Cry me a Crocodile infested RiverThe world of online gambling is a setting which remains largely untapped, with the potential for a good story hidden within. Perhaps one that could play on modern fears, like how easily someone halfway across the world could take your money. Sadly, this is not the film to tap that potential.
Brian Koppelman and David Levien's poor writing is the films biggest weakness, bringing some awful dialogue, plot holes and weak attempts at characterization. Richie is given the most basic development, and still ends the film as a smarmy ass, while Gemma Arterton manages to serve as little more than a love interest, which is more development than any of the other side characters amount to.
The swearing is unnecessarily excessive, with an F-bomb being dropped within every other sentence, and one sex scene feeling unnecessary, due to how built up it was and how it's addressed in the very next scene. These could have easily been edited out in order to lower the films rating, and allow it to open to a wider audience.
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| "No, I cannot get you to play The Riddler in the next film" |
The best thing that can be said is that the acting is competent. It's nothing extraordinary, with Timberlake coming off as a bit too smug at times and Affleck pretty much riffing on cartoon villainy, but good enough to get the job done.
Runner Runner is a dull and forgettable 90 minutes that's nice to look at, but ultimately hollow. If you wanted to see this to justify Ben Affleck as the choice for Batman, best save your money for David Fincher's Gone Girl or just rewatch The Town.
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