's pursuit driven by the overdose of a member, offering a to the trade's by emphasizing personal stakes and the quest for amid overwhelming systemic forces. Visual motifs, including the recurring animated map that charts the cocaine's journey, symbolize isolation in the vast of the trade and the over unpredictable outcomes. The structure further amplifies these ideas, interconnecting diverse characters defined by functional titles like "The Cook" and "The Executioner" rather than personal names, which illustrates the loss of individuality and the entangled fates within the dehumanizing framework of illegal enterprises.

Development

Writing and concept

Jason Cabell, a retired Navy SEAL with over two decades of service who collaborated with the during operations in , infused the screenplay for Running with the Devil with insights drawn from his firsthand encounters with international drug trafficking. These experiences shaped the film's depiction of the cocaine trade as a relentless, impersonal machine, emphasizing procedural authenticity over individual backstories to highlight the global scale and moral ambiguity of the narcotics underworld. Cabell penned the script in 2017 as his feature directorial debut, initially pitching it to producers as a taut ensemble thriller exploring the interconnected fates of players in a compromised drug shipment. Development spanned from mid-2017 through pre-production, with key collaborators refining the narrative to balance high-stakes action and thematic depth. The project's momentum built toward principal photography in early 2018, culminating in a 2019 release. Central to the film's concept is its multi-perspective structure, which traces a single consignment from South American origins to North American streets through a chain of anonymous archetypes—such as The Farmer, The Cook, and The Executioner—rather than named protagonists. This approach, designed to universalize the drug trade's dehumanizing effects, echoes ensemble-driven explorations of systemic vice while prioritizing the shipment's perilous path as the narrative core.

Casting

In March 2018, the casting for Running with the Devil was announced, with attached to star as The Cook in writer-director Jason Cabell's feature debut. The role drew Cage to the project, attracted by its intense exploration of a drug cartel's operations, informed by Cabell's personal experiences as a former involved in anti-drug trafficking efforts in , specifically . Laurence Fishburne was cast as The Man, a trusted enforcer for the cartel, drawing on his established portrayals of commanding authority figures in films such as . Leslie Bibb joined as Agent in Charge, the leader of the DEA investigation, selected for her versatile dramatic performances in prior thrillers. Supporting roles filled out the ensemble, with Barry Pepper chosen as The Boss, the head of the cartel, for his rugged, grounded screen presence seen in action dramas like . Cole Hauser and Clifton Collins Jr. portrayed key cartel figures—the Executioner and The Farmer, respectively—their selections emphasizing physical intensity suitable for the high-stakes confrontations in the script. This approach ensured the ensemble's cohesion, enhancing the narrative's focus on interconnected fates within the drug trade.

Production

Filming

for Running with the Devil began in March 2018, primarily in to capture urban and desert environments simulating parts of the film's South American settings. Specific locations in Albuquerque included the Albuquerque Publishing Company, City Hall, El Rey Theater, and Posh Night Club for urban scenes. To achieve authenticity for the story's elements, additional filming took place in , . The overall schedule aligned with the film's modest production scale, wrapping later in 2018 ahead of its 2019 release. The film was produced by Patriot Pictures, Redbox Entertainment, and Saturn Films.

The phase of Running with the Devil (2019) was overseen by editor Jordan Goldman, who handled the assembly of the film's multi-threaded narrative tracing a shipment's path through various international links. Goldman's work focused on maintaining a taut structure amid the ensemble cast's interwoven roles, drawing from completed in early 2018 across , . Reshoots were conducted, allowing for a refinement process that wrapped prior to the film's festival premiere in September 2019. Sound design was crafted by T.J. , incorporating foley elements to enhance the of violent sequences and the drug trade operations, complemented by dialogue editing from Joan Rowe. The original score, composed by , featured tense, atmospheric percussion and electronic motifs to underscore the high-stakes tension in cartel scenes, building on Heil's prior experience with thrillers like Land of the Dead (). Foley artists Aaron Bartscht and Lyndsey Schenk contributed custom audio for environmental and action elements, such as realistic impacts during confrontations. Visual effects were limited but targeted, provided by Aaron Sims Creative under coordinator Aaron Sims, primarily for bullet impacts, environmental enhancements in remote settings, and subtle integrations to support the gritty realism without overt spectacle. desaturated the palette to evoke a bleak, unforgiving tone across the film's diverse locales, from Colombian jungles to urban shadows. Digital compositors like Yann Bazz and Duolin Ge handled for these effects. This phase ensured the film's technical cohesion, aligning with director Jason Cabell's vision of a procedural informed by his background. The film has a runtime of 100 minutes.

Release

Distribution

acquired U.S. rights to Running with the Devil as part of its launch slate in May , marking one of the company's inaugural releases. The distributor opted for a limited theatrical rollout on September 20, , concurrent with video-on-demand availability, targeting a niche for rather than a . Internationally, the film secured deals for select markets, including a wide release in on October 24, 2019, under the title Кокаиновый барон, and in on November 29, 2019, as Kokaino baronas. In the , it received a DVD release on December 20, 2019, through Spirit Entertainment, while saw availability primarily via streaming platforms. By 2020, Running with the Devil expanded to streaming services like in various regions, broadening its global reach beyond initial theatrical windows. As of November 2025, it is available for streaming on platforms including , , and . The rollout avoided premieres at major film festivals, instead featuring private screenings such as the Los Angeles event at the Writers Guild Theater on September 16, 2019. For home media, Quiver partnered with Entertainment in November 2019, leading to a DVD and Blu-ray release on January 14, 2020, alongside ongoing digital purchase and rental options that further expanded consumer access.

Marketing

The marketing campaign for Running with the Devil centered on leveraging Nicolas Cage's star power to generate buzz for the independent crime thriller, with handling promotion ahead of its September 20, , theatrical and VOD release. The official trailer debuted on August 8, , showcasing Cage's intense portrayal of a methodical amid the film's gritty depiction of the trade, including scenes of violence and high-stakes chases; it was distributed primarily through and channels to reach genre enthusiasts. Promotional posters featured stark, shadowy images of the lead actors—, , and others—posed in tense configurations against a dark backdrop, accompanied by the "Two runners. One mission. Zero chance," and were advertised online and in print media targeting fans and thriller aficionados. Quiver partnered with video-on-demand services for exclusive early previews and a day-and-date release strategy, while limited merchandise efforts included a digital soundtrack release; press junkets in September 2019 involved director Jason Cabell and cast members like and Fishburne at events such as the Beverly Hills premiere. Given the film's modest budget, the campaign prioritized cost-effective over expansive traditional , aiming to build appeal through targeted online engagement rather than broad blockbuster-style hype.

Reception

Critical response

Running with the Devil received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who praised certain performances while criticizing the film's narrative structure and originality. On , the film holds a 25% approval based on reviews, with the consensus stating it is "a dull, affair that unfortunately wastes the talents of its high-profile ." On , it scores 42 out of 100 based on seven critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews." User reviews on average 5.4 out of 10 from over 11,000 s, reflecting similarly divided opinions. Critics frequently highlighted strong individual performances as a highlight, particularly Nicolas Cage's committed portrayal of The Cook, a key figure in the drug supply chain, described as operating in a "wry, world-weary mode." Laurence 's authoritative presence as The was also commended, with one review noting, "As long as the movie sticks with Fishburne it’s a blast," for his commanding depiction of the cartel . Director 's authentic depiction of drug operations, informed by his background as a former advisor on the Colombian drug trade, was appreciated for providing an educational glimpse into the industry's mechanics without overt moralizing. praised the 's visual style as "good-looking and accomplished on all tech and design levels," crediting on-location shooting for its effective portrayal of global settings. However, the film's overly convoluted drew significant for juggling multiple storylines and perspectives, resulting in a disjointed pace. Reviewers pointed out its reliance on clichéd plotting typical of drug trade s, with one noting it "jumbles together too many storylines, drug clichés, [and] flat characters." Female characters, such as those played by , were often described as underdeveloped, contributing to a lack of depth in the ensemble. Tonal inconsistencies between elements, dark , and were also flagged, exacerbating the sense of incoherence despite the cast's efforts. In niche action-thriller communities, garnered some praise for its gritty realism in exploring the supply line, though this did not elevate its broader critical standing.

Box office and financials

The film had a U.S. theatrical release across 15 screens, grossing $69,924 domestically and $59,730 internationally, for a worldwide total of $129,654. Significant revenue came from and home media sales, bolstered by Cage's draw as a star in the space.

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