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Reviews
The Runner (1999)
Someone had five dollars and made a movie
I rented this movie the day it was available for rental, being the avid Courteney Cox Arquette fan that I am. This movie's first impression screams to the watcher to stop your VCR and ask for your money back. Fortunately it picks up about ten minutes into the beginning. The introductory credits made me wonder what exactly I had gotten myself into.
The first real dialogue of the movie is mainly swearing, but this only gets worse.
Fortunately, as soon as Karina(Courteney) enters the scene it definitely picks up.It's kind of like "enter perfect love obsession of geeky main character".
After the initial introduction and conflict this movie gets much better. Everytime the character flubs up, I grimaced, waiting for the impending fate given by "Deepthroat" aka John Goodman. I was held to the ending, praying when the screen got dark each time that it was not the end of poor Edward. Luckily, each time I was once again greeted by the entrance of yet one more scene.
I recommend this movie to anyone who has a long attention span. The first time I almost cried at the ending. Then I was compelled to watch it yet another time. The second viewing was much more entertaining. Maybe it was knowing the resolution or just being able to fast forward through the slow parts--I don't know. My advice: watch it twice.
The camera angles of this movie were well chosen and styled. The flashes of scenes and the loud rock music accompanying it emphasized the action of Vegas, and also the danger of the character's position in his "game."
The acting was yet another good thing. Courteney made the 'labor scene' extremely effective. She def did her homework. John Goodman also plays an excellent bad guy. Down to the way he lays on the couch to lighting up his ciggy at the end. While this movie is slow in some places and slightly low-budget, it deserved a little chance in the theatres.