Gal Gadot's The Runner Underwhelms Critics

Prime Video's new thriller The Runner is now streaming. The film, starring Gal Gadot and directed by Kevin Macdonald, has drawn a mixed review from ScreenRant, which found it an underwhelming entry in the 'voice-on-phone' subgenre.

Attorney Maia, played by Gal Gadot, is prosecuting a powerful crime boss. Her case hinges on a star witness set to testify. After seeing her son Noah off to school, Maia begins her morning jog to work. Her routine is shattered by a phone call. A stranger's voice informs her that Noah has been kidnapped and injected with a fatal, slow-acting dose of insulin. The kidnapper, a professional hired to protect the mobster, gives Maia an ultimatum. She must follow his instructions precisely and kill her star witness to learn her son's location and obtain the antidote she carries.

The premise establishes a clear dramatic tension. Maia is hacked, monitored, and forbidden from contacting the police. She must run a gauntlet across the city, problem-solving under extreme pressure. ScreenRant's review states the set-up is strong but difficult to sustain cinematically, noting that strip away the context, and what you're actually watching in this Prime Video movie is a phone call and a jog.

Execution Falls Short of Promise

According to the review, the film struggles to capitalize on its promising start. The script is described as plotted well enough but lacking the richness or wit needed to sustain interest during slower moments. Gal Gadot is credited with handling the action capably but is criticized for not being an engaging enough deliverer of dialogue to bridge the gap. Director Kevin Macdonald's stylistic efforts, including quick cuts and hyperreal colors, are said to imitate Danny Boyle's style without achieving a similar emotional impact.

The dynamic between Maia and the kidnapper, voiced by Damian Lewis, is cited as a key weakness. The review argues the characters are not complex enough on the page, and the performances fail to create that complexity. Their exchanges reportedly lean heavily on Maia's backstory, which adds little weight by the film's conclusion.

Moments of Success Amidst Familiar Path

The source acknowledges the film has intermittent successes. Specific set-pieces, particularly one where Maia has her phone stolen on a subway, are highlighted as moments where everything clicks. In this scene, the protagonist is forced to her physical and emotional limits by a challenge that fits the story's shape. However, such moments are deemed too few.

The review compares The Runner unfavorably to other recent thrillers like Carry-On (2024) and Drop (2025). While not calling those films great, it suggests they are better versions of this concept because they more actively play with audience expectations. The Runner, it claims, mostly follows a predictable path.

Film Details

The film's technical and cast details are provided in the source. They are presented below.

Ultimately, ScreenRant's review concludes that The Runner is a relatively weightless diversion unlikely to be remembered long after its 84-minute runtime. It is available for streaming on Prime Video.