A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Runner”. (2026, 2.5*, 15).
After my recent Movie News fail, mixing up this film – The Runner – with another film, Runner, released in UK cinemas last week, I thought I would at least watch this one! It’s a bit of a ludicrous thriller, leaning on the tropes of a stack of films before it. But, despite all that, I enjoyed it in a really cheesy park-your-brain way. It’s a ‘guilty pleasure’ sort of film.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Maia (Gal Gadot) is a London-based lawyer prosecuting an East-End gangster. A single-mum, she sees her young son Noah (Rory Wilmot) off to school and heads off for her daily run. However, she is suddenly interrupted by a call from Noah’s kidnapper.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: PG-13. (From the BBFC website: “Threat, violence, injury detail.”)
Talent:
Starring: Gal Gadot, Damian Lewis, Rory Wilmot, Alfred Enoch.
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald.
Written by: Mark Gibson.
Running Time: 1h 25m.
Review:
Positives:
- The film plays out as a love letter to London, as we progress through many well-know areas of the city. As a viewer, I kept going “oh, yeah… that bit” as Gadot sprints from place to place. I liked the way that director Kevin Macdonald kept showing random shots of random Londoners going about their lives: it gave the settings some character. As someone who does occasional Supporting Artist work, I actually remember the call going out from multiple casting agencies for extras for this one (I couldn’t make the dates): it shows…. there are a whole heap of crowd scenes in this that needed to be orchestrated.
- A sweaty Gal Gadot in a leotard has the physique and energy to be an attractive sight, I won’t deny it.
- The twist (if you can call it that), when it comes, is satisfying in a wonderfully cheesy sort of way.
- If you haven’t read the cast list – which I hadn’t – trying to identify ‘the caller’ was fun: he is presented in a similar way to that item they used to have on the BBC’s A Question of Sport, where you had to try to identify the sport’s star (normally a non-starter for me) from tiny glimpses of bits of his or her face. (I did manage to identify him from his distinctive eyes. But the reveal at the end was fun.)
Negatives:
- The film leans on so many thriller plots from previous years that the script lacks virtually any originality. The basic premise is effectively Taken, then mashed up with the “Simon Says” narrative of Die Hard 3, where Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson have to criss-cross a city to dance to the caller’s tune. Add to that a splash of North by Northwest, a touch of The French Connection (in the tube train chase) and (as the Illustrious Mrs Mann thought) Phone Booth, and you have the whole film.
- There are some ludicrous elements to the film that just have you shouting “NO!” at the screen. One is that Gadot’s Maia keeps snatching phones from people (and not just from their hands… sometimes from bags etc. where they have been left unattended for minutes). All of them are remarkably unlocked! Other aspects are perhaps only obvious to people who know London well: there is a scene where Maia jumps off a tube train which has just passed through Barbican tube station: not a sign of an electrified rail to be seen… last time I checked, the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines were all using the standard electrification system.
- At one point, Maia concludes that the caller MUST have an accomplice: a fact that magically seems to evaporate into the ether again by the end of the film. In an earlier version of the script, was this supposed to be Ted (Alfred Enoch), before some studio exec said, “no, he has to be a goodie”. It’s all a bit half-arsed.
Summary Thoughts:
I can’t deny that I had fun watching this one…. a 3 star or even 3.5 star film in terms of pure enjoyment. But, looking at it critically, it’s not a great movie and so I think the overall 2.5 rating is the right one.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz4rsZLcauY. (Oh and if you don’t want to know who the actor playing ‘the caller’ is, don’t watch past 1m25s in the video.)
Subscribe
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to One Mann’s Movies to receive future reviews by email right here. No salesman will call!