The Runner – Movie Review | Prime Video (2/5)

THE RUNNER on Prime Video is a psychological thriller that plays out virtually in real time and has a fairly short runtime. Gal Gadot stars in the title role and delivers a solid performance. Unfortunately, the plot and pace never live up to the intensity I expected. Read our full The Runner (2026) movie review here!

THE RUNNER is a Prime Video thriller starring Gal Gadot of Wonder Woman fame. I know she was also in Fast & Furious before this, but to me she is Wonder Woman. In any case, she does what she can in this movie, but there’s something about the pace and choices in everything from camerawork to storyline that does not work for me.

Usually, I love a good psychological thriller playing out in real time. It’s often the kind of movie that results in heart palpitations and leaves you feeling like you just completed a workout. And yet, not much about this Prime Video thriller elevated my pulse. I can’t say exactly what it was, except possibly the feeling that I never doubted it would all work out in the end.

Continue reading our The Runner movie review below. Find it on Prime Video from September 2, 2026.

Running to save her son

In The Runner, the title character is Maia Marten (Gal Gadot), a lawyer working some of the biggest cases in London. She has built her career and life on being one step ahead and shaping her own version of the truth. Something I’m sure comes in handy for this high-powered lawyer. Soon, it will also be key to getting through this particular morning.

While out on her routine morning run, she gets a phone call that shatters her world. Actually, even during her morning at home with her son, we see that something happens to her phone. This particular element is virtually the same as in the new South Korean Netflix series Mousetrap, which is definitely worth watching.

Anyway, back to the phone call in The Runner.

The man on the other end of the line says that he has her son. If Maia wants him back, she has to keep running in order to make it to a very specific location in time. She can’t speak to others and has to do exactly what the man says, or her son will not survive this ordeal. If she stops, then her son dies, and if she doesn’t follow all orders, then he will also die.

So, how far will this woman go to get her son back home safely?

A nightmare plays out in real-time

With The Runner, we’re getting a psychological thriller with a plot that reminded me of many other movies, where the main protagonist must act fast to save someone they love. Drop is the first movie that comes to mind. Also, A House of Dynamite and Bury the Devil should be mentioned, as both play out in real time as well. Of all these examples, The Runner is the least successful.

Not because of its cast or the core plot, but the storyline and execution of it all just did not work.

I mean, even Gal Gadot herself seems to be trying almost too hard to make it exciting and thrilling. I’m not blaming her, but when we have a scene where she isn’t running, yet seems more out of breath than when she was, something is off. Admittedly, it is a pet peeve of mine that I am notoriously annoyed by the “Mark Wahlberg school of acting” that consists mainly of sounding out of breath when things are tense.

Gal Gadot is better than this, and I would’ve thought the director was as well, yet here we are. And I am not a happy camper.

With a runtime of just 84 minutes, it still managed to feel a tad too long and even a little slow at times. Is it good for a night in, when you just want to watch something “fun and easy”? Well, yes, sure. But a movie about a woman being forced to go to extreme lengths to save her son, and having to run through the busy streets of London, should not feel “fun and easy”.

Watch The Runner on Prime Video

Kevin Macdonald is the director of The Runner, and he is also the reason I expected more from this Prime Video movie. Previously, Kevin Macdonald directed the 2021 movie The Mauritanian, an episode of the Stephen King-adapted series 11.22.63, and The Last King of Scotland (2006). This also means he has directed several actors to Oscar-nominated (or winning) performances over the past two decades.

That will not happen with this one. And not just because it’s coming out on Prime Video.

Actually, Kevin Macdonald is an Oscar winner himself as well. He won “Best Documentary Feature” in 2000 for One Day in September. When it comes to The Runner, I can only imagine that it came with a lovely paycheck. Unfortunately, it also must have come with many people wanting to decide things, as this is nothing like his previous productions.

The screenplay comes from Mark Gibson, who previously wrote a few Disney movies. Now, I’m not saying this to suggest that he isn’t able to write a decent psychological thriller as well. Quite the contrary, as most Disney movies rely heavily on evoking emotions and keeping their audience engaged. Again, I cannot say what went wrong with this movie, but it feels like outside forces – as in not those usually making movies.

Maybe I’m just disappointed that it didn’t deliver the intensity I expected. At the same time, I think I should have expected this from a movie with this plot, cast, and crew, and that’s why I feel so let down by it.

The Runner is streaming on Prime Video from September 2, 2026.

Details

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Writer: Mark Gibson
Cast: Gal Gadot, Damian Lewis, Rory Wilmot, Alfred Enoch