Not to be confused with last week’s debacle titled “THE Runner“, Scott Waugh’s action comedy “Runner” is a vastly different movie in terms of style, tone, and overall quality. It’s every bit a straightforward, hard-hitting, fast-paced actioner. But it’s just as much a breezy buddy comedy built upon some good chemistry between its two leads. It certainly doesn’t break either mold. But what it does, it does well.

Written by Miles Hubley and Tommy White, “Runner” is set in Brisbane, Australia. Alan Ritchson plays Hank Malone, a former Navy SEAL who now works as a “runner” in Brisbane. A runner is someone who transports all sorts of important items, sometimes legally and sometimes not. Hank is a recovering alcoholic whose drinking cost him his marriage to his ex-wife Monica (Geraldine Hakewill). But he has worked hard to turn his life around, and has just reached one year of sobriety.

Hank gets a call from his handler, Iggy (Gyton Grantley) informing him of an urgent high-paying run. He’s to travel to the airport where he will receive a highly sensitive medical package from Honolulu, Hawaii. From there he is to take the package to the address provided by Iggy and they will get a big payday. But at the airport, Hank is surprised to learn the package has an escort named Ben Bishop (Owen Wilson). Ben reveals to Hank that inside of his state-of-the-art cooler is a liver that’s a rare match for a little girl awaiting a transplant.

So Hank heads to Gold Coast Children’s Hospital with his unexpected passenger and their precious cargo. But the unlikely duo learn that there are other people after the priceless liver, namely Damian Zaldívar (Rodrigo Santoro), the psychopathic son of a powerful Columbian cartel boss. He and his heavily armed goons set their sights on Hank and Ben. And they’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on the cooler and its invaluable contents.

That sets the table for what is a steady wave of action as Hank and Ben bounce from one violent encounter with Damian to another. At the same time, they’re racing against the clock. If they don’t get the liver to hospital before its window of viability closes, her body will no longer accept the organ and she will almost certainly die. Meanwhile at the hospital, the little girl’s mom, Kate (Leila George) desperately holds out hope that Hank can get Ben and his cooler there in time to save her daughter.

The action scenes are ferocious and at times push the limits of its PG-13 rating. As a former stuntman, Waugh leans into practical effects and old-fashioned stunt work. As a result we get some exhilarating sequences, from brutal fight scenes that fully utilize Ritchson’s massive physique to high-speed car chases, many of which tear through the bustling city streets. It’s pure throwback action entertainment that rarely lets off the gas.

While the action is a major strength, the movie would sink without the chemistry between the beefy straight-faced Ritchson and the infinitely likable Wilson. Together they generate some good laughs without overdoing it, and create a believable and eventually heartfelt camaraderie between their two polar opposite characters. In many ways, the story is about Hank finally dealing with his personal trauma and forgiving himself for his failures. And Ben ends up playing a crucial part in that process.

“Runner” can be a little over-the-top with the violence and it may throw a few too many twists at us, especially in its second half. But it never fails to be entertaining. The action is routinely hard-hitting and thrilling, with Ritchson fully committing himself physically and emotionally. As for the chatty and charming Wilson, he adds levity and heart, often at the most unexpected times. They help make “Runner” a wildly satisfying, action-fueled romp that fully embraces some familiar formulas yet still goes places I wasn’t quite expecting.