Runner Runner

Last updated

Runner Runner
Runner Runner film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Brad Furman
Written by
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Mauro Fiore
Edited byJeff McEvoy
Music by Christophe Beck
Production
companies
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • September 18, 2013 (2013-09-18)(Las Vegas)
  • October 4, 2013 (2013-10-04)(United States)
Running time
88 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million [2] [3]
Box office$62.7 million [3]

Runner Runner is a 2013 American crime thriller film directed by Brad Furman, written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien and starring Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton and Anthony Mackie.

Contents

The film was released in the United States on October 4, 2013, received generally negative reviews from critics, and grossed $62 million. [4]

Plot

Richie Furst used to have a lucrative career on Wall Street; this history prevents him from receiving tuition assistance at Princeton, so he funds his master's degree by referring students to online gambling, for which he receives a cut. After the dean threatens to expel him for these activities, Richie tries to win his tuition using his excellent poker skills in online gambling, but he loses all his money to a cheater, something he can prove by statistics.

Richie travels to Costa Rica to confront Ivan Block, who runs the biggest empire of online gambling websites in the world, including the one Richie lost his money on. After Ivan sees the statistics, he finds that coders have modified the software to allow them to cheat. After firing those involved, Ivan tells Richie he will pay him millions per year to stay in Costa Rica and assist with the site.

Richie slowly begins a romantic relationship with Rebecca Shafran, ex-lover of Ivan, who appears to have no objections. Ivan has Richie blackmail a gaming affiliate with videos of his infidelity to force him to sign with Ivan. FBI Agent Shavers kidnaps Richie and threatens to ruin his life in various ways if he does not assist in getting Ivan convicted. Shavers cannot do anything legally as he has no authority in Costa Rica, but he takes advantage of this to use tactics that would be illegal and unethical for law enforcement inside the U.S. Ivan tells Richie that everyone in the organization ends up confronted by Shavers at some point.

Over time, Ivan's organization is revealed to be less than ethical. He sends Richie to bribe Costa Rica gaming director Herrera with too small a payment, which leads to Richie being beaten. Ivan tells him it comes with the territory of such a lucrative career. When Richie tries to leave the country, Shavers has drugs planted in his bag and offers to overlook them if Richie agrees to cooperate. A local police officer reveals that the police dislike Ivan but that he would buy his way out of any trouble and destroy whoever tried to take him down.

Richie's friend Andrew Cronin, who works on the software design for Ivan, suggests that Ivan is running a Ponzi scheme; the players' accounts have no actual money, and Ivan uses the money as his bank account, keeping just enough to allow players to cash out when they need to. Aware that Richie might be wanting out, Ivan buys the massive poker debts of Richie's father and brings him to Costa Rica, using him as a hostage.

Ivan throws Herrera and his bodyguard into the river to get eaten by the crocodiles but pulls them out before they are eaten. Cronin disappears and is later found nearly beaten to death. Thanks to Rebecca betraying Ivan, Richie finds out that he has been setting him up all along; Ivan is about to move his operations out of Costa Rica, planning to leave Richie behind as the fall guy. Richie gives out massive bribes to local officials, including low-level police officers. When the moving day hits, Ivan calls to sarcastically apologize to Richie, telling him he will be busted, as Ivan flies away on a private jet.

When Ivan lands, he finds he has been betrayed: the bribed pilot has instead flown him to Puerto Rico, an American territory. Shavers and other FBI agents move in to arrest him as Richie and Rebecca fly away on the private jet. Shavers says they are free to go because Richie left a flash drive for him containing sufficient evidence to convict Ivan.

Cast

Production

Principal photography took place in the summer through the winter of 2012 in Puerto Rico and on the Princeton University campus. [5] [6] [7] Despite the fact the film has several graphic indications that all events are taking place in Costa Rica none of the scenes were shot in the Central America nation.

