The Runner

Gal Gadot does everything she can to keep The Runner, well, running, but despite some decent set pieces, the film is ultimately unsatisfying.

This Prime Original has energy — but lacks the strong suspense or novelty necessary to elevate an overfamiliar concept.

As is often the case with such a high concept, it’s at the climax that the film plummets off a cliff, with an ending that aims for sleight of hand, but just feels like a cheat. It’s a pity because this should have been breathless good fun. At least it’s never boring.

Director Kevin Macdonald's efforts to drum up excitement with a heavy dose of style only make The Runner come off as a poor imitation of a Danny Boyle movie. There's some fun to be had, but not enough to make it memorable.

Gadot gets more abuse as an actress than she deserves, but starring in junk like this and failing to make even the junk convincing does her reputation no favors. Macdonald fares worse. Watching a filmmaker once capable of considerably smarter work throw cinematic adrenaline at an atrocious screenplay is almost embarrassing.

We forgive an awful lot of illogical plotting in the name of entertainment, but Mark Gibson’s script for “The Runner” doesn’t just push that meter into the red zone, it pays almost no attention to things like normal human behavior or even how modern technology really works. It’s insulting.

It’s completely ineffective when it comes to its intentions, but its failures are easy to enjoy.

The Runner delivers an entertaining blend of action, suspense, and underlying themes that give the story more substance than its familiar premise might **** Gadot gives a solid performance, and it’s always interesting to see an actor step outside of their usual genre and take on a different type of role. Gadot handles the physical demands of the film particularly well, especially during the running sequences, which add an impressive level of intensity to the action. It also had me wondering how much of that physicality comes from her own fitness routine versus the work of her stunt **** film explores several different themes throughout the story, while its numerous twists and turns help maintain the momentum. Although the overall concept doesn’t feel entirely original, the movie still manages to deliver enough engaging moments to make it an enjoyable watch.Ultimately, The Runner may not reinvent the genre, but it offers enough action, suspense, and compelling moments to make it worth checking out. I would recommend giving it a watch.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Gal Gadot plays a prosecuting attorney whose son is kidnapped. To save his life she must kill a crucial witness within an hour. This finds her running thru the streets of London and defying absurd odds and ludicrous setbacks. The premise is as irrational as it sounds and Kevin Macdonald’s direction does little to create any suspense. The flashy editing distracts, more than adding any tension. Gadot does fine, but she basically just has to sprint the whole time. The film feels overwrought and preposterous, while the final reveal pushes the credibility into absurdity.

Gal runs her butt off in this movie, but all I could think the entire time was why didn't she just grab a bicycle since the Villian couldn't actually "see" her, just her location! It was a really dumb story, but not her fault. The other reviewers are completely right that the whole movie just seems like watching someone's long cardio session!