The Runner (2015 film)

The Runner is a 2015 American political drama film written and directed by Austin Stark in his feature directorial debut.^[4] The film stars Nicolas Cage, Connie Nielsen, Peter Fonda and Sarah Paulson.

The Runner
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Austin Stark
Written by	Austin Stark
Produced by	Bingo Gubelmann Erika Hampson Benji Kohn Chris Papavasiliou Glenn Williamson
Starring	Nicolas Cage Connie Nielsen Peter Fonda Sarah Paulson Wendell Pierce
Cinematography	Elliot Davis
Edited by	Michael R. Miller
Music by	The Newton Brothers
Production companies	Back Lot Pictures Paper Street Films
Distributed by	Alchemy
Release date	August 7, 2015 (2015-08-07) (United States)
Running time	90 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4 million[2]
Box office	$20,106[3]

The film was released on August 7, 2015, in a limited release and through video on demand by Alchemy.^[5]

Premise

In the aftermath of the 2010, Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, an idealistic politician (Nicolas Cage) is forced to confront his dysfunctional life after his career is destroyed in a sex scandal. The video comes to light after he grants a live interview his team works together to salvage the situation.

Cast

• Nicolas Cage as Colin Pryce
• Connie Nielsen as Deborah Pryce
• Peter Fonda as Rayne Pryce
• Sarah Paulson as Kate Haber
• Wendell Pierce as Frank Legrand
• Bryan Batt as Mark Lavin
• Dana Gourrier as Daria Winston
• Wanetah Walmsley as Layla
• Ciera Payton as Lucy Hall
• David Dino Wells Jr. as Neighborhood Bum (uncredited)

Production

Madeleine Stowe was originally cast to play the female lead but was replaced by Connie Nielsen.^[6] On June 18, 2014, Bryan Batt, Peter Fonda, Connie Nielsen, and Wendell Pierce joined the film's cast.^[7]

Filming

Principal photography began on June 23, 2014, in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[7][8] and ended on July 27, 2014.^[9] On July 28, Cage was spotted filming at the National Mall in downtown Washington, D.C.^[10] The film also shot some scenes in Georgetown.^[10]

Release

On June 3, 2015, it was announced Alchemy had acquired distribution rights to the film.^[11] It was released in a limited release and through video on demand on August 7, 2015.^[12]

Reception

The Runner has received mixed to negative reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 24% approval rating based on 38 reviews with a weighted average score of 4.68/10. The website's critics consensus reads "In spite of a promising premise and a roundly talented cast, The Runner is a disappointing outing to be viewed by only the staunchest of Nicolas Cage completists."^[13] On Metacritic, the film has a normalized score of 39 out of 100, based on 14 reviews, signifying "generally unfavorable reviews".^[14]