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film came in third place with $7.8 million [3] behind Gravity and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 . It grossed $19.3 million in North America and $43.4 million in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $62.7 million. [3]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, Runner Runner holds a rating of 7% based on 122 reviews, with an average rating of 4.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "It has an impressive cast and an intriguing premise, but Runner Runner wastes them on a bland, haphazardly assembled thriller with very little payoff." [8] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 36 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [4] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Timberlake</span> American singer, songwriter, and actor (born 1981)

Justin Randall Timberlake is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Dubbed the "Prince of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of his generation. Timberlake is recognized as the best performing Pop Airplay male solo artist of all time by Billboard and remains one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, with sales of over 117 million records worldwide. Timberlake is known for his diverse artistry in songwriting, showmanship, tenor vocal range, music production, and roles in films. He has won numerous awards and accolades, including ten Grammy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Brit Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, the Contemporary Icon Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and MTV's Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Affleck</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1972)

Benjamin Géza Affleck is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educational series The Voyage of the Mimi (1984–1988). He later appeared in the independent comedy Dazed and Confused (1993) and several Kevin Smith comedies, including Chasing Amy (1997).

<i>Gigli</i> 2003 film by Martin Brest

Gigli is a 2003 American romantic crime comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Martin Brest and starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha, Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Lainie Kazan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Affleck</span> American actor (born 1975)

Casey Affleck is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. The younger brother of actor Ben Affleck, he began his career as a child actor, appearing in the PBS television film Lemon Sky (1988). He later appeared in three Gus Van Sant films: To Die For (1995), Good Will Hunting (1997), Gerry (2002), and in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's film series (2001–2007). His first leading role was in Steve Buscemi's independent comedy-drama Lonesome Jim (2006).

<i>Richie Rich</i> (film) 1994 American film

Richie Rich is a 1994 American children's adventure comedy film directed by Donald Petrie. The film is loosely based on the comic character of the same name created by Alfred Harvey and Warren Kremer. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. under their Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label. The film stars Macaulay Culkin, John Larroquette, Edward Herrmann, Jonathan Hyde, and Christine Ebersole, while Reggie Jackson, Claudia Schiffer, and Ben Stein appear in cameo roles. Culkin's younger brother, Rory Culkin, played the part of Young Richie Rich. In theaters, the film was shown with a Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner cartoon called Chariots of Fur, and was followed by the 1998 direct-to-video sequel Richie Rich's Christmas Wish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Boston Teens</span> Fictional character

The Boston Teens are fictional characters featured on the American television show Saturday Night Live. "The Boston Teens" debuted in 1999 and have appeared in 14 sketches to date. TV Guide named The Boston Teens among Saturday Night Live's 40 greatest characters in a list compiled in honor of the show's 40th anniversary in 2015.

<i>The Town</i> (2010 film) 2010 American crime thriller film directed by Ben Affleck

The Town is a 2010 American crime thriller film co-written and directed by Ben Affleck, adapted from Chuck Hogan's 2004 novel Prince of Thieves. The film stars Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Titus Welliver, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper and Slaine. Its plot follows a Boston bank robber who begins to develop romantic feelings for a victim of one of his previous robberies, while he and his crew set out to get one final score by robbing Fenway Park.

<i>Friends with Benefits</i> (film) 2011 film by Will Gluck

Friends with Benefits is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck and starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. The film features Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Nolan Gould, Richard Jenkins, and Woody Harrelson in supporting roles. The plot revolves around Dylan Harper (Timberlake) and Jamie Rellis (Kunis), who meet in New York City, and naively believe adding sex to their friendship will not lead to complications. Over time, they begin to develop deep feelings for each other, only to deny it each time they are together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Furman</span> American film director

Brad Furman is an American film and music video director, producer, and writer.

<i>Argo</i> (2012 film) 2012 American historical drama thriller film by Ben Affleck

Argo is a 2012 American biographical historical drama thriller film directed, produced by, and starring Ben Affleck. The screenplay, written by Chris Terrio, was adapted from the 1999 memoir The Master of Disguise by U.S. C.I.A. operative Tony Mendez and the 2007 Wired article "The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran" written by Joshuah Bearman and edited by Nicholas Thompson. The film deals with the "Canadian Caper", in which Mendez led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, under the guise of filming a science-fiction film during the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis.

Oliver Cooper is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Costa in the 2012 comedy film Project X, as Levon on the comedy-drama series Californication, as Wheeler on the cult Amazon series Red Oaks and as David Berkowitz on the critically-acclaimed Netflix series Mindhunter.

