You've seen this film before.
When it was 1995's **NICK OF TIME** and **DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE**, 2002's **PHONE BOOTH**, 2003's **OUT OF TIME**, 2005's **RED EYE**, or even Netflix's **CARRY-ON** (2024) -- well, you get the idea.
Films like **THE RUNNER** do not happen in a vacuum. And the formula is clearly working, as director Kevin Macdonald's film (wisely released direct to streaming on Amazon Prime) is already one of the platform's top films.
Starring Gal Gadot as high-powered London barrister Maia, whose child is held for ransom by a mysterious Caller (Damian Lewis) in exchange for assassinating the star witness of a local mob trial -- it's a premise that sounds increasingly preposterous the more you think about it.
Despite its **RUN LOLA RUN** pacing, with endless clips of Gal Gadot sprinting across every tourist locale in London, from St. Paul's to Canary Wharf, the implausibility of running the London Marathon in 84 minutes strains credulity.
The always-one-step-ahead omniscience of Lewis's character, effortlessly bending hacked technology to his whims, is another worn-out trope that refuses to die.
As diabolical and meticulous as Lewis is, one wonders why he doesn't just carry out the assassination himself instead of putting Gadot through a series of ridiculous time trials during the hustle and bustle of mid-day London.
And while Gadot gamely carries the physical desperation of a single mother trying to save her child, unfortunately, the film leans into her limited range as an actress, with dull dialogue and pointless conversational exposition.
As a tense action thriller, **THE RUNNER** will probably appeal to anyone unfamiliar with any of the aforementioned films in this subgenre. But for anyone else, this is a paint-by-numbers slog through familiar terrain that will do nothing for Gadot's post-**WONDER WOMAN** career.