Gal Gadot’s New Prime Video Thriller Just Got Absolutely Wrecked By Critics
Gal Gadot has spent the last decade jumping between armor and heels, swinging from the Amazonian battlefields of ‘Wonder Woman’ to globe trotting heists in the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise. Now she’s trading capes for running shoes in her latest Prime Video vehicle, a psychological thriller that had all the makings of a late summer streaming hit.
‘The Runner’ is a British action thriller directed by Kevin Macdonald and written by Mark Gibson, starring Gadot alongside Damian Lewis and Alfred Enoch. The story follows Maia Marten, a high powered London attorney whose morning run turns into a nightmare when a phone call informs her that her son has been taken, with the mysterious caller demanding she keep moving, follow every command, and tell no one or her child dies. Damian Lewis plays the sinister voice on the other end of the line, pushing Maia toward a witness tied to a case that could unravel his client’s fate.
It sounds like the kind of high concept premise that could turn into a genuine nail biter, which made it all the more surprising when the reviews rolled in. According to Rotten tomatoes, ‘The Runner’ opened with a brutal 10 percent on the Tomatometer from just 10 reviews, a shockingly low number for a star whose lowest rated project before this had been sitting comfortably higher. Gadot’s previous career low on Rotten Tomatoes was the 20 percent scored by 2016’s ‘Keeping Up with the Joneses,’ making this new thriller a fresh floor for her filmography.
The reviews themselves have not been kind. MovieWeb called the film a surface level ride that never earns comparisons to something like ‘Run Lola Run,’ adding that no matter how hard Gadot runs, she cannot outrun the mediocrity surrounding her. ScreenRant argued the voice on phone thriller format needed a stronger script to overcome its inherent challenges, and ‘The Runner’ simply did not have the goods. Variety was similarly unimpressed, noting the film has energy but lacks the suspense or novelty needed to elevate an overly familiar concept.
Behind the scenes, Gadot has been candid about how physically demanding the shoot actually was. She told ABC7 that she trained for nine months with Olympic runner Malachi Davis to prepare for the role, admitting she had never enjoyed running before signing on. “It took me some time. I needed a lot of preparation, and I prepped for it for nine months,” she said, describing herself as someone who genuinely hated running before the project changed her mind.
The film also introduces young actor Rory Wilmot as Maia’s son Noah, a performer who is set to appear in the upcoming Harry Potter television series. Gadot has been busy on the press circuit lately, and some of that attention has drifted away from ‘The Runner’ entirely, with recent comments suggesting she is uncertain whether she would return as Wonder Woman for a potential third film given her current family commitments. That kind of headline grabbing detour has only added more noise around a rollout that critics are already calling one of the year’s rougher misses.
‘The Runner’ is now streaming, leaving audiences to decide for themselves whether Gadot’s marathon through London is worth the sprint. Are you still planning to watch Maia’s frantic race to save her son, or are the reviews enough to make you sit this one out?
