Film Review – The Runner

Screenwriter Mark Gibson (“Snow Dogs”) looks to recycle elements of 1998’s “Run Lola Run” to inspire a new tale of endurance. “The Runner” has the simple idea of following one woman’s race to save her son from potential harm, forced to remain in motion as the villain provides orders for the main character to follow. Complications are added to maintain drama, but the central concept is decent enough to support a passable thriller. Director Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland,” “The Eagle”) doesn’t get very far with the material, struggling to transform Gibson’s ideas into a pulse-pounding endeavor that maintains elements of threat and despair as the clock ticks down on the crisis. Unfortunately, “The Runner” is ridiculous, skipping on lean and mean to welcome absurdity as plot turns increase, putting Gibson and Macdonald on the hunt to surprise viewers instead of trying to dazzle them with sustained intensity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com