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Plot Summary
When Princeton grad student Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake) believes he’s been swindled by an online poker site, he heads to Costa Rica to confront gambling tycoon Ivan Block (Ben Affleck), the man he thinks is responsible. But Richie will soon face the ultimate power play as he finds himself caught between Block’s promises of unlimited wealth and the zealous FBI agent trying to bring him down.
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
9%- Reviews Counted: 113
- Fresh: 10
- Rotten: 103
- Average Rating: 4.1/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: It feels like a halfhearted bluff and has the stale smell of yesterday's after-shave.
Rotten: The actors hit the jackpot, but only in terms of their paychecks. The audience gets a tension-free, tight-assed, Casino ripoff that leaves them thoroughly fleeced.
Rotten: Even with its glossy Costa Rican setting, Runner Runner is a vacant excursion with plot holes the size of a small Caribbean island.
Rotten: Even with Affleck doing his Rat Pack best, by the end of "Runner Runner," the chill is gone.
Customer Reviews
I DON'T BELIEVE THIS MOVIE WAS A TOP SELLER
I just don't. TimberFake has a deal with Itunes and they promote his work more than any other artist I've ever seen. I simply don't believe it was number 1. Timberwank seems to think he is above criticism (re: his GQ interview) - really dude? You entered little boy beauty pageants and want to universally loved? Pathetic. I also believe Timberloser's staff puts fake reviews of his movies on here, too. What a sad (now middle aged) man. Oh, and please stop hosting Saturday Night Live.
Almost as bad as Lone Ranger
The continual roll of bad movies over the last few years does not stop here. Affleck is just a bit above bad, and timberlake puts in a clunker where he is usually very watchable..here he is moribund. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME!! Believe dat!
A DULL, UNEVENLY ASSEMBLED THRILLER WITH LITTLE PAYOFF
Sleek and desperately timely, "Runner Runner" puts a small cast of good-looking actors in beautiful locations. But they're stranded there without an involving or coherent story. It's a glossy, fast-paced thriller that simply refuses to establish any genuine sense of tension or danger, and the fact that the characters are paper-thin certainly doesn't do the flick any favors. We follow Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake), a Princeton student who's running an illegal gambling website to fund his master's degree. But a dodgy bet leaves him in financial ruin. So he heads straight to Costa Rica to confront Ivan Block (Ben Affleck), the online casino boss who cheated him. Impressed with his initiative, Ivan offers him a job, and before he knows it, Richie is living the high life with more cash than he can spend. Though the only thing he wants is Ivan's girlfriend/cohort Rebecca (Gemma Arterton). Then FBI Agent Shavers (Anthony Mackie) starts investigating, and forces Richie to take Ivan down. None of this is remotely close to convincing because the main characters merely feel like they're being manipulated by a bland and lazy screenplay. Everything randomly happens without any sense of logic. Maybe this made sense in a longer, earlier draft, but the flick is choppy and fragmented, skipping over connective scenes as it rushes into yet another brainless showdown. Aside from greed, there isn't a motive for anything these people do. But the film doesn't even have much to say about its central theme, as it constantly celebrates flashy houses, fast cars, luxury yachts, private jets, and an endless parade of beautiful, bikini-clad girls. There's so little chemistry between anyone on screen that the over-the-top scenarios they continually get themselves involved in only grow blander and more ludicrously executed. For instance, when Agent Shavers feebly blackmails Richie into securing incriminating evidence against Ivan, it's a stupid and irrelevant plot device that goes nowhere. What a waste of talent and an intriguing location. At least Affleck brings some enjoyable, tough guy meatiness to his outrageous character, while Arterton is feisty and sassy in her thankless role. Timberlake, on the other hand, can't do anything as the poorly written Richie but simply charge around Costa Rica looking good. The basic fact of the matter is that gambling and financial crime are rarely interesting topics for movies because the stakes don't translate to the audience. I only gave this flick a solid chance due to its promising A-list cast, so I couldn't help but feel disappointed by the mediocre result. Even with all of its high-tech talk and scenic locales, "Runner Runner" just can't help but feel like the missed opportunity that it is. Is it the worst movie of the year? Not quite, but it's far from a must-see. Unless you're a huge fan of Affleck and Timberlake's acting talents (which are hardly put to good use here), don't bother watching this dully mediocre misfire.
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- $14.99
- Genre: Drama
- Released: 2013
- © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.