By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
"RUNNER" DELIVERS THE GOODS
I had to do a double-take when I noticed that the new action movie
"Runner" was being released by Angel Studios, a company known primarily for its excellent faith-based films.
Nevertheless, "Runner"--not to be confused with the Gal Gadot movie out now titled "The Runner"--is a refreshing change of pace for the studio. And with Scott Waugh ("Expend4bles") in the director's seat, you can bet the action sequences are going to be top-notch.
The movie stars Alan Ritchson (TV's "Jack Reacher") as Hank, a former Navy SEAL and recovering alcoholic living in Australia and trying to get his life back on track since the death of his daughter Isabelle.
His ex-wife, Monica (Geraldine Hakewill, TV's "Tales from Outer Suburbia"), is still in and out of his life. Hank is the kind of guy you wouldn't want to cross, but these days he spends his time behind the wheel as a delivery driver, taking on all sorts of odd jobs and meeting people whose problems sometimes make his own look pretty tame.
One of his more amusing assignments involves a wealthy divorcing couple arguing over who gets custody of their prized possessions, including a rare bird and a Maserati. It's a funny little glimpse into the colorful world Hank has found himself navigating.
That, however, is nothing compared to the job that turns his ordinary delivery route into a fight for survival. Hank is tasked with picking up a liver and transporting it to a local hospital for a young girl named Ellie (Scarlett Crabtree, "The Deb") who desperately needs a transplant. Normally, it sounds like a straightforward delivery, but things quickly go sideways when Hank is told that his passenger, Ben Bishop (The always entertaining Owen Wilson, "Focker-In-Law"), will be the liver's courier.
Once Ben climbs into Hank's vehicle, it's on. Waugh wastes little time putting Hank through the wringer. Before long, the poor guy finds himself caught up in a dangerous situation involving a group of mercenaries and their hot-headed leader, Damian Zaldivar (an excellent Rodrigo Santoro, "Beast Race"), who are in pursuit of Ben because they want to sell the liver on the black market.
So now Hank's military instincts, his sobriety, and his determination to do the right thing are put to the ultimate test.
"Runner" works as both a comedy and an actioner because of the crazy chemistry between its two leads. Wilson has the motor-mouth talker role down pat. Here, he seems particularly taken by Ritchson (Hank's) quiet demeanor. He spends much of the movie trying to get Hank to open up even as heavily armed killers are after them.
With Hank being the ultimate no-nonsense type of guy, you can imagine just how quickly Ben gets on his nerves. Their odd-couple dynamic gives the movie levity and keeps the story from becoming too heavy, particularly as Hank's personal demons begin to surface.
Ritchson is perfectly cast as the stoic former SEAL because he has the physical presence to make the action believable while also giving Hank enough vulnerability to remind us that underneath all those muscles is a grieving father trying to find his way back to the world.
While "Runner" may be an unexpected entry for Angel Studios, it turns out to be an entertaining one to boot.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"RUNNER"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
