Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

GazerRise Fantastic!

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Leofwine_draca RUNNER RUNNER is a gambling thriller, set in Costa Rica but actually filmed in Puerto Rico. It's also an entirely predictable movie, one which seems to be going through the motions throughout. The idea of a youthful character going under the wing of an older, morally dubious successful businessman is familiar from the likes of WALL STREET, while the whole FBI investigation sub-plot reminded me of Oliver Stone's SAVAGES.Sadly this is the type of film that has nothing much to say in the way of interest. For a thriller, the thrills are oddly muted, and the suspense is non-existent to say the least. I'm not sure why Justin Timberlake keeps getting cast in movies like this, because he has no discernible acting talent and he's a real bore up on screen. Ben Affleck is better, but he looks bored too and he phones it in throughout, while Gemma Arterton is cast as the eye candy once more and her acting continues to be dreadful. If you like slick photography and pretty locations, RUNNER RUNNER might be the film for you; if you want a little meat to go with the style, you'll invariably be disappointed in this one.

Paul Magne Haakonsen Right, well I must admit that I had already formed an opinion about this movie prior to having seen it. Why? How? Well, simply because of the lead cast being Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake.And now having seen it, I have to admit that I am more than genuinely surprised at how entertaining the movie was, thanks to director Brad Furman, but also because of Affleck and Timberlake actually performing quite well. I will actually go as far as admitting that this was the best performance I have ever seen from Ben Affleck. That says a lot actually, because I usually stay well clear of his movies.The story in "Runner Runner" is about Richie (played by Timberlake) who loses 17.000 dollars on an online gambling site, and finds out that he was cheated. So he goes to Costa Rica to inform the owner of the site, gambling mogul Ivan Block (played by Affleck). Offering Richie a job with money and a luxurious lifestyle, Ivan soon have him working in his gambling dynasty, but all is not well beneath the golden surface.Story-wise "Runner Runner" is entertaining, although the story hardly seems plausible in any way. But hey, it is the movies after all. What makes this movie work was primarily the acting of Affleck and Timberlake.A predictable story, yes. But the movie is well-worth watching nonetheless. Just a shame that the movie didn't offer any twists and turns, nor does it really challenge the intellect of the audience.

Prismark10 Justin Timberlake plays Richie Furst a Wall Street wannabee who got downsized and went to University where he supports himself through online gambling activities.He risks everything on an online card game to get enough money for tuition fees and reckons he has been swindled by the online gaming company. He flies out to Costa Rica to confront the owner of the company, Ivan Block (Ben Affleck).When Block sees the evidence that Furst has gathered he offers him his money back but also offers him a job with an attractive salary. An offer too good to turn down. Furst excels in his role and even gets some of his University chums down to help out but a FBI agent warns him that Ivan is a no good con man who is up to his ears in dirty dealings.The film starts off interestingly enough and then goes straight down the predictable and boring route. Furst falls for Block's girl, Block punishes Furst because he realises that he is hitting on his girl and then Furst realises that he has been played and needs to plot his revenge. There is little by way of thrills and tension as you probably worked it out beforehand.Dull, dumb, badly written, two dimensional characters and poor acting.

mattpope384 Runner Runner is a tired formula, but since it's a formula that I usually like, I gave the movie a watch.While it mostly held my interest, there was no getting around the fact that this movie is tired and played out. Once you get past the marquee cast and the stylized direction you realize that the script is fundamentally unoriginal and that you have already seen this story done better in films like Wall Street, Boiler Room, 21 and Rounders.The "aspiring and smart young hustler gets discovered by a charismatic mentor who he later becomes disillusioned with and betrays to save his a**" story line is so familiar at this point that it's probably ready for a Jim Abrahams type parody.Ben Affleck's "Ivan Block" is so reminiscent of his Jim Young character from Boiler Room that it is easy to imagine Block is actually just Jim Young 13 years later after getting out of prison and changing his name, becoming a bit more sophisticated with age and finding a new and even better way to get rich by scamming suckers.Despite Justin Timberlake's obvious charm and talent, he has yet to really register as a significant presence on the big screen and this is another forgettable role for him. It's not that his performance is bad, it isn't, but it feels entirely interchangeable with just about any other young actor- Timberlake puts no personal stamp on the part.Gemma Arterton also fades into the background of the picture which is telling. When I first saw Arteron in a fairly small role in Quantum of Solace, her screen presence was hard to take your eyes off of. It is a testament then to the blandness of her character's development in Runner Runner that she too feels like an interchangeable cliché.When I read that Brad Furman had directed Runner Runner, it made sense why I found the film stylistically appealing in terms of pacing, visuals, sets, photography and even performances. Furman also directed one of my recent favorites: The Lincoln Lawyer, an equally stylish but vastly superior film in terms of story line and character development.That Runner Runner feels a lot like the poker movie Rounders is explained by the fact that both movies had the same screenwriters. Unfortunately, the technique of having the sharp-witted protagonist narrate poker strategy as a metaphor for the movie action just feels redundant in this film.As a viewer who tends to look for some degree of verisimilitude regarding law enforcement in these kind of crime thrillers, Runner Runner continues the tradition of Hollywood never portraying an FBI agent in a manner that feels remotely believable. In real life, FBI agents are not likely to be edgy eccentrics or burn outs. They tend to be Type-A high-achievers ambitious to succeed in a large bureaucratic organization. Anthony Mackie's Agent Shavers joins other depictions of movie G-Men who feel in no way authentic. Again, it's not the actor's fault, it's just a poorly written and developed character.In short: the big name cast and stylistic direction can't overcome the tired story and weak script. If you like the formula that has been done better in Wall Street, Goodfellas, Rounders, Boiler Room, 21, Wolf of Wall Street, etc than you may enjoy investing 90 minutes in this film. But I'd suggest only doing so when it when it comes on cable and not going out of your way to see it.