A former soldier and his unlikely partner become the targets of a ruthless cartel while racing to complete a critical medical delivery and save the life of a little girl.
Chuck says:
Those of you who read Thursday’s paper are likely suffering from a case of déjà vu. In that edition, I reviewed the Gal Gadot “thriller,” “The Runner.” In a case of unfortunate serendipity, a film called “Runner” just happens to be opening this week as well and beyond their almost exact titles, they have other things in common. Both, in their efforts to dazzle us, treat logic and common sense as so much narrative collateral damage. Each has people working beneath their talents, while their screenplays are undone by a lack of imagination. Other than those things, you can’t tell them apart.
Unlike the lithe Ms. Gadot, the star of this feature is Alan Ritchson. Too big to be a man, too small to be a horse, this is not an actor who could be described as fleet of foot. Thankfully “Runner” does not require that he sprint about Australia where the film is set. His Hank Malone is like a glorified delivery man. This particular day, his package is Ben Bishop (Owen Wilson), who happens to be a courier as well. The package in his possession is a liver that needs to be taken form Brisbane to the Gold Coast Hospital. He’s to deliver the precious organ to a seven-year-old patient with an incredibly rare blood type. Malone is to deliver him and the organ.
However, before they can even start their journey, Malone realizes they’re being followed. Wouldn’t you know it, there’s a nefarious mob boss, who happens to be a 60-year-old-woman, who just HAPPENS to have the same blood type and just HAPPENS to need a liver transplant as well. What are the odds? She’s sent her son, Damian (Rodrigo Santoro) to get it all costs and bring it to the most unhygienic operating room you’ve ever seen where a surgeon they’ve kidnapped will perform the transplant.
Now, I’m no medical expert but I had a thought while watching this. Can’t you simply transplant part of a liver into a recipient because it will regenerate and grow to is proper size? And, if that’s the case, wouldn’t they be able to split the liver and give a piece of it to each of the characters who need it? Unlike “screenwriters” Miles Hubley and Tommy White, I consulted an expert and was assured this is possible.
But, of course, why would they or director Scott Waugh be concerned with details such as this?!? They have far better things to put on screen like prolonged car chases, ridiculous fight sequences and ham-fisted scenes meant to elicit tears but produce unintended laughter instead. You know, things we’ve never seen before.
The chemistry between Ritchson and Wilson is strained throughout and they never create the sort of appealing contrary banter that makes the “Rush Hour” films and so many others like it so enjoyable. Waugh seems to think he’s making an updated version of the classic “Midnight Run,” which Hubley and White, at one point, shamelessly crib from. The two stars do what they can, and are each appealing separate, yet their failure to mesh proves a critical drawback.
What’s most disturbing about this movie is its combination of violence and comedy. Damian and his crew commit some truly heinous acts, their graphic nature pushing the boundaries of the film’s PG-13 rating. These moments clash with Ritchson and Wilson’s witty banter, producing the most incongruous combination of elements since a group of vegetarians got trapped in a meat-packing plant. It becomes increasingly clear that Waugh simply doesn’t know how to read a room.
One of the things I hate about most ticking clock films is the way the grave deadline is ultimately so egregiously ignored. Here, with only 45 minutes to go before the liver is no longer usable, events that would have taken well over an hour take place, including a fight so ridiculous the Three Stooges would have felt right at home. But again, there I go expecting things to make sense, which is my curse. At the expense of logic, “Runner” sets out to entertain. For some, it may achieve that goal. For others…well, there’s always books.
2 Stars
