“Runner Runner” A Bust

“Runner Runner” is a crime “thriller” centered around the world of online gambling. I intentionally put the word “thriller” in quotes, because “Runner Runner” is anything but.

It is the story of Richie Furst (played by Justin Timberlake), who gets cheated by Midnight Black, an online gambling company owned by gambling guru Ivan Block (played by Ben Affleck). In an all-night gambling marathon, Richie gambles away his Princeton tuition. When he and his math wiz friends discover he has been cheated, Richie jets to Costa Rica in hopes of a face-to-face with Ivan.

Ivan not only meets with Richie but offers him a job (to keep him quiet about this so-called ‘cheating’). Richie lives the high life for some time, making more money then he could have ever imagined. But the good times come to an end.

Runner Runner 2The FBI confront Richie and want him to cooperate with them to bring down Block and one of Richie’s colleagues discovers Ivan is, in fact, stealing money in some kind of elaborate Ponzi scheme. A romantic tryst with one of Ivan’s girl’s (played by Gemma Arterton), allows Richie to verify his doubts about Ivan and start to plan an escape.

In poker terms ‘runner runner,’ is a hand made by hitting two consecutive cards on the turn and the river. In layman’s terms, it is a nearly impossible hand. Richie’s escape from Ivan’s hold is like a runner runner hand. It seems impossible at times and the odds are not in his favor.

So many great directors and writers have created gambling crime thrillers that to really stand out in this genre, the film has to be superb. In my opinion, director Brad Furman (“Lincoln Lawyer”), Affleck and Timberlake are better than this movie. It was predictable, poorly played out and much of the plot was a big ole cliché. Affleck is a good actor (remember last year’s Argo?). In fact, he’s not terrible in this movie. He’s actually extremely scary as a powerful CEO of a company many U.S. authorities would like to take down. He’s manipulative and prey’s on his employees’ weaknesses to get results. J.T’s film resume isn’t bad either. He has had some great moments on film and, although, I am of the opinion that he should not have been the lead in this role, his acting was not band. But this story line is so stale that good acting could not save it.

“Runner Runner” might have stood a chance during a slower Blockbuster season, but with “Gravity,” “Captain Phillips,” and the new rendition of “Carrie,” I predict its theatre life to be short lived.