The reviews are in for the online gambling thriller “Runner, Runner” and they aren’t very good. In fact, to date, just 20 percent of critics at movie review aggregator site RottenTomatoes.com have given the film a thumb’s up. Audience reviews were equally as harsh, though somewhat limited.
Richie, a Princeton college student played by Justin Timberlake, travels to Costa Rica to confront the on-line mastermind, Ivan, whom he believes has swindled him out of monies wagered on his Web poker site.
Ivan, played by Ben Affleck, 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.
WATCH OUR RUNNER RUNNER INTERVIEW WITH AGA PRESIDENT GEOFF FREEMAN
Many industry observers have called the film “shallow” and “unrealistic” while the American Gaming Association (AGA) suggests the fictional tale is “close to reality”. They have produced an ad campaign around the film as a way to encourage policymakers in the US to push for regulation of the industry.
