Script trips up Runner Runner
Online gambling film relies on star power to bluff audiences
REVIEW
Runner Runner ★★ ½ (out of five) Starring: Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterson Directed by: Brad Furman Running time: 91 minutes Parental guidance: 14A, coarse language Playing at: South Edmonton, Galaxy, North Edmonton, Scotiabank, Windermere, Clareview, City Centre, Spruce Grove, Leduc There are dozens of definition for “house,” but the ones that concern us here are movie houses and gambling houses. In both cases (unless you’re able to secure a refund of your ticket) the house always wins.
The definitions come together in Runner Runner, which takes place in the world of online gambling. Justin Timberlake plays Richie Furst, a Princeton student trying to pay his way through university by steering others toward gambling sites, for which he gets a small commission.
When the Dean tells him to stop, he turns to actual online gambling, but quickly loses his bankroll. Being a brain, he runs the numbers and figures that the only way he could have been beaten so soundly is if someone was cheating. So he goes to Costa Rica, where Ivan Block (Ben Affleck) runs the site in comfortable exile.
Ivan reimburses Richie and then goes one step further, offering him a job in his organization. Faced with the choice of going back to New Jersey or working for seven figures in the tropics, Richie decides to stick around. It doesn’t hurt that Ivan’s number two is the sultry Rebecca, played by Gemma Arterton in a variety of form-fitting and strapless dresses.
Runner Runner is directed by Brad Furman (The Lincoln Lawyer) and written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, whose previous collaborations have included gambling movies (Rounders, Ocean’s 13) and titles-in-motion (Walking Tall, Runaway Jury).
At first, I thought this one referred to someone running, but it turns out the term is drawn from poker, and describes a rare situation in which a player draws two cards in a row that better her or his hand.
Not that the film concerns itself much with the mechanics of gambling. It’s more interested in Ivan’s lifestyle, which includes boats, parties and, increasingly, payoffs to Costa Rican officials, and threats of violence.
It’s a good sign that your boss isn’t on the level when he starts a sentence with: “Even if it was a crime ...” It’s also worrisome that Ivan keeps a pond full of crocodiles; but since he does, why does he threaten to feed someone to wild crocs later in the movie? If he has his own supply ...
Anyway, by the time Richie realizes what Ivan is up to, he’s in too deep to extricate himself. He’s also being stalked and menaced by Agent Shavers of the FBI. Anthony Mackie plays the G-man, a type at which he excels (see The Adjustment Bureau and the upcoming Fifth Estate), and despite his limited screen time he’s the most memorable character in the movie. Everyone else looks tired by comparison.
This is more the fault of the lacklustre script than the actors, who do what they can with a story that never quite gets out of first gear. Secondary characters, including corrupt officials, thuggish lackeys and cops on the take, barely register as distinct individuals.
And since the gaming all takes place in cyberspace, we’re not even given the reliable standby of a casino setting. “Three months went by like a weekend in Vegas,” says Richie, with the screenwriters apparently unaware that (a) this might also describe the experience of seeing the movie and (b) it’s not necessarily a good thing.
There are some pleasures to be had from the film, and the climax is a fun if unlikely bit of double-crossing, provided you’re still invested in the outcome.
Bottom line, if you’re trying to figure out what movie will give you the best odds of enjoyment this weekend, and you want to bet on Runner Runner, my advice would be: hedge.