by Frank Calvillo
In prepping to write about The Runner, I mentioned to a friend of mine that I was going to be reviewing a new Nicolas Cage movie. He told me that his favorite Cage was the kind he saw in the 1997 action thrill ride Con Air, while I said that mine was Adaptation where the actor totally lost himself in a writer’s neuroses. I made me reflect on Cage’s unmatched willingness for taking on virtually any kind of role that exists, and the unflinching bravery within him which allows him to.
In keeping with his penchant for experimentation, the actor adds another portrayal to his catalog of characters in the political drama The Runner.
Cage plays Colin Price, a New Orleans politician with a power attorney wife named Deborah (Connie Nielsen) and an eye on a seat in the senate. Colin’s main motivation is the aftermath of the BP oil spill and its effects on the very people he cares about. However, when a sex scandal involving the aspiring senator comes out, Colin loses his his wife and his job, causing him to re-evaluate his life and begin his career again from scratch.
One of the main conflicts within The Runner is the BP oil spill, the havoc it wreaks on the citizens of New Orleans, and Colin’s tireless drive to help those effected rise above it. Scenes such as Colin listening to fishermen waiting for compensation checks which never come and arguments made concerning oil vs. green as a way of life give The Runner a credibility sorely lacking in other films of its kind.
The heart and soul of The Runner though is a thoughtful character study of a man driven by a love for the land and his people. In bringing Colin to life, Cage has given one of the more human and realistic portrayals of a politician in recent times. Colin is flawed and conflicted, yet he is also motivated and is on a mission. This is a man who cheats, but who also wants to change the world around him. Its been so often the case in films that politicians are seen as either cold machines or eternally sympathetic saps. How refreshing it is therefore, that The Runner offers up one who is as conflicted and driven as the average person.
The Runner fails to fully escape its straight to DVD trappings and as a result, there are simply too many plot elements pushing ahead to the front of the line. Characters are introduced, given some sort of narrative flesh, and then disappear for long stretches at a time, while turns in the story are announced rather than presented. I imagine there must have been a more drawn out version of The Runner at some point, but the final product is an extremely choppy film with a jagged narrative structure.
Midway through The Runner, I kept on thinking how well the film would have worked as a prime time series. With so many turns happening throughout the overpacked film, so much remains unanswered such as Colin’s relationship with his wife, mistress (Sarah Paulson), and father (Peter Fonda), not to mention his slow climb back towards political glory. There’s so much narrative ground that barely gets covered, the episodic television format would have allowed for the type of exploration The Runner’s story is trying to accomplish.
Sporting a southern accent which at times makes him sound like a lost Ewing family member, Cage is completely present in his role. While many actors are aware of that their presence in a straight to DVD feature means nothing more than an easy paycheck, Cage is so fully committed to the character and infuses him with a mixture of deep conflict, regret, and perseverance.
If The Runner WERE indeed a series, every member of the supporting cast would indeed be receiving plenty of acclaim. Neilsen seems to be channelling Kathleen Turner as Deborah, portraying a woman concerned with her career more than her marriage. Meanwhile Paulson brings her usual loveliness to the proceedings and Fonda goes to town a bit as Colin’s father, who also happens to be one of the city’s former mayors.
Writer/director Austin Stark has served as producer on some of the more interesting indies to come out in recent times, including Detachment and Happythankyoumoreplease. He makes his feature film debut as a writer/director with The Runner. I can’t help but applaud his intentions with regard to the story he wanted to tell and the characters he created, since there is certainly a venue for this kind of involving storytelling; it’s just unfortunate that it got told in the wrong one.
