Premiering on Prime Video September 2nd is the new action thriller ‘The Runner‘, which was directed by Kevin Macdonald (‘The Last King of Scotland‘), and stars Gal Gadot (‘Wonder Woman‘) and Damian Lewis (‘Billions‘).
Related Article: Damian Lewis Talks ‘The Radleys’ and Looks Back at TV Series ‘Life’
Initial Thoughts
Director Kevin Macdonald’s ‘The Runner’ is a standard action thriller that takes a lot of inspiration from the Jan de Bont classic ‘Speed‘. Using that comparison, Gal Gadot plays both Keanu Reeves and the bus, while Damian Lewis is in the Dennis Hopper bad guy role. The result is an adequate action movie that is completely predictable and offers very little excitement outside of a few fun action sequences and Lewis’ villainess performance.
Story and Direction
The film begins by introducing us to Maia Marten (Gadot), a London-based attorney representing a witness in a big trial. After dropping off her son Noah (Rory Wilmot) at school, Maia sets off on her morning jog and receives an alarming call from a stranger (Lewis). The caller explains that he has kidnapped her son, and if she ever wants to see him again she will need to assassinate her own client to stop him from testifying. With time running out, Maia must run through London following the caller’s instructions while devising a plan to save both her client and her son, and bring the mysterious caller to justice.
While the plot is predictable and will feel familiar to most action movie fans, the movie is not without its exciting moments, including an action sequence in the London Underground transit system. In fact, London itself is really a character in the film and creates a strong backdrop for the action and suspense.
Director Kevin Macdonald, who is best known for his documentary movies like ‘Marley‘ and ‘One to One: John & Yoko‘, really captures the city well and keeps the pacing on point, adding to the suspense and paranoia. While Macdonald is not known for directing action, those scenes add some excitement to what is otherwise a standard and predictable kidnapping movie.
Cast and Performances
‘The Runner’ is really a two-hander featuring Gal Gadot and Damian Lewis, and unfortunately, Gadot’s performance crumbles under the weight of Lewis’ strong performance, despite his underwritten character.”
Best known for her role in the ‘Fast & Furious‘ movies and playing Wonder Woman in the DCEU, Gadot struggles to be believable outside of the actin sequences. While she excels at those scenes, her moments alone with her son, or arguing on the phone with Lewis fail to resonate and the actress just does not have the gravitas to carry the role authentically.
Despite the character not being well written, ‘Billions’ star Damian Lewis still gives an interesting and believable performance as the movie’s heavy. While we don’t learn a lot about the character or his true motivations, which is a shame, Lewis is able to overcome that and still steal most of his scenes from Gadot.
Final Thoughts
In the end, despite some fun action sequences and a strong villain performance, ‘The Runner’ doesn’t have much to offer even for die-hard action fans. The script is poorly written, derivative and predictable, while Gal Gadot was wildly miscast. If you are in the mood to watch a movie like this, I recommend just rewatching ‘Speed’, since it is basically the same movie, far superior, and currently streaming on Netflix.
‘The Runner’ receives a score of 55 out of 100.
What is the plot of ‘The Runner’?
A successful London-based attorney (Gal Gadot) is thrust into a tense and dangerous chase across the city after her son (Rory Wilmot) is abducted. Forced to obey a series of cryptic commands from a mysterious Caller (Damian Lewis), she races against time through a web of secrets and threats in a desperate bid to save her son.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Runner’?
- Gal Gadot as Maia Marten
- Damian Lewis as Caller
- Rory Wilmot as Noah Marten
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