"Runner, Runner" Movie Review

Runner Runner

Everyone has an addiction, whether it be drinking or something else. Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake) is a college graduate student who has dipped his toes into online gambling. When he is cheated on a site, his self-esteem goes low real fast. Richie confronts Ivan Block (Ben Affleck) about this, but is quickly swept into the rich lifestyle. You never know who you are playing with.

Positive Elements: Richie is a good kid; he’s smart, likable and caring. When he is thrusted into the lifestyle, his morals slip sideways fast. However, Richie doesn’t ignore the fact that something is very wrong. As the movie progresses, he sticks to his gut and fights until the end to make things right.

Richie also dearly loves his dad. When Dad tells him to leave and not worry about his well being, Richie refuses. He sticks by Dad through the tough situation both are in.

(Spoiler Warning): Richie finds an unlikely ally in Rebecca, Block’s assistant. Throughout the film, viewers wonder if she’s faithful to Block or Richie. In the end, Rebecca stands with the latter, proving that she’s tired of Block’s duplicity.

Sensual Content: Several women (including Rebecca) wear outfits/dresses that reveal cleavage and leg. Ivan crudely refers oral sex to two men who are wrapped in towels. (It’s implied both men receive this “treatment”). Richie blackmails someone by showing him a sex tape (viewers briefly see the man having sex with two women). Women are often shown in skimpy bikinis. One scene pictures women in fishnet stockings, bras, and panties as Richie and a Spanish loan shark discuss business. The loan shark gropes one woman’s butt.

Richie falls in love with Rebecca; they flirt repeatedly, plus kiss in one scene. Richie and Rebecca hold hands too.

Violence: Some sequences are too intense and might leave viewers gasping for breath. Richie gets beaten by thugs and we notice bruises on his face. Ivan pushes two men into the water where crocodiles roam; the tense scene features them struggling and almost getting eaten. Richie is kidnapped by the FBI: a bag is thrown over his head, and he’s almost thrown out of a parking garage ledge.

Ivan threatens people who get too nosy. For instance, it’s indicated that he holds one guy captive, taking him from Richie’s house in Costa Rica. (The apartment is shown in a frenzy with objects strewn everywhere). When Richie tries to go home, the FBI holds him in an airport brief room. One agent slams a table against Richie’s chest. Another thug slams a bottle of beer on a car hood.

Language: Multiple f-words as well as uses of s-words, Jesus’ name, God’s name, a—, h—, d—n, p—ed, and b—ch are repeatedly thrown around by characters.

Drugs/Alcohol: Richie and other characters drink beer, wine, and smoke cigarettes.

Other Negative Elements: Richie is a bright kid, but sometimes falls too deep. For instance, he gambles for his tuition money, blackmails some people, and tries to get out at the wrong times. Richie also dangerously trusts Ivan, something that costs him big time later on in the film.

Speaking of Ivan, he’s got his own share of issues too. He cheats Richie, lies to pretty much everyone, and doesn’t like being challenged. For example, when Richie confronts him about withholding money from a loan shark, Ivan gets angry. He angrily tells Richie, “If you want your own [profanity] island and your boss says you have to go out there and take a beating, go out there, take a beating, come back to work and say ‘Do you need me to do it again?!’” This sentence alone represents Ivan’s duplicitous means. To the movie’s credit, he is eventually arrested for his crimes. Ivan also blackmails Richie by bringing Richie’s father into the whole mess as well.

Conclusion: Runner, Runner might sound like an exciting film to watch and it is. However, the problematic content should give you plenty of pause. The harsh language is thrown around without a care in the world, women are objectified, and gambling addiction is somewhat praised.

That said, the film is well acted and thought provoking. It challenges viewers to think through their decisions instead of acting on emotion. Trust me, we live in a world where acting on emotion is the norm. However, just because something feels right doesn’t mean it will reap good habits.

Runner Runner demonstrates this in Richie. When we first meet him, he seems to have it all together; he’s going to college and has a natural gift for math. Unfortunately, Richie also engages in online gambling, something he thinks will give him more tuition money. When he’s cheated, the film doesn’t blink and say, “This is good, it’s lasting.” Instead, it pauses for a brief moment as Richie closes his laptop in frustration, an exhausted glance on his face. It’s clear from this scene (and many more that follow) that Richie is fed up with being cheated.

The Bible is very clear about acting on emotion and cheating others for your own personal gain. 1 Corinthians 10:23 states “I have the right to do anything, you say “but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything but not everything is constructive.” We notice throughout the film that characters delight in bad behavior- from cheating to lying. However, it only lasts so long. As stated above “not everything is beneficial or constructive.” It takes Richie some time to learn this, but he eventually fights back against Ivan’s schemes.

As for cheating, Proverbs 11:1 makes it very clear: “The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.” Runner Runner teaches viewers a moral lesson about cheating people, suggesting it won’t be worth dipping into. Ivan is a perfect example of this: Ben Affleck manifests this character into a charming, but self-serving jerk, and he does a great job of doing this.

Runner Runner has content concerns as noted above. But the film teaches viewers

some positive lessons amidst the problematic content. While many R-rated movies rather

entertain for entertainment’s sake and shock us with overbearing graphic content, Runner

Runner does the complete opposite. The problematic content is toned down and not quite

as shocking as other genre-related films. This makes Runner Runner a movie adults might

want to put on their watchlist.