Going into Runner Runner, I had low expectations but high hopes. I was really hoping for a great action drama, to be kept on the edge my seat and to be wowed with some great twists. Regrettably, I was let down.
Runner Runner stars Justin Timberlake as a young college student, Richie Furst, who’s trying to pay for his tuition fees through small time gambling among the students and professors. Caught out by the principal, Furst is forced to make a big gamble of his own on online poker in an attempt to make enough money to continue his education. Things go badly for Richie and he loses his entire savings in one game.
Being a gifted gambler and equally number savvy, Richie digs a bit deeper and realises he’s been tricked. He then decides that the best thing to do is to go down to Costa Rica to confront the tycoon of this online gambling; Ivan Block (Ben Affleck). Although this may seem ludicrous, especially for a young student who’s just lost ALL his money, Richie somehow manages to do this and is dead set on finding Block.
As luck (or generic scriptwriting) would have it, Richie very quickly works his way up through a local party and confronts Block. Ivan quickly ‘discovers’ Richie’s talents and offers him a job working for him. To the young student this seems like a great idea and Richie begins a new tuition under the guide of Ivan. Block teaches him the way of the casino business and sends him on various errands to both good and bad ends. However all is not as it seems, and Richie soon begins to see that Ivan is not quite as benevolent as he initially appeared.
In terms of story, as a whole Runner Runner seems completely contrived. The way Richie is able to so easily get through all the above mentioned scenarios is actually a bit silly. As much as I feel Justin Timberlake has given some decent performances in the past, in this film he is given the weight of the lead role, and frankly I don’t think he quite pulls it off. Perhaps in a film where he can be carried by a stronger script he performs better, but in Runner Runner, with its brain-numbingly contrived story, Timberlake isn’t able to carry the film.
Affleck does well but his performance is nothing special, and as gorgeous as Rebecca Shafran (played by Gemma Arterton) is, her performance is equally uninspiring and her character clichéd. Other supporting roles, such as the FBI Agent Shavers (Anthony Mackie), are also unfortunately not great, and their dialogue is equally dull.
Overall Verdict: Runner Runner doesn’t really have a lot going for it. Although it’s been penned by the same writers that brought us Ocean’s 13 (David Levien and Brian Koppelman) the story really seems to lack star quality. As much as it deserves credit for a well produced film, this will not go down as one of Affleck or Timberlake’s finest. Unfortunately, only go see Runner Runner if there you’re at the cinema and you’ve already seen all the other movies.
Reviewer: Kevin van der Ham