The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Considering the talent and amount of potential sitting behind Brad Furman’s latest endeavor, it’s saddening to see that the end-result does very little to please. Failing to fulfill its promise of delivering either an engaging or a believable storyline, Runner Runner is­ a crime-drama set in the deceitful world of gambling.

Riche Furst (Timberlake) is a savvy, shrewd student at Princeton University who is desperately trying to earn a Masters’ degree in Finance. With tuition bills piling up, the only way Richie can make ends meet is by working as an associate for a major online gambling website.  His job is to recruit both students and professors to bet online; however, when the dean finds out about his undertakings, Richie is threatened with the possibility of expulsion.

Despite this, Richie takes the risk of investing the remainder of his savings in a high-stakes poker game. Hoping to win big, the skilful player starts off strong, only to see his earnings slipping away to a suspicious player.

After learning that the online-gambling site is operated by Ivan Block (Affleck) – a devious business mogul who runs his businesses from Costa Rica – Richie travels to confront the man who has taken everything away from him. He soon falls for Blocks’s charms – and his beautiful assistant Rebecca (Arterton) – and agrees to work for him in order to earn back the money he lost, and more. However, with the involvement of FBI Agent Shavers (Mackie), Richie needs to figure out a way out, fast.

Despite his limited acting experience, Timberlake sustains a certain likability throughout; serving up a decent, charming performance as the struggling student blinded by glittering lights. He offered just enough to distract from the tedious storyline. Similarly, Affleck gave a convincing performance as the conniving business kingpin, and it’s clear he did the best he could with the little material given. Along with the rest of the supporting cast, Arterton’s character was both underused and under-developed.

On paper, Runner Runner offers a decent amount of potential; award-winning cast, intriguing storyline, reputable director and a pair of writers who have successfully dabbled in the genre before. In reality, however, the storyline is incredibly rushed, making it – and the characters – difficult to connect to.  

Shallow and superficial, Runner Runner never takes the risk to explore deeper into this intriguing life of high-flying gamblers; doing very little to rise above the predictable narrative, the end-result is mediocre at best.