'Bad Boys meets Reacher': Prime Video pairs Alan Ritchson with Owen Wilson in a 97-minute action film
Prime Video’s 97-minute action film pairs Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson as two strangers delivering a liver while a syndicate chases them.
Right, so Reacher Season 4's only just wrapped up, but Prime Video isn't leaving Alan Ritchson fans twiddling their thumbs. Freshly added to the action line-up is Runner, an all-guns-blazing caper that ropes in Owen Wilson alongside Ritchson for something that lands halfway between a shootout and a heartstring-tugger. If you’re after car chases, ill-tempered fist fights and the odd explosion, you’re sorted. But the film’s got a bit more going for it than the standard meathead adventure — the plot’s built around a frantic courier run to deliver a liver to a dying little girl. Cue the violins (interspersed with gunfire, obviously).
Runner runs just 97 minutes, keeping things punchy for anyone burned out on bloaty TV.
Buddy-Cop, But Not Coppers
Let’s talk about what really works — Ritchson and Wilson thrown together as courier odd couple Hank and Bill. It’s not exactly Bad Boys, but you can see their director nicking the dynamic. Bill’s all non-stop chatter and nervous tics, while Hank fills the Reacher-shaped void — brawny, ex-military, quiet as you like. You know exactly where it’s going, but watching these two wind each other up is genuinely good fun, especially as the pair don’t even know each other at the start. Makes their banter a touch more unpredictable compared to your usual mismatched detective pairings.
- Alan Ritchson (Hank) — plays it gruff, gets his hands dirty, but with a decent streak lurking underneath.
- Owen Wilson (Bill) — talks a mile a minute, generally in over his head, has a heart, if not a backbone.
The time pressure’s classic action-movie stuff — ticking clock, life on the line, syndicates chasing them down. It all feels familiar, but that’s sort of the point: Runner borrows the best bits of the formula, gives it just enough of a remix, and lets its leads do the talking (and, more often than not, the punching).
Reacher Withdrawal Cure?
Fans just finished with Season 4 of Reacher aren’t going to get short-changed here. Runner offers more of Ritchson doing what he does best — thumping bad guys on a grander scale, a few more wrecked cars, but still that odd flash of emotional vulnerability that sneaks up on you between explosions. Wilson’s reliably amusing, but he’ll actually have you feeling for him when it matters. If you want non-committal action and a dose of the same frontman, this is your ninety-seven-minute fix while waiting for Season 5 to show up.