Runner Runner: Risky bet Runner pulls up lame

AFTER the Town and Argo, Ben Affleck is undoubtedly one of the finest directors splashing about in the mainstream today.

AFTER the Town and Argo, Ben Affleck is undoubtedly one of the finest directors splashing about in the mainstream today.

However, he also remains a jobbing actor, and his fluctuating talents in that field remain as mercurial as ever.

In the online gambling thriller Runner Runner, Affleck delivers his portrayal of a corrupt betting kingpin with a noncommittal shrug.

It is such a static performance that the film around him rarely gets moving. Which is a shame, because the material covered here does have the potential to be quite compelling.

It is left to Justin Timberlake, a moderate actor at best, to make the pace, and though he battles valiantly throughout, the task remains ever so slightly beyond him.

Timberlake plays Richie Furst, a cash-strapped grad student who tries to wager himself out of debt by ploughing his entire lifesavings into one all-out online poker splurge.

Naturally, Richie loses the lot, but senses there was something fishy about the way in which his money vanished.

Armed with mathematical proof he has been cheated, Richie ventures down to the deregulated gambling haven of Costa Rica to demand an explanation from the poker site’s owner, Ivan Block (Affleck).

A seemingly sincerely appalled Mr Block offers Richie both an immediate apology, and a full refund. What’s more, he is so impressed with Richie’s way with figures that he offers him a job.

In time, Richie becomes Block’s right-hand man. The only problem is, Richie has no knowledge of what Block’s left hand is up to until it is far too late.

Mr Ivan Block is a Top 10 entry with a bullet — no, make that many bullets — on the FBI’s Most Wanted chart.

What follows is a fairly predictable tangle of doublecrosses and triple-threats, enhanced only by the exotic setting (with Puerto Rico playing Costa Rica) and a few seedy insights into the shonky universe of virtual gaming.

Gemma Arterton totters about in the background, largely in the interests of serving some additional eye candy to those with the appetite for it.

As for Affleck, well, he had better lift his game considerably above this standard if he is to win over the many doubters already knocking his gig as the next Batman.

> RUNNER RUNNER [MA15+]

Rating: 2.5/5

Director: Brad Furman (The Lincoln Lawyer)

Starring: Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie

“The bettor’s the devil, you know”