Director: Brad Furman,
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie, Michael Esper, Oliver Cooper, Christian George, John Heard, Vincent Laresca,
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Certificate: 15
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET has been stunning cinemagoers of late, but last year saw the release of another film that dealt with high priced wheelings and dealings of a suspect nature, as well as examining the highs and lows of a lavish lifestyle. Unfortunately that film was RUNNER RUNNER, an uninteresting and rather trite look at the dangers of online gambling.
Timberlake plays Richie, a student studying for his Masters, when he decides to bet his lifesavings in order to pay for tuition. After he loses the lot, he discovers that there actually was some cheating on the website he was gambling on and so heads to Costa Rica to confront the boss of the website, Ivan Block, played by Ben Affleck. This is questionable decision not only advances a very convenient plot, but is also a way for Richie to get a job.
RUNNER RUNNER fails to capture the imagination due to its very simplistic script. No thought seems to have been put into actions or events, and certain elements are very coincidental. Richie starts his investigation into the whereabouts of Ivan Block the second he steps off a plane by just happening to bump into the right person. The dialogue is the real stinker though. Think of a clichéd line and you can bet it appears here “If I had a time machine,” “You always did take after your mother,” and so on. Even when the film’s sparse symbolic imagery is even the slightest bit interesting, we have some dialogue to explain away.
Among the acting cast nobody seems to be trying, with Justin Timberlake failing to come across as scared, intelligent, or desperate, three things his character should be. If the character at risk doesn’t even seem that bothered by events, then I have no idea why the director thought the audience would be. Affleck is on his C game, giving a perfectly acceptable performance, just seeming too much like the Affleck we’d thought we’d left behind in the 00s.
Frantic and messy editing, a script which has clearly not been researched, and a story that fails to engage, means we’re left with a cautionary thriller that doesn’t thrill. Internet gambling is a very real problem that could have been examined in a relatable and fascinating way, but here we’re left with scenes that barely gel together and the only adhesive seems to be the audience’s willingness to play “Spot the formulaic puzzle piece.”
[usr=2]RUNNER RUNNER is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 3rd February.
