The Runner

Pulse-pounding deadline-based thrillers have become a common source of action-adventure viewing over the years. These largely formulaic offerings are often fairly predictable, with their outcomes frequently obvious well in advance, the only variable generally being the routes their narratives take to arrive at their final destinations. So it is again with this latest effort from director Kevin Mac...

You've seen this film before. When it was 1995's **NICK OF TIME** and **DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE**, 2002's **PHONE BOOTH**, 2003's **OUT OF TIME**, 2005's **RED EYE**, or even Netflix's **CARRY-ON** (2024) -- well, you get the idea. Films like **THE RUNNER** do not happen in a vacuum. And the formula is clearly working, as director Kevin Macdonald's film (wisely released direct to streaming...

I think we have to conclude that this movie is just not any good. The premise has been seen before in many movies and it hasn't gotten better with time. With surveillance technology, it should have actually improved, but it just appears to be the same old thing. We also have to come to the conclusion that our main actress is simply not very good. The failure to emote and the failure to be believab...