Gal Gadot does a lot of running in her new Prime streaming feature aptly titled “The Runner”. Sadly, even at a lean 84 minutes, her latest film ultimately comes across as an endless jog to nowhere. To Gadot’s credit she gives it her all, firmly committing herself both physically and emotionally. But you’ll need more than a suspension of disbelief to stick with this preposterous, often tedious, and suspense-free thriller.

Gadot plays Maia Marten, a prosecutor living in London with her young diabetic son, Noah (Rory Wilmot). Maia is on the verge of closing out a high-profile double murder case against a powerful criminal kingpin named Boyd. Her entire case hinges on the testimony of a key witness, Tafa (Phoenix Di Sebastiani). After walking Noah to school, Maia takes off on her daily jog to her office. But her run is suddenly interrupted by a terrifying phone call from Noah’s phone.

The Caller informs Maia that he has abducted Noah and placed him in a diabetic coma. He tells her that he will kill her son if she doesn’t do exactly what he says. And he has hacked her phone and smartwatch to ensure she complies. He orders Maia to start running to the Excelsus Hotel which is where Tafa is being held by Witness Protection. Once there, she is to kill Tafa with a gun he provides. If she doesn’t do it within one hour, Noah will die.

So she runs…and runs…and runs. And just when you think the movie is taking a turn, she runs some more. Director Kevin McDonald and screenwriter Mark Gibson throw in a few encounters that break up the monotony. But these moments struggle to generate any excitement and they certainly don’t add any much-needed suspense. Even the handful of technical flourishes do little to energize this frustratingly flat and mostly empty affair.

“The Runner” throws in some rather shallow commentary about our addiction to digital devices only to completely forget it by the halfway mark. It also introduces some past trauma that never factors into the story in any truly meaningful way. There’s even a former (or is he current – who knows?) love interest who only seems to exist because the final act needs him (vague, I know). All of these are admirable swings at adding story depth. Unfortunately none of those swings connect.

Again, it’s a toughie for Gadot who simply can’t keep this film afloat. It’s not for a lack of trying. But the subpar material routinely lets her down, right through to its ridiculous and utterly predictable finish. It’s such a half-baked production that’s lacking in nearly every important category. Thankfully it’s only 84 minutes, so it won’t eat up too much of your time. Then again, you may be ready to check out well before those 84 minutes are done.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS