Runner Runner (2013)

 Plot Summary:

Richie, a Princeton college student who pays for school with on-line gambling, bottoms out and travels to Costa Rica to confront the on-line mastermind, Ivan, whom he believes has swindled him. Ivan sees a kindred spirit in Richie and brings the younger man into his operation. When the stakes get incredibly high and dangerous, and Richie comes to fully understand the deviousness of his new boss, he tries to turn the tables on him.~RT

Movie Specs:

Rating- R

Sex and Nudity- 6/10 (4 sex scenes with one containing an orgy of naked women)

Language- 6/10 (peppered with profanity F***, S***, P****, etc.)

Violence- 4/10 (fist fights and not so graphic murder)

Drugs-3/10 (cigarette smoking and planting of drugs)

Length- 1hr 31 mins

Review:

Runner Runner puts Justin Timberlake up front as a smooth and intelligent Princeton graduate student who gets embroiled in the dangerous business of on-line gambling. It was supposed to be atleast a tolerable movie. However, Gemma Arterton and even Ben Affleck failed to save this flat story line. Their “poker” faces didn’t help much either

With a story line that has been used repeatedly (and more recently in the film Paranoia), you would have thought that they would go the extra mile with better twists and dialogue in this film. In an attempt to appear smart and complicated, they employed too much jargon that would fail to make the layman appreciate the verbal exchange and depend on context. After the first few blah-blah scenes, I felt that there had to be something more to Justin and Ben’s characters than the stereotypes. As the movie reached the end, I was surprised at the anticlimactic conclusion and the unidimensionality of the three main characters. I expected a more intelligent climax worthy of its espoinage theme. *sigh.

Fave Character:

Agent Shaves. His one liners delivered much needed refreshment in this bland movie.

Least Liked Character:

Richie. Single note. Justine, please stick to singing.

Fave Quote: (NV). I don’t really remember the exact words

Shavers: I’m not doing this because I want to uphold the law. I am doing this because I like messing with Princeton punks like you.

Fave Scene:

…. I can’t identify any notable scene.

Ode to the taxi driver

To you Kuya Pong. I praise you and your remaining kind. Isa kang huwarang taxi driver.

Instead of waiving me off when I told you I was going to UP (from Robinsons Manila), you smiled and told me to come in.

Instead of swerving and driving in erratic speeds, you maintained a comfortably smooth pace.

Instead of engaging in this dangerous race of beating the traffic light, you slowed down and stopped accordingly.

Instead of cursing, tsking, or complaining about the traffic, other drivers and the government, you remained calm and gave me the silence my jet-lagged senses needed.

Instead of asking for additional money because of the distance and traffic, you even attempted to give me the exact change.

When I thanked you profusely for your marvelous driving and for not charging me extra, you just said "pare-pareho po tayong nagtratrabaho at nagsusumikap."

I do not regret giving you double the meter bill. I especially appreciated how you took the money without counting it in front of me. I sincerely hope that you continue to be the way you are in this city wrought with  greed and disobedience.