John Goodman is a supporting actor in this movie the same way that Atlas supported the Earth in Greek mythology. First, let us dispel any notion of realism. Goodman plays a sport gambler who beats the house so often that he has his own cadre of runners and soldiers. (In real life such men ARE the casino sport books). Instead of examining this fascinating character, we are thrust into the lives of the pretty boy/girl leads Arquette and Ellard. The end result was an obvious "producer's instrument" designed to advance young cinematic careers as much as make a buck. The Runner (Ellard) should have been The 'Sportwonk' (Goodman). Missed exciting themes were How does he beat the books? How does he get his info? Is he mobbed up? What is the life of a winning sports gambler like? Still, the finale is very exciting and worth the price of rental. If you like OC, buy it.

I certainly did not expect much from this film, so i was quite blown away at how good it actually was. given that i saw it just one week after returning from Vegas made it that much more enthralling. You can say that The Runner is a movie about the gambling lifestyle, the same way Field of Dreams is a movie about baseball, that is that the gambling aspect is just a vehicle to a very interesting character study. And the characters in this film are VERY interesting indeed. you will find yourself caring about the fate of these characters more than almost any movie you have ever seen, and for my money that is a key criteria in a rewarding movie watching experience. With all the dogs out there you could see, this one is definitely worth a look. 8.5/10

The Runner was really good, I didn't get bored with it or anything. During the movie I found myself in suspense, in fear, in happiness, yelling at the screen, in doubt, and yes, I once even cried. Good overall acting except for the main character, he sucked (no offense). I recommend you see it.

This is a movie about making bad decisions. Ed continually gets himself in trouble because he can never make a right decision. Every time he puts himself in a position of getting out of a jam, he puts himself in a deeper jam by making another poor decision. I got so frustrated by Ed's actions that I found myself jumping up and down in front of my TV screaming at it. If anyone wants to learn a lesson or two about the consequences of your actions, this is the movie for you.