So what do I think of this film. I think it was eye-candy with a potential with some wasted away while others are not fully realized. Still, this does make for one great popcorn muncher. There's just so much jargons here related to the world of online gambling that it might confuse non trendy viewers.
Ben Affleck shines as the notorious Ivan Block, the owner of this shady "online gaming" website that scams Timberlake's Richie Furst for all his hard earned savings. If anything, I consider Affleck's role here in Runner Runner as a trial run for his eventual role as billionaire Bruce Wayne / Batman in "Man of Steel 2". On the performance itself, it was "just OK". The guy does look like a natural amongst the yachts, girls and fast cars so I can really see why he was cast as Batman's alter ego.
Justin Timberlake shows us that he can play more serious roles. While there's barely any action here in the film, Timberlake takes that challenge for himself to actually make this somewhat droll story interesting. And he does so partly with charisma and just looking all awesome in suit and tie.
Gemma Arterton was pure eye candy. The way her character was written, she was trying to be a femme fatale and partly be the damsel in distress. Both aspects fail spectacularly. Still all those scenes where she's supposed to be alluring work to her advantage.
The film looks beautiful and is typical. But face value simply cannot be the only basis to this caper-crime film. That's where Runner Runner flounders; its got no real "twist" and just follows the motions leaving moviegoers with a story that you could probably tell in 5 to 10 minutes tops.
Despite that I still like Runner Runner. It offers an interesting world, one which is highly secretive and very lucrative. Plus its a good inspiration if you're already well on your way to establishing your own online poker site. :D
Verdict: C
Special thanks to 20th Century Fox for the invitation. RUNNER RUNNER is now showing.
No comments:
Post a Comment