Runner Review: Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson make for an entertaining odd couple in this solid throwback action flick

Plot: Follows a former soldier who is thrown into a brutal race against time when a critical medical delivery makes him the target of a ruthless cartel. With betrayal closing in from every side, he must survive the chase and deliver his cargo before an innocent child runs out of time.

Review: Yes, you’re reading that right: there is a movie called Runner coming out within a week of another movie called The Runner. Unlike the Gal Gadot-led Prime Video movie about a woman trying to rescue her son in real time, this Runner, starring Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson, is a throwback to action movies of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Featuring Ritchson continuing to brand himself as the heir apparent to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dwayne Johnson, Runner is an unexpectedly fun movie coming from the typically wholesome and family-oriented Angel Studios. Directed by Scott Waugh and co-starring Leila George and Rodrigo Santoro, Runner is not about terrorism or global stakes but instead centers on a man seeking redemption who happens to find himself in the wrong place at the right time. Fun and funny, Runner is yet another solid action movie featuring the star of the hit series Reacher.

Alan Ritchson plays Hank Malone, a recovering alcoholic and former Navy SEAL, who works as a driver for hire in Australia. Working to redeem himself, Hank is a stoic guy with a soft heart despite his massive and imposing frame. Learning French and embracing Francophile culture, Hank is tasked with everything from picking up politicians to delivering birds between squabbling couples. One day, he gets the call to pick up an organ courier named Ben Bishop (Owen Wilson), who is transporting a liver from Hawaii to Brisbane, and Hank has to get him to the hospital where a terminally ill little girl and her mother, Kate (Leila George), are desperately awaiting it. Of course, someone else wants the liver, which is tied to an incredibly rare blood type. Hank and Ben find themselves hunted by Damian Zaldivar (Rodrigo Santoro) and go on the run to escape him while also getting the organ to the hospital before it loses its viability. Hitting all of the tropes from a countdown to armed thugs at every turn, Runner maintains a high concept from beginning to end.

Based on the trailers, I expected Owen Wilson’s involvement to give Runner the tone and feel of his previous buddy action-comedies co-starring Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, and Jackie Chan. Owen Wilson’s laid-back brand of Texas charm still comes through as confident and fun, but the fifty-seven-year-old actor is more subdued alongside the physical presence of Alan Ritchson. Ritchson has played this character, or variations of the type, since becoming a star in Reacher, but despite looking like a hulking superhero, Ritchson’s everyman quality balances nicely with Owen Wilson‘s lighter demeanor. Runner does not venture into full-blown comedy mode but keeps the story serious with bursts of humor throughout. It also helps that both Ritchson and Wilson are front and center in the frequent action sequences that buoy Runner for one hundred minutes. Runner keeps the pace moving as Ritchson and Wilson travel hundreds of miles towards the hospital with Rodrigo Santoro’s Damian on their tail.

Having played memorable villains in 300 and HBO’s Westworld, Rodrigo Santoro gets to channel a more dastardly bad guy that blends hints of Die Hard‘s Hans Gruber and Cliffhanger‘s Eric Qualen. But unlike the bad guys with delusions of world domination, Santoro’s Damian Zaldivar has a much narrower focus, one that sets his motivation from that of a stereotypical antagonist. Damian is still a formidable villain, but one whose goal is one of many things that distinguish Runner from other action movies. Runner sticks with the tried-and-true buddy action formula, but it distinguishes itself in many ways, including having Leila George, who would otherwise have been a love interest if this movie were made decades ago, as an independent character who evokes being a damsel-in-distress but manages to stand on her own. The film also makes a creative choice regarding a main character that I found to be the most surprising narrative decision that I can remember from a movie like this and one I truly did not see coming.

The screenplay for Runner was hailed on 2023’s Black List as one of the most-liked unproduced screenplays. Bringing in director Scott Waugh, helmer of Expend4bles and Need for Speed, certainly did not seem to be the choice for an Angel Studios production. Watching Runner leaves you with the feeling that some elements were heavily censored or scaled back in post-production to keep the film at a PG-13 rating. You can see how close the film comes to what would otherwise have been an R-rating. There is mild profanity throughout and plenty of gun violence and killings. You don’t see any actual bullet hits or kills on screen, but the violence leaves little to the imagination. Even though creative editing skirts the on-screen gore, you infer the brutal dispatching of characters, even though you don’t actually see it. And even without the added violence, Waugh delivers some well-choreographed action, including an impressive chase sequence through the streets of Brisbane that leverages cameras going in and out of high-speed vehicles, as well as a final showdown fistfight that is entertaining to watch.

Runner does not reinvent the buddy action movie but still keeps some surprises up its sleeve. It does not try to be more than an entertaining movie, and it maintains a solid pace that keeps your attention for the entirety of its running time. Because it comes from Angel Studios, you should be prepared for a wholesome and inspirational message hidden within the violent action, but it does not come across as heavy-handed. The Christian rock song that plays over the final scene may be a bit much, but it does not detract from Runner being an enjoyable watch. Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson make for a fun pair, and a key reason this movie works as well as it does, but don’t overlook Scott Waugh’s impressive direction throughout. Runner is a by-the-numbers action movie, but way more fun than I expected.

Runner opens in theaters on September 11th.

Runner

GOOD

7

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