‘Runner’: An Action-Comedy Joyride About… Transporting Human Remains?

Runner is a fast-paced action comedy that should have audiences at the edge of their seats right until the closing credits.

Directed by Scott Waugh and starring Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson, this film was shot in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Ritchson – who stars in the popular television series Reacher – plays the role of Hank Malone, a runner who takes on the job  transporting a liver from Brisbane to a hospital in the Gold Coast, as a 7-year-old girl awaits a life-saving liver transplant. Owen Wilson is Ben Bishop, the medical courier who flies in with the donor liver from Honolulu.

They have three hours to transport the liver to the hospital and what should be an easy delivery turns sour when they’re chased by an evil cartel crew who attempt to seize the transplant for their own purposes.

Ritchson is impressive in the role of ex-navy seal Malone, who suffers from alcohol abuse and attends AA. He’s also fighting his own demons from a past family tragedy.

Fans of Reacher will see Ritchson doing what he does best – being punishing and unstoppable. Wilson supplies all the laughs playing the type of likeable character which he is accustomed to being cast as; fast-talking, chatty, delivering all the funny one-liners, and being very vulnerable. These two odd-paired characters quickly develop a bond and the narrative slowly transpires into a road trip buddy flick.

Audiences are barely settled in their seats as the brutal and non-stop action unfolds with explosive octane charged car chases, shoot outs, stabbings and death-defying stunts ensuring the breathless momentum is consistent.

One of the highlight action sequences occurs when the front half of a car is snapped right off during a chase scene, leaving audiences marvelled at how such a sequence could possibly have been filmed. The final 20 minutes are worth the price of admission alone.

Adversely, apart from the masterful and pulse-stopping action sequences comparable to the blockbuster style of films, there were certain elements which momentarily degraded the enjoyment capacity of the film.

There were forced and unnatural performances from some of the supporting Australian cast – seemingly the actors were trying to act, but somewhat unrealistically. Scenes which merely contained Australian cast also felt like sequences from locally produced television dramas.

An unpredictable tragedy in the climactic showdown may shatter the expectations of some audiences, leaving them disappointed and pondering its validity.

Overall, Runner is 98 minutes of pure escapism, it’s easy-viewing and audiences won’t need to think too hard. It’s satisfyingly a popcorn flick, so just sit right back, switch off your reality meter and savour the joyride.

***1/2

 In Cinemas Now.