The Runner

• Directed by Kevin Macdonald
• September 2, 2026 (Prime Video)

A prosecuting attorney is forced by a mysterious caller to run through London to prevent a witness from testifying in order to save her kidnapped son.

The problem with The Runner is there isn’t much here. There are largely two main characters with only one of them seen for most of the movie. It milks running through the streets of London for all it’s worth and it is not much. Think of it as Speed with sneakers. Much of the tension is undercut by the apparent in-control nature that the main character has through the story. The other guy may be tracking her, but she has an obvious handle on events from very nearly the start of the situation. 

Why target attorney Maia Martin (Gal Gadot)? She’s an attorney with access to an informant about to testify against a mob boss for doing mob boss things. It’s an okay enough idea for a film. You might be able to get something good out of that but not here. Perhaps it is because the camera work which is rather basic. It just felt uninspired. In a film where running is the main thing you never felt like you were running if you understand what I’m saying. Speed leaned into the vehicle and the motion and how fast they had to go.

What hit the screen is a therapy session between Maia and The Caller (Damian Lewis) where via their conversation we learn about Maia’s past as this guy who thoroughly investigated his target probes her psyche. This movie is her telling the audience about her past but not really solving anything.

The absurdity of The Caller’s plan is a sticking point. The Caller is forcing an unwilling accomplice to help him kill a witness at the behest of the boss THAT witness will be testifying against. The Caller tells her as much meaning he is creating another crime to link to the boss. Kinda makes the whole exercise pointless. I have not even mentioned his Plan B which would create another crime but have no initial loose lips that might cause problems.

While Gal Gadot is no great actress, she is not terrible either. I just don’t think this is the right vehicle for her. The movie is essentially her and she cannot elevate mid material. Plus the action is her running or scrambling with things only getting slightly different when she starts brandishing a gun which causes the police to put a bulletin out on her. That should cut off her access to the witness because this is happening in London which has cameras everywhere. They would know who she is soon after the first incident.

Gal Gadot has the ability to be the center of a movie as demonstrated by Wonder Woman which, in my humble opinion, is one of the best female lead superhero movies made to date. That was action and this is thriller requiring greater depth of skill. I’m not insulting her skills. Some actors are made just for action movies.

A lot of the characters in this movie are derived largely from discussion. We only know them from her words and not even a few minutes’ worth of an introduction. The somewhat boyfriend gets at least a phone call, but we don’t see him until the very end of the movie. Her son gets on screen just enough to let us know he exists and is diabetic. Maia is the only well-developed character we get and she’s not even that well-developed. She’s lightyears ahead of The Caller and her child.

The Runner needed someone to mix things up every now and then. Not necessarily to throw a monkey wrench into the mechanizations of anybody. Think of it as a seasoning. A little bit more flavor to the whole mix. Phone thieves and angry pedestrians and the occasional police officer are just not enough.

This is meant to be a battle of wits movie and it was a bit contrived and weak. Her outsmarting of a man who has all the bases covered feels too easy. The Caller talks menacingly, but beyond kidnapping the boy he doesn’t do much. He’s just a voice tracking her on her phone. I guess it is too much to ask to see a henchman of his to demonstrate he can enforce his will. It needs to feel personal for the viewer to work.

The Runner is an okay idea handled poorly. It just did not feel intense or thrilling or much of anything.