“The Runner” is Cage entering “The Formula” era of his modern Brando career. He’s taking jobs that seem mature to shake off past missteps. What we get is a great actor turning boring in effort to seemingly reinvent himself. I’m sorry, pal. People who were pushed into “Left Behind” shouldn’t take roles like this to redefine themselves.
While I can buy Spacey as a South Carolina politician in “House of Cards”, it’s a stretch to buy Cage as being from Louisiana here. Cage gets brief wannabe Capra moments as a politician that wants to raise help for a BP style oil spill event. But, there’s a forced sex scandal to give the character definition and an obstacle. The result plays out like the worst script that Rod Lurie could’ve farted out in the Aughts.
The Blu-Ray comes with no special features. The A/V Quality is strong for an indie flick. The 1080p transfer is supportive without being impressive. The same goes for the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. In the end, I’d recommend a rental to the curious.
Release Date: 8/25/15