Alan Ritchson And Owen Wilson’s ‘Runner’ Lands A Rotten Tomatoes Verdict That Might Surprise You

Angel Studios has built its reputation on faith-driven, family-friendly programming, but this fall the distributor is taking a hard swing into R-rated-adjacent action territory. ‘Runner‘ marks a tonal departure for the studio, trading gentle uplift for gunfire, cartel chases and a body count that critics are still processing.

The film follows Hank Malone, a former soldier turned courier living in Australia, who gets pulled into a race against the clock when a delivery turns out to be a liver desperately needed by a dying child. Complicating matters is Ben Bishop, an unlikely partner played by Owen Wilson, and the pair soon find themselves hunted by a ruthless cartel led by Damian Zaldívar, portrayed by Rodrigo Santoro.

Now that ‘Runner’ has hit theaters, the numbers are in, and the film is landing right in the middle of the pack. It currently holds a 65% score on the Tomatometer based on 17 reviews, a respectable but hardly rapturous reception for a movie built around Alan Ritchson’s action-hero credibility and Wilson’s comedic chops.

Several reviews single out the pairing of Ritchson and Wilson as the film’s biggest asset. One review described the two actors as enjoyably mismatched, with Wilson’s motor-mouthed energy playing off Ritchson’s stoic intensity in a way that keeps the film from feeling like a straightforward genre exercise.

Other outlets praised director Scott Waugh’s background as a former stunt performer, noting that the action sequences carry a visceral, hard-hitting quality rarely seen in mid-budget thrillers. Waugh, who also directed ‘Expend4bles,’ reportedly leans into brutal, bone-crunching fight choreography that stands in sharp contrast to the film’s occasional comedic beats.

That tonal whiplash is exactly what several critics flagged as the film’s central weakness. Reviewers noted that ‘Runner’ struggles at times to balance its grim, blood-soaked stakes with Wilson’s lighter comic relief, leaving the movie caught between two competing identities rather than fully committing to either.

Much of the film’s buzz has centered on the working relationship between its two leads, who didn’t actually meet in person until production began. Wilson explained that while he and Ritchson had spoken on the phone beforehand, their first real meeting happened once filming got underway in Australia, according to comments he told WUSA9.

Santoro, who plays the film’s primary antagonist, spoke about the physical demands of facing off against Ritchson on screen, noting the size difference between the two actors pushed him to lean fully into the villain’s menace. He also revealed he performed a significant portion of his own stunts for the first time in a film like this, crediting Ritchson’s stunt experience as a major help throughout production.

The supporting cast rounds out the ensemble with Leila George as Kate Baker, Peta Sergeant as Julie and Geraldine Hakewill as Monica, adding further layers to the sprawling chase narrative that unfolds across Queensland, Australia.

‘Runner’ also arrives amid an unusual bit of scheduling overlap, releasing within roughly a week and a half of another similarly titled thriller, ‘The Runner,’ starring Gal Gadot. The coincidental timing has already sparked comparisons between the two projects, though early reviews suggest ‘Runner’ benefits from a clearer, more propulsive plot than its competitor.

For a film centered on saving a child’s life through an organ delivery, ‘Runner’ doesn’t shy away from violence, and its 65% Tomatometer score reflects a movie that’s earning respect for its craft even as some critics wish it picked a lane. Whether that mixed reception translates into box office success remains to be seen as the film expands in theaters.

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