Runner Review

Runner, an action/buddy-comedy film released on September 11, stars Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson as the duo of Hank Malone and Ben Bishop. They embark on a mission to escort Owen Wilson's character, Ben Bishop, who is transporting an organ for transplant to a sick little girl named Ellie (Scarlett Crabtree). Their mentor, Damian Zaldívar (Rodrigo Santoro), is a no-dimensional chief baddie with a penchant for irony, even as he fires his machine gun and misses his target.

Ritchson and Wilson are the highlights of Runner, providing some cool action beats and occasional laughter through their buddy-not-cop moments. However, the movie feels like a miss, with the script by Miles Hubley and Tommy White often diverting attention away from the leads to set up labored subplots. Director Scott Waugh's handling of these moments is inconsistent, with some set-ups feeling undercooked or not reaching their full potential, such as Hank's falling back on his ex-wife and her new husband for support.

The film's pacing suffers from these distractions, leaving Runner to struggle in maintaining its momentum. Despite the promise of an interesting dynamic between Zaldívar and his sick mother, the story never fully explores this dynamic. The exotic parakeet subplot, while amusing, is eventually abandoned, leaving Runner to question whether it could have been stronger by keeping this element throughout its 97-minute runtime.