<i>American Hustle</i> 2013 film directed by David O. Russell

American Hustle is a 2013 American black comedy crime film directed by David O. Russell. It was written by Eric Warren Singer and Russell and inspired by the FBI Abscam operation of the late 1970s and early 1980s. It stars Christian Bale and Amy Adams as two con artists forced by an FBI agent to set up an elaborate sting operation on corrupt politicians, including the mayor of Camden, New Jersey. Jennifer Lawrence plays the unpredictable wife of Bale's character. Principal photography took place from March to May 2013 in Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts, as well as New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The 20/20 Experience World Tour</span> 2013–15 concert tour by Justin Timberlake

The 20/20 Experience World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was launched in support of his third and fourth studio albums, The 20/20 Experience (2013) and The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 (2013). The tour began on November 6, 2013, in New York City, and concluded on January 2, 2015, in Las Vegas. The 20/20 Experience World Tour grossed $231.6 million from 128 shows becoming the second highest-grossing tour of 2014, behind One Direction's Where We Are Tour. This made Timberlake the highest-grossing solo touring artist of the year. It is also Timberlake's most successful tour to date.

Carlos Sanz is an American actor. He is best known for playing the main villain, Carlito, in the 2006 film Crank.

<i>Live by Night</i> (film) 2016 film by Ben Affleck

Live by Night is a 2016 American crime drama film written, directed, produced by and starring Ben Affleck. Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, the film follows an ambitious Ybor City bootlegger (Affleck) who becomes a notorious gangster. The film also stars Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldaña, and Chris Cooper.

<i>The Accountant</i> (2016 film) 2016 American action-thriller film by Gavin OConnor

The Accountant is a 2016 American action thriller film directed by Gavin O'Connor, written by Bill Dubuque and starring Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J. K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Jeffrey Tambor, and John Lithgow. The storyline follows Christian Wolff, a certified public accountant with autism who makes his living (un-)'cooking the books' of criminal and terrorist organizations around the world that are experiencing internal embezzlement.

<i>The Last Thing He Wanted</i> (film) 2020 film

The Last Thing He Wanted is a 2020 political thriller film directed by Dee Rees, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Joan Didion, from a screenplay by Rees and Marco Villalobos. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Rosie Perez, Edi Gathegi, Mel Rodriguez, Toby Jones, and Willem Dafoe.

<i>The Tender Bar</i> (film) 2021 film by George Clooney

The Tender Bar is a 2021 American coming-of-age film directed by George Clooney from a screenplay by William Monahan. Adapted from the 2005 memoir of the same name by J. R. Moehringer, it recounts Moehringer's life growing up on Long Island. It stars Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe, and Christopher Lloyd. It was the final film appearance of Sondra James before her death in September 2021.

<i>The Critic</i> (2023 film) 2023 film by Anand Tucker

The Critic is a 2023 British period thriller film directed by Anand Tucker and written by Patrick Marber, based on the 2015 novel Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn. The film stars Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai, and Lesley Manville.

<i>The Instigators</i> 2024 film by Doug Liman

The Instigators is a 2024 American heist comedy film directed by Doug Liman and written by Chuck Maclean and Casey Affleck. The film stars Affleck and Matt Damon, with a supporting cast that includes Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Toby Jones, Jack Harlow, and Ron Perlman.

References

  1. ↑ "RUNNER RUNNER (15)". 20th Century Fox . British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  2. ↑ Brian Gallagher (April 14, 2012). "Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake Team for Runner Runner". MovieWeb.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Runner Runner at Box Office Mojo
  4. 1 2 "Runner Runner reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  5. ↑ Knapp, Krystal (December 13, 2012). "Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck in Princeton for Filming of Runner Runner Tomorrow". Planet Princeton. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  6. ↑ "'Runner Runner', starring Justin Timberlake & Ben Affleck, filming in NY/NJ area this weekend". On Location Vacations. December 10, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  7. ↑ Hecht, John (September 7, 2012). "Why Hollywood Loves Puerto Rico". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Runner Runner (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  9. ↑ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.