Jackson Booth-Millard I saw the trailer for this film at the time of its release, I mainly remembered it because of the actors, and because it was something to do with gambling, so I watched it, directed by Brad Furman (The Lincoln Lawyer). Basically Princeton graduate student Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake) is a former Wall Street broker, a couple of years ago he lost everything in the stock market. To support himself and pay the institution Richie promotes online gambling in Priceton, he is denounced by a student, Dean Alex Monroe (Bob Gunton) threatens to expel for these activities, after his ultimatum he stops. Using his excellent poker skills Richie decides to bet all his savings in a high stakes poker game to finance the rest of his graduation, however he loses all his money, and discovers he was swindled by Ivan Block (Ben Affleck), who runs the biggest empire of online gambling websites in the world. Richie travels to Costa Rica to confront Ivan at a gambling convention, there he meets his ex- lover and employee Rebecca Shafran (Gemma Arterton), she gives him an invitation to Ivan's party, there Richie meets with Ivan, who refunds his money and invites him to work for him. Richie is seduced by the offer and expects to become rich, he moves to Costa Rica, but then unethical FBI Agent Shavers (Anthony Mackie) presses him, he wants Richie's assistance to convict Ivan, as he has no jurisdiction in the corrupt country. Richie is stuck in the middle of remaining with Ivan and the organisation and not crossing with the wrong people, or following the law, but he does find out some truths about Ivan, and using his intelligence and money he will do whatever it takes to get out. Also starring Oliver Cooper as Andrew Cronin, Sam Palladio as Shecky, Jeannine Kaspar as Ashley, David Costabile as Professor Horstein and John Heard as Harry Furst. Timberlake does prove himself a good actor as well as a singer, Affleck is alright as the corrupt businessman, and Arterton is only in it to look beautiful, the editing may be pacy, especially the gambling sequences, but the story is predictable, and the majority of the film I felt bored, it is a fair but almost forgettable crime thriller. Adequate!

Dave McClain Money. Exotic locales. Money. Sex. Money. What's not to like? Not only are those things part of the appeal of "Runner Runner" (R, 1:31), but they're also what tempt the lead character into a situation that eventually threatens to deprive him of everything he's working for.Justin Timberlake plays Richie Furst, a brilliant student in a master's mathematics program at Princeton. When his attempts to fund his education through online poker backfire, he gets desperate. Now, Richie isn't just your average gambler. He knows poker, and gambling runs in his family, as we understand when we meet Richie's father (John Heard). Richie uses his knowledge of gambling, mathematics and computers to gather proof that he was cheated. He flies to Costa Rica to confront the man behind the poker website in question – Ivan Block (Ben Affleck), an American entrepreneur who may or may not be a legitimate businessman.Their encounter leads Ivan to hire Richie to help him run his website. Richie's good at it and it's a shortcut to everything he hoped his Ivy League education would bring him. Meanwhile, a relationship develops between Richie and Ivan's former lover, Rebecca (Gemma Arterton). Things are going swimmingly for Richie until Anthony Mackie's FBI Agent Shavers steps in and tries to threaten Richie into turning against his employer. Will he or won't he? Which of these characters are the criminals and which are just doing their jobs? The answers eventually reveal each character's true allegiances, just as Richie seems hopelessly boxed in on all sides.This is an above-average thriller that keeps you guessing. Justin Timberlake has legitimate acting chops and it was fun to see Ben Affleck take on such a morally ambiguous character, and nice to see that he didn't overplay his hand. This movie is part "Ocean's 11" and part "The Firm", but still manages to feel original. The twists and turns are many, but allow the audience to keep up and enjoy getting the answers to those questions I mentioned earlier. "Runner Runner" isn't what I would call brilliant, but it's reasonably well-constructed and pretty entertaining. "B"

Bryan Kluger Even the title is bad. 'Runner Runner' might have looked good on paper, especially when director Brad Furman ('The Lincoln Lawyer') hired Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake and Gemma Arterton to star in this online gambling thriller. Unfortunately, even at just 90 minutes, it's 90 very long minutes of laughable, cheesy dialogue, zero notable characters, and virtually no suspense, with the exception of a short scene with crocodiles. The setup is decent enough, but the movie is poorly executed on all levels.In a 'Social Network'-like set-up, we meet Princeton student Richie Furst (Timberlake), who's been threatened with expulsion unless he shuts down his online gambling business. Richie is smart, charismatic and driven to win. In order to pay for his tuition, he bets his life savings on an online poker tournament. He loses, but he and a fellow engineer figure out that he was cheated. The man responsible is Ivan Black (Affleck), the kingpin of online gambling, and he resides in Costa Rica.Even though Richie is supposedly penniless now, he still can afford a plane ticket to Costa Rica with the hopes of running into Ivan and exposing him. We're told that Ivan is extremely difficult to get to. (He's described as Oz, the man behind the curtain.) Well, luckily, Richie is Justin Timberlake, and it only takes him a few hours to get face to face with Ivan. When Richie confronts him about his shady site, Ivan invites him onto his huge yacht and offers to pay him what he lost, even to pay for the rest of his tuition. He also tempts Richie with a job that could earn a potential eight figures in the first year or two. The dialogue here sounds very similar to lines Affleck previously delivered in 'Boiler Room'.Richie accepts the offer and stays in Costa Rica, but later is picked up by an FBI agent named Shavers (Anthony Mackie), who informs Richie about Ivan's criminal history. From here, Richie starts to figure out how truly unscrupulous and dangerous Ivan is, as if the back-door dealings, blackmailing clients, and even torturing people weren't enough clues. Richie must try to escape with the help of Ivan's right-hand- woman (Arterton), who seems to be playing both sides.'Runner Runner' suffers from a slow pace and lack of suspense, which is bad news for a movie promoted as a high-octane thriller with fast cars, fast boats and bad guys. While, yes, it has all of that, at no point do we feel worried for the characters. Every actor might as well wear a blank mask, because no emotion pours out of them, aside from the rare instance when someone yells at someone else. Timberlake and Affleck are likable on screen, but suspenseful thrillers are not Timberlake's strong suit, Affleck seems to be coasting on his Oscar win, and Arterton is only here to look pretty.This film is better left to view on TV once it comes out on cable for free. Even then, you may want your hour-and-a-half back.

Floated2 Runner Runner has been a massive hyped film since it's release but the general consensus is that the film is a disappointment. However in some cases the film does not shine through its talented cast but the cast is what here goes by to an extent through entertainment. The definitions come together in Runner Runner, which takes place in the world of online gambling. Justin Timberlake plays Richie Furst, a Princeton student trying to pay his way through university by steering others toward gambling sites, for which he gets a small commission.When the Dean tells him to stop, he turns to actual online gambling, but quickly loses his bankroll. Being a brain, he runs the numbers and figures that the only way he could have been beaten so soundly is if someone was cheating. So he goes to Costa Rica, whence Ivan Block (Ben Affleck) runs the site in comfortable exile. Following through several series of predictable manner, we see the film unfold but it could have been done is a better fashion. Entertainment but do not expect much.