‘Runner Runner’ review
By Aidan Mouellic, Staff Writer
2/5
A film starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck would seem like a good sign that a movie will be great, but in the case of director Brad Furman’s latest movie, it means that this film is only slightly bearable.
Runner Runner revolves around Richie Furst (Timberlake), a talented gambler who attempts to gamble his way towards paying his Princeton college tuition. He ends up working in Costa Rica for online gambling tycoon, Ivan Block (Affleck).
The film plays out a story we’ve seen hundreds of times already: rich guy gives little guy a chance, and little guy takes rich guy down. Runner Runner is just a fresh take on a stale film format.
The refreshed premise of the film seems slightly promising, but the execution falls flat. The film is boring and predictable.
Timberlake and Affleck are perhaps the only high points of the film. Their acting presence give the B-list cast some shine, but their combined star power isn’t enough to make this film interesting or fun.
I expected more from a film starring these two Hollywood heavy hitters, but apparently having a respected name in a film does not guarantee quality.
In a period where theatres are full of a great selection of awesome films, I’d recommend spending your money on another choice and checking out either Gravity or Captain Phillips.
