Runner Runner is a slick crime thriller that immerses itself in the world of online gaming, corrupt casinos and underhanded entrepreneurship. Brad Furman, director of The Take and The Lincoln Lawyer, has crafted a high stakes cat-and-mouse game that meshes the flash of Las Vegas with the grit of Costa Rica.

When a poor student (Timberlake) goes bust with his savings in an effort to pay his way through college, he travels to Costa Rica to confront the man (Affleck) behind the online poker site that cheated him.

Runner Runner takes its cues from The Social Network, Wall Street and The Rum Diary. Our smart protagonist, Richie Furst played by Justin Timberlake, actually co-starred in The Social Network and uses his expertise and connections to make money as an online affiliate. When he runs dry, he’s ready to gamble again… and again, digging a debt of favours to a gambling kingpin.

Wall Street’s Gordon Gecko would be proud of Ivan Block, brought to life by Ben Affleck. The self-made millionaire has created a gambling empire and adopts Richie Furst as an “apprentice”. Power corrupts and Block is hellbent on keeping his head above water at any cost. As he grooms Furst, we come to realise that he has ulterior motives.

To spice things up, Runner Runner has a similar ebb-and-flow to The Rum Diary. The film’s quick pacing and spirit of island misadventure give our hero a fleeting taste of paradise, where fast cars, yachts and private jets are a way of life for Block and his consort. In a state where officials are on the pay roll, the lifestyles of the rich and famous come with a price tag.

“Oh yeah – well, if I’m Peter Pan… you’re Captain Hook!”

Justin Timberlake takes on the sort of role that producer, Leonardo DiCaprio, would’ve probably played about a decade ago. The young, likable and impressionable upstart with malleable ideals and hedonistic tendencies echoes his roles from The Beach and Catch Me If You Can. However, it’s Timberlake who runs the gamut this time as a conduit for the audience.

Ben Affleck was a good casting call as Ivan Block and you can see why he’s been chosen as the next Batman. He pulls off the wealthy, brooding and complex character with relative ease. He and Timberlake share some good moments and you buy into his unofficial status as the Wizard of Oz. He plays the slippery bad guy with verve, managing to convince you he’s so far wrong, he may just be right.

The casting of Gemma Arterton, however, is one of Runner Runner’s weakest points. She is a rising star, but seems a bit out-of-place in this film. She was better in Song for Marion as a sweet girl-next-door type character. In Runner Runner, she’s not as convincing… sincere but simply miscast in a thankless role that would have been better served by an actress like Olivia Wilde or Amber Heard.

Runner Runner delves into the same territory as the ’80s TV series, Wiseguy, to the point that it could have been an inside job for Vinnie Terranova. There’s an interesting parallel between the game of poker and Furst’s journey as he tries to swim with the big fish.

The film’s lightning pace doesn’t give you a chance to think or fully invest in the characters. This is a sleek thriller, but it has a vapid undertone. You can’t help but feel that they should have invested more time in getting to know the characters. Instead, it all seems a bit too routine and flashy. It’s non-stop entertaining, but Runner Runner skips along the surface without breaking a sweat.

The bottom line: Entertaining

Release date: 27 September, 2013
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