The Runner
Alchemy | Release Date: August 7, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
39
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
9
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAug 27, 2015
In the lurid and cheesy and sometimes unintentionally funny political thriller Runner, one of the most intriguing and eclectic casts of the year is wasted in a murky cesspool that comes across as a third-rate version of “House of Cards” with a little bit of “Scandal” thrown in for bad measure. Read full review
40
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottAug 7, 2015
New Orleans makes for a distinctive backdrop, but that's really all just window dressing, and it goes only so far in covering the fact that The Runner -- from its moody, electric-guitar-driven score to its faintly 1990s, Grisham-flavored sensibilities -- runs out of narrative inspiration before it crosses the finish line. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyAug 7, 2015
The Runner squanders at least one great performance (Fonda’s) and delivers a dispiritingly inert cinematic experience. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaAug 6, 2015
Stark’s turgid approach feels both pompous and cold, and the film never connects emotionally. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenAug 6, 2015
The plodding film goes awfully heavy on script exposition and all too light on character depth, leaving Cage and company — including a smartly cast Peter Fonda as his been-there, done-that alcoholic dad — to come up with their own complexity. Read full review
30
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerAug 6, 2015
All of the characters here are underwritten, and Mr. Cage and most of the other actors don’t seem to be putting much effort into them. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyAug 6, 2015
The Runner is a well-meaning character study with an admirably cynical ending, but it’s too cold to ever fully draw you in. Read full review
50
ObserverMatthew KasselAug 6, 2015
The problem is the movie never gives us a reason to care about Colin in the first place, or even to dislike him that much, if that’s how we’re supposed to feel. Colin is neutral, a kind of empty vessel, and Mr. Cage is his typical aloof self with a "Con Air" accent. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerAug 6, 2015
There’s no revenge, no murder, and no kidnapping. It’s a low-budget New Orleans Cage movie with some dignity. It would be a pleasure to report that The Runner is also good, but this slim if mildly compelling film lands somewhere between character sketch and morality tale. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJordan HoffmanAug 5, 2015
The Runner, while painfully low-budget and a little patchy, is an interesting look at how sausage is made. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle SmithAug 5, 2015
In The Runner, the latest Nicolas Cage film to roll off his one-man assembly line of shoddy cinema, the star looks almost as tired of acting as I am of watching his acting. Read full review
40
Village VoiceNick SchagerAug 4, 2015
The film tackles its issues with a furrowed-brow solemnity that eventually spills into outright sluggishness. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 4, 2015
Writer-director Austin Stark’s film crams a lot into 90 minutes, leaving no room for grace notes, little time for the heart that this truncated story cries out for. Read full review
40
VarietyScott FoundasAug 4, 2015
The Runner doesn’t lack for drama, but the characters are so thinly and predictably drawn, and the movie’s supposed insights into the art of political compromise so banal, that nothing catches fire. Read full review
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