‘The Runner’ movie review: Gal Gadot runs flat out to save this generic thriller
The Runner is a predictable but efficient thriller starring Gal Gadot as a prosecutor racing against time to save her son from a mysterious caller. Despite the generic plot, the film is elevated by Gadot's committed performance and director Kevin Macdonald's visual style.
Why it matters
This review provides cultural context for current streaming releases and evaluates the performance of major Hollywood stars in genre cinema.
At the end of 84 minutes of this spare thriller from Kevin Macdonald, the audience is as exhausted as Gal Gadot ’s Maia Marten. Gadot plays a busy prosecutor who is bringing a crime boss down for the murder of two young women. After dropping her diabetic son, Noah (Rory Wilmot) to school, Maia goes on her daily run.
Tafa (Phoenix Di Sebastiani) is going to be moved to witness protection once he testifies against the crime boss. Maia gets a call from an unknown number saying she has to kill Tafa within an hour or Noah will die. There follows a race against time through London to save him.
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