My review was written in December 1983 after a screening at Anco theater on Manhattan's 42nd St.
"On the Run" is an old-fashioned, entertaining 1982 Aussie action picture for which there seems no discernible audience. B-movie fans will eventually catch up with the simple pleasures of this well-made but minor opus after its unheralded current theatrical release.
Surefire (but antiquated) formula rests upon the power of a cute young waif to soften a crusty, self-absorbed man. Protagonists this go-around are Paul Winfield as Harry, a U. S. escaped convict living in Australia who has to care for young Paul (Beau Cox), an orphaned boy from New Caledonia who only speaks French. The two are thrown together (in action-chase format) when Harry's employer, international hit man Payette (Rod Taylor), who is Paul's uncle, threatens to kill the boy when he witnesses a killing.
Travelling amidst scenic sites in the environs of Sydney, twosome is befriended by a dwarf car salesman en route to an exciting climax staged atop a mountainside pinnacle.
Acting by Winfield is firstrate and should ensure U. S. tv interest in this vehicle. Cox is endearing as the youngster, but Taylor is not very convincing as the ultra-ruthless killer. Equal billing problem is neatly solved by placing Winfield and Taylor's names on screen in the form of a cross before the title card. Tech credits are adequate for a low-budgeter, Mende Brown's first feature film after producing the Anthony Quayle-hosted syndicated series, "The Evil Touch", a decade earlier.
