Runner has Ritchson and Wilson smuggling a liver, and it's a faith-film studio releasing it

Fresh off their very different career paths, Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson have ended up shoulder-to-shoulder in Runner, an action thriller that, in theory, ticks more than a few boxes: wild stunts, odd-couple bickering, and enough black market liver drama to keep the medics worried. Runner is officially out in UK cinemas from 11 September 2026.

Runner opened in cinemas 11 September 2026, with Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson leading the cast.

Directed by Scott Waugh (yes, that Scott Waugh if you like your B-tier action), the setup is basically this: Ritchson plays Hank Malone, ex-military, who’s now bottoming out as a courier for hire – and not just any parcel service, but the sort racing crucial organs across dodgy territory with criminals on their tail. No pressure. He’s saddled with Wilson’s Ben Bishop, who – if the film’s trailer is anything to judge by – is about as primed for a shootout as your mum’s pub quiz team.

The Crew and the Chase

The petri dish of a cast also ladles in Rodrigo Santoro as Damian Zaldívar, Leila George as Kate, Adriana Barraza in the role of Donna Zaldívar, Sullivan Stapleton as Josh, Peta Sergeant as Julie, Geraldine Hakewill as Monica, and Goran D. Kleut as one Luke. Miles Hubley and Tommy White wrote the script, which is distributed by Angel Studios (more known for faith-friendly fare, so this is a left turn). The actual plot: Hank and Ben have to ferry a healthy liver through what I’d call aggressively inconvenient circumstances, all to save a young girl. Of course, they’re not alone; apparently half the lowlife population is after that liver, and not for transplant purposes.

It’s 98 minutes of frantic scrapping, car chases, and, yes, an attempt at comedy via mismatched personalities. If you’ve seen any “two blokes who don’t get on are forced together by fate” movie in the past twenty years, you’ll have the rhythm before the clock hits the hour mark. The difference here is, the stakes are organ-shaped, and Angel Studios are the ones footing the bill.

Critics Sound Off

Critics have been, let’s say, cautiously unimpressed. Out of 31 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the film’s perched at a 68% critic score – just about a passing grade, but nothing you’d frame. IGN gave it a 6 out of 10, mainly for Ritchson’s “well-practised stunt craft” and Wilson’s “likeable comedic stylings”. Elsewhere, The Daily Telegraph in Australia dished out a 3 out of 5, noting that while the banter halfway lands, the “cleverly executed fight and stunt sequences” are the standout.

Over in the UK’s own Daily Telegraph, Tim Robey seemed less convinced by the mixture, singling out the film’s identity crisis:

Robey described "the uneasy blend of ingredients here – the goofiness, the gore, the tear-jerking sentiment and the havoc – that makes for a lumpy pudding."

“Lumpy pudding” about sums it up: high energy, some commitment to the bants, but just as likely to make you wince at a tone shift as laugh at Wilson’s delivery. Runner’s going for broke in the cinemas now.