JAKARTA, thekabarnews.com—Runner builds its action around a straightforward assignment with life-or-death consequences. The goal is to deliver a donor liver to a hospital before a young transplant patient runs out of time.

Directed by former stunt performer Scott Waugh, the American action thriller opened in Indonesian cinemas on September 11, 2026. Indonesia’s Film Censorship Board (LSF) lists a running time of 98 minutes. It classifies the film for viewers aged 17 and above because of its violent content.