The Runner

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The Runner

PG-13

2026

1h 24m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

11%

Tomatometer

56 Reviews

33%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

In the pulse-pounding psychological thriller The Runner, Maia Marten (Gal Gadot) has built her life on being one step ahead -- a sharp, resourceful, high-powered lawyer at the top of London's legal world. During her routine morning run, a single phone call shatters her world: her son has been taken. The instructions to get him back are simple and merciless -- keep moving, follow every command, and tell no one. Stop, and he dies. Forced to sprint through the city and obey a series of sinister commands, Maia must confront an impossible question: how far will she go to bring her son home? Set against the backdrop of London's hyper-connected streets, The Runner is a visceral, high-stakes race where every second counts, every choice carries a price, and a mother's unstoppable love becomes the most dangerous weapon of all.

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Critics Consensus

An empty, relentlessly frantic thriller, The Runner's real time gimmick and flat-footed plotting generate more headaches than suspense.

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Jared Richards

The Age (Australia)

Sep 9, 2026

2/5

Despite its blackmail plot unfolding (loosely) in real-time, this forgettable 84-minute thriller is devoid of any rising tension.

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Peter Travers

The Travers Take

Sep 4, 2026

1/4

In this dumb-as-dirt kidnap drama, Gal Gadot huffs and puffs, trying to outrun an idiot plot that goes nowhere in 84 minutes.

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Robert Daniels

New York Times

Sep 3, 2026

Gal Gadot takes a mighty stumble in the unimaginative thriller “The Runner.”

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Mini Anthikad-Chhibber

The Hindu

Oct 23, 2026

Gal Gadot’s sprint to save her diabetic son keeps up the tension in this by-the-numbers actioner

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Puja Talwar

The Federal

Sep 30, 2026

It's a slight film built on a familiar chassis, but Macdonald's control of pace and Gadot's committed physicality keep it from ever feeling like a retread.

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Matt Pais

MattPais.com

Sep 27, 2026

D-

Perhaps we need more movies about skipping.

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LeSange T

@LeSange 2 days ago

чистый проходняк

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LX S

@RT88677389 3 days ago

Erm… well. I’m definitely speechless. Not in a good way.

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Jay V

@SunnySera 4 days ago

Jeepers. Gal Gadot is next-level awful in this film. Her other movies were bad, but she is even less convincing in this one.

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Kate W

@KateW22 Oct 23, 2026

I really enjoyed this movie, and I find it very strange that it has such a low rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Gal Gadot does a fantastic job, and she carries the film beautifully… and Damian Lewis is super creepy as the villain. Highly recommend.

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Marco L

@decatur555 Oct 22, 2026

A weak and cheap-looking thriller, partly saved by a smarter-than-expected ending. The premise is direct: Maia, a London lawyer played by Gal Gadot, receives a call during her morning run telling her that her son has been kidnapped. From there, the film moves quickly through London, but speed is not the same as tension. Gadot has physical presence, yet dramatically she remains limited, and the film does not even frame her especially well. Damian Lewis works better as the voice on the phone than as a character, although the comparison with Phone Booth only makes this feel smaller and flatter. Alfred Enoch is a welcome face, but also underused. The production feels cheap: few actors, flat locations, poor visual choices and a TV-movie texture. Still, the ending is genuinely better thought out than the rest. Not awful, but very minor, predictable and forgettable.

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Danny S

@DanShterev Oct 21, 2026

I wasn't impressed and actually found the movie a bit slow and not interesting at all.

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Kevin Macdonald

Director

Gal Gadot

Maia

Damian Lewis

The Caller

Rory Wilmot

Noah

Alfred Enoch

Ted

Phoenix Di Sebastiani

Tafa

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Synopsis

In the pulse-pounding psychological thriller The Runner, Maia Marten (Gal Gadot) has built her life on being one step ahead -- a sharp, resourceful, high-powered lawyer at the top of London's legal world. During her routine morning run, a single phone call shatters her world: her son has been taken. The instructions to get him back are simple and merciless -- keep moving, follow every command, and tell no one. Stop, and he dies. Forced to sprint through the city and obey a series of sinister commands, Maia must confront an impossible question: how far will she go to bring her son home? Set against the backdrop of London's hyper-connected streets, The Runner is a visceral, high-stakes race where every second counts, every choice carries a price, and a mother's unstoppable love becomes the most dangerous weapon of all.

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Producer: David Kosse
Screenwriter: Mark Gibson
Distributor: Prime Video
Production Co: Rockwood Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2026
Runtime: 1h 24m

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