Runner Runner is a thriller inspired by the events surrounding the infamous poker Black Friday, which saw several largest poker sites shut down with no prior notice.
The story follows Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake), who is pursuing his master’s degree at Princeton, supporting himself as an affiliate for online gambling. After the dean threatens to expel him if he doesn’t stop, Furst turns to online poker, putting all the money in his bank account on the line to try and win enough to pay his tuition.
His plan doesn’t work out as he loses his entire bankroll in one long session. However, Richie suspects he was cheated, and after he runs some numbers, his suspicions are confirmed.
With nothing left to lose, Furst flies out to Costa Rica to confront Ivan Block (Ben Affleck), the owner of the site. He shows him the evidence, and this helps Block catch several programmers who created a backdoor allowing them to see other players’ cards.
Block gives Furst his money back and offers him to stay in Costa Rica and work for him. Furst accepts the offer, blinded by promises of big money and a carefree lifestyle. Everything seems fine for a while, but as time goes by, Richie realizes that things aren’t what they appear, and that Block is using the site as a massive Ponzi scheme.
Core Runner Runner Movie Details & Ratings
- Title: Runner Runner
- Year: 2013
- Director: Brad Furman
- Main cast: Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton
- Genre: Thriller
- Duration: 88 min.
- Overall score: 8/10
| Criteria | Score (1-10) | Reviewer note |
| Poker Realism | 7/10 | There are no actual poker hands depicted in a movie, but other references to poker-related things are not bad (but not perfect). |
| Story & Writing | 7/10 | Not the most suspenseful thriller you will watch, but it’s certainly not boring. |
| Acting & Characters | 8/10 | Affleck and Timberlake do a very solid job of portraying their characters. |
| Poker Excitement Factor | N/A | There is very little actual poker in this movie, except for a few minutes of online action that we don’t see any details of. |
| Entertainment value | 8.5/10 | Quite entertaining, even if some parts of the movie leave something to be desired. |
What We Loved About The Movie
Runner Runner is a proper throwback to the golden age of online poker and events that led to Black Friday, a day that still lives in the memories of countless poker players worldwide who were there for it.
While the movie doesn’t perfectly capture every single detail, it is a pretty solid portrayal of how many poker sites operated back in the day, running their businesses from offshore bases, sheltered from the laws of the countries they offered their services in, especially the United States.
Affleck’s portrayal of Block’s character is very solid and brings to life the devil-may-care attitude owners of these sites had during the period. Without fear of serious legal implications and aware that they can always move on to the next country to set up shop, the main goal was often to make as much money as quickly as possible.
Furst’s discovery that the whole operation is a Ponzi scheme is a clear reference to the events that led to Black Friday. While it may not be historically 100% accurate, the aftermath showed that many operators played fast and loose with players’ funds, hoping that money would continue to trickle in.
Block sees Richie as just one more expandable kid who may be smart when it comes to numbers, but lacks the “life” experience. From the very start, he sees him as a scapegoat, someone who’ll take the fall when things go south, which he knows they eventually will.
The shift in dynamic between the two isn’t sudden; the movie builds it up through a series of events, each one more serious than the last. By the end, although Furst is technically the good guy, it is clear that Block opened his eyes to a world of new possibilities, and he’s not willing to give up on it.
It’s also pretty cool to hear the name of Ultimate Bet mentioned in the movie, as one of the sites that was at the center of numerous scandals (including the infamous super user scandal) over the years, before eventually folding following the events of Black Friday.
Shortcomings
Runner Runner is a fun film, but it didn’t quite live up to its full potential, especially given the acting star power. Like so many poker movies, it suffers from certain plot holes and things that don’t quite add up.
The first example is Furst finding 100% evidence that he was cheated. From what is shown in the movie, he plays his entire session over a single night, playing three or four tables at a time. Without seeing other players’ hole cards, there is no way he’d be able to run a relevant statistical analysis to be certain beyond any doubt that he is being cheated.
He could have his suspicions, and numbers could be off, but not at the level of discrepancy that his friend claims.
It is also funny to see Richie deposit his entire card balance (down to the last cent) and then sit down at the table with that exact balance. He is portrayed as a good poker player, so even if he is taking the risk, just dumping his entire bankroll on a single table seems more like a scene from South Park.
There are a few more moments in the film that will make you chuckle as certain actions and decisions don’t quite match up with who these characters are supposed to be and what they’re supposed to know. But we are all used to it by this point.
Final Verdict
Despite its shortcomings, I find Runner Runner to be a very watchable and fun movie that gets too much hate from critics. It could be because I see movies as entertainment and tend not to take them too seriously or expect too much from them.
As a poker fan, it’s pretty cool to go back over a decade and remember those simpler times (until they weren’t). The story isn’t perfect; some things don’t quite make sense, but overall, it’ll entertain you just fine.
Overall Score: 8/10
