Is ‘Run, Hide, Fight’ based on a real story? Delve inside the controversy

The term “lockdown” takes on a whole new meaning in Run Hide Fight, different than what many of us have been used to during this global pandemic, as the film deals with the heavy topic that we’re all but unfamiliar with . . . a mass school shooting. 

Run Hide Fight is distributed by the popular American conservative website The Daily Wire, a site which typically delves into politics. The film had its world premiere at the 2020 Venice Film Festival last September, and debuted on The Daily Wire platform on January 14th, 2021. 

While the film features the talent of some notable actors, Run Hide Fight may be a film many viewers decide to skip, given its difficult subject matter seemingly inspired by multiple tragic real-life events. Equally, it’s not the only controversy surrounding Run Hide Fight, as the film’s producer also has an interesting backstory worth looking into. 

Run Hide Fight

Run Hide Fight is directed by Kyle Rankin (Infestation) and features actor Thomas Jane (2004’s The Punisher, Deep Blue Sea) as the father of Zoe Hull (Isabel May), who’s dealing with the death of her mother which is causing a strain in the relationship between her & her father.  

While Zoe is dealing with other problems related to high school, like dodging her best friend’s Prom invite, a van crashes into the school’s cafeteria, armed with four gunmen who are on a mission of their own. Zoe, who manages to escape in a variety of creative ways, does her best impression of John McClane in Die Hard and maneuvers others in the school to safety as she attempts to deal with the shooters herself.

Utilizing the lessons of her father as well as her background in hunting, Zoe tries her best to not only prove to the shooters that they’re in for a reckoning but to also prove to herself that she’s stronger than she believes in the process. 

Too close to home

While Run Hide Fight isn’t by any means a retelling of one specific incident involving a school shooting, the film clearly takes note of some of the more notorious school shooting tragedies in American history, making the subject matter almost too difficult to deal with for some audiences.

Run Hide Fight, while perhaps not intentional, serves as a reminder of the devastating real-life school shooting incidents of America’s past, including the tragic incidents such as the 1999 Columbine High School shootings, the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shootings, the 2018 Santa Fe High School shootings, and dozens of others.

The film, however, isn’t the first project that’s tried focusing on the topic of a school shooting. The 2003 film by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) titled Elephant also deals with the idea of students who seize the school, filled with classmates & teachers at the mercy of automatic guns. 

Run Hide Fight controversy

As previously mentioned, the film is being distributed by the rightwing news website The Daily Wire, operated by political analyst Ben Shapiro who has had a controversial past regarding on-record statements he’s made about the LGBTQ community. 

Run Hide Fight is also produced by Dallas Sonnier, who’s part of the Cinestate production team, a Dallas-based movie studio notably connected to Cinestate producing partner, Adam Donaghey, who was arrested in 2020 on suspicion of the sexual assault of a minor. 

Apparently, Dallas Sonnier has a noted history of turning a blind eye when it comes to inappropriate or even predatory behaviors on the sets of his films. A variety of costume fitters, production assistants, and other Cinestate staff members have come forward in the past with testimonies regarding sexual assault from lead actors & higher-ups, with Sonnier seemingly protecting those who have been accused. 

The film, which by the way still allowed Donaghey to serve as an executive producer on the project, also faced backlash for the slaughter of a real-life deer, which was used in a scene for Run Hide Fight, breaking several hunting & filming violations. It seems like the production of this film was plagued with shady behaviors & poor decision-making, and that’s to say the very least.

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What are your opinions on Run Hide Fight? Will you check out the film even though it deals with a difficult subject matter? Does the film’s production warrant any concern? Comment below and let us know your thoughts.