Runner
review by Bobby Blakey
Reacher star Alan Ritchson has been on a role with some great fun action flicks lately including War Machine, Playdate and the underrated Motor City not to mention the latest season of Reacher. Now he is teaming up with Owen Wilson for the action-comedy Runner co-starring Rodrigo Santoro from Hidden Strike and Expendables 4 director Scott Waugh. Could this be another fun action film or will it fail to deliver the goods?
Runner follows a former soldier who is thrown into a brutal race against time when a critical medical delivery makes him the target of a ruthless cartel. With betrayal closing in from every side, he must survive the chase and deliver his cargo before an innocent child runs out of time.
This film kind of flew under the radar with not all that much promotion which is a shame because it’s a pretty fun flick. It’s no breaking any new ground in the action genre, but it hits all the right notes and makes for an old school action film that gave me exactly what I hoped for. The story is simple and gives just enough of the cliched set up including the brooding hero, fast talking side kick, crazed villain and great action. What more could you want or need.
Ritchson is a great action star with his imposing stature, yet soft demeanor makes him likable and terrifying all at once. He leans into all of it with some great performances and layers even when there aren’t all that many there. Here is more of the same and his banter with the always great Wilson is the glue to this pairing. The polar opposite personas that clash lead to expected results despite and ending I wouldn’t have thought they were going for.
The film takes its time, getting to the big action letting the story build and the characters interact before the mystery starts to unfold and the bad guys start
lashing out like roaches on a sandwich raid. Time and again Ritchson showcased his ability to carry the action and does so here once again. Once they kick it all into high gear he gets to shoot, throw, smash and destroy everything in his path while taking plenty of punishment himself. Wilson doesn’t get to do all that much action, nor should he with the character he is playing, but is right there at every turn.
Santoro is a decent enough villain even if he is a cliché of every action baddy from the 80s and 90s. He doesn’t have the same look or menace as Ritchson, but his psychotic nature more than makes up for it. Sure, there are plenty of moments that make no sense to why they let things happen or people get away, but that is kind of the norm for these kinds of movies, and you just let it go to have some fun.
​
I figure I would enjoy this film from the trailer, but it is way better than I expected. It’s a great film to just shut out the noise and let the fun and action fly. If you like old school action and want to have a great time then check out Runner in theaters now from Angel Studios.