In Brief: The Runner (2015)

Nic Cage plays a local Louisiana Congressman who is given the chance to ride an impassioned speech made in the wake of BP oil spill into the US Senate. The trouble is that the ride comes at a price.

One of the genuinely better recent Nic Cage films is also a kind of bore. The story of a good man given the chance to make a difference if he'll only sell his soul has been done countless times before. While there is nothing wrong with that, especially when its done as well as this film, the problem comes when you don't add anything to it. THE RUNNER doesn't add anything to the genre.

I suppose that it could have gotten away with not adding anything new if it had made things exciting, but THE RUNNER is much too low keep. There is no sense of real danger other than to Cage's reputation. He's having an affair- yes and?

The other thing that keeps things a tad on the dullside is that the film is kind of a polemic. We get lots of speeches about the environment as well as agonizing over how to do the right thing when bad people control the money. I would have preferred more action and less talk.

THE RUNNER is not a bad film, it's just not an exciting one. Actually considering some of the poor choices Cage has made recently its a revelation. Its wonderfully less manic unfortunately it's kinda boring.

THE RUNNER hits Blur-ray and DVD tomorrow.