A former navy seal working as a ‘runner’, agrees to transport a courier from the airport to a hospital on the Gold Coast. The cargo is a liver for a very rare blood type, matched to a little girl with cancer. Shortly after leaving, however, it becomes apparent that there are other parties interested in acquiring the organ, and what should have been a simple drive becomes more of a life and death race.
Sitting down in my local cinema to watch Runner (not the movie starring Gal Gadot), I was expecting a fairly standard action comedy vehicle, in which one star does the punching and the other does the talking. Something akin to a more light-hearted take on the Transporter movies, you could say. And to a degree that is what you get. It certainly ticks all the expected boxes; a veteran looking for – or at least in need of – a little redemption, teamed with the last person in the world he would want to meet. A ticking clock, and a race to get something somewhere by any means. Several predictable twists, and a trail of destruction between Brisbane and the Gold Coast as our heroes and their pursuers shoot, punch, crash and blow up pretty much anything along the way. That said, Runner does still have the odd surprise in store.
For one thing, I frequently found myself laughing at the insane antics taking place on screen – more so than I expected – with the two stars adding to that joyous chaos with their hilarious back and forth. Granted they are both playing to type, and their characters do pretty much what you expect. But it’s the way they do it, and more importantly how they do it together that makes this calamitous adventure such a riot. It also helps that Hank (Ritchson) and Ben (Wilson) are running from a rather nasty gang and their delightfully unhinged leader, Damián Zaldívar. Rodrigo Santora (yes, the golden dude from 300) makes the cartel man with gargantuan issues seem like more of a cocaine frenzy than an actual human, and he certainly has an enlivening effect on the central pursuit.
By “central pursuit”, I of course mean the entire movie, as it is essentially one big chase. Although director Scott Waugh (Act of Valor) does ease his foot off the gas every now and then to let both the audience and his stars catch their breath. He occasionally uses these moments to tug on our heart strings as well, with of shots little Ellie Baker (Scarlett Crabtree) and her mum Kate (Leila George) waiting in the hospital. Enough anyway that we can at least understand, if not relate to the insane lengths our heroes are willing to go to. More importantly, these moments are an opportunity for Ben to probe the comically cagey Hank in an attempt to get to know him. But for the most part, the movie is an enjoyably kinetic affair.
An insane romp across a beautiful part of Australia, featuring a wide variety of vehicles – some more amusing than others. The chases are undeniably some of the movie’s highlights. In which, Waugh and his team have employed an ambitious combination of practical and visual effects, allowing us to essentially travel through these mobile fights in interesting ways. All of which offers up some unique perspectives on the action. Even with some fairly obvious green screen the chases are delightfully fast and chaotic. At the same time, the soundtrack and some rather uncomfortable phone conversations add a sense of tension and urgency to what becomes a mission for those on both sides.
And when Hank and Ben aren’t driving, it’s usually because they’re in a fight – well Hank is – which are at times as funny as they are deliciously brutal. Ritchson being no stranger to action, and with a great stunt team behind him, makes Hank look more than capable, as he utilises pretty much anything to keep Damián and his boys away from his cargo. At the same time, Wilson does a pretty decent job of making Ben look out of his depth. In fact, I’m not sure what is more entertaining; the looks on the bad guys faces as Hank lays waste to most of them, or Wilson’s ability to make Ben look lost in those same fights.
A fun and fast-paced chase movie. Made even more so by the two leads, and a delightfully unhinged villain. Runner may tick all the usual action comedy boxes, but it still has a surprise or two in store.
Plot: 6
Cinematography: 7.5
Sound: 7.5
Pacing: 8
Review Score: 7.25/10