Runner, Runner

TRAILER

PLOT (SPOILERS)

Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake) and Ivan Block (Ben Affleck)

Runner, Runner is mainly about a young man named Richie Furst, the protagonist of the film. It all started explaining that Richie losses all his money to an online poker gambling scam and then flies to Costa Rica to "kind-of" confront a big shot online gambling tycoon, mega rich, supposedly "you can't do anything against me with all my cash and glamour beside me" kind of guy, Ivan Block. Then Ivan Block makes a deal with Richie that could turn Richie's life to the other way round with plenty of cash to spent all he wants, an offer Richie chooses not to refuse. Well as usual, all goes well for Richie as he is a smart kid, a Princeton grad student (if that matters). Him working hard and doing whatever the boss (Ivan) says and instructed. Earning loads of cash within the few months Richie first step foot onto Costa Rica. Then, there's a girl (there's always a girl), Rebecca Shafran, which Richie falls to but Rebecca is kind of Ivan's babe too (Oh maaan). Then both Richie and Rebecca kind of have a romantic relationship which Ivan seemingly does not object as he more or less said to Rebecca "do whatever you want, as that's what I have been doing as well". Then there's an FBI agent, Shavers who confronts Richie and threatens Richie to cooperate in convicting Ivan because Ivan's business is not what it seems to be. As time goes by Richie learns of the dirty ways of how this business works and how Ivan had been using him all along to save his own skin. So then the protagonist, being as smart as he is, plans his way out of all the mess he was brought into and end Ivan's reign as the billionaire online gambling tycoon. 

REVIEW

Rebecca Shafran (Gemma Arterton) and Richie Furst (Justin
Timberlake) getting a little too close

Here's what I think, Runner, Runner has been "weak" as a whole. There is no solid storyline, script, acting personas. Well, the protagonist Richie Furst is portrayed as a very wise and calm kid that knows what he is doing and plans probably ten steps ahead of everyone else including a professor of Princeton. But it's a little too much for me. No expression of whatsoever from the protagonist of either he's afraid or worried when trouble is heading his way as if he has already figured out how to solve the problem a second later. Simply put, he's too much of a smarty pants for me. Storyline was weak, too simple and predictable (maybe I expected more). There are some shots that I enjoyed for example a little scenery of Costa Rica but there is also some shots unsatisfying to me at least, the part where Richie was in the party the camera swindles round and round around Richie to express the fun and glamour of the party. Even more disappointed once the credits role and I saw Leonardo DiCaprio as one of the producers. 

Overall, this film earns : 2/5 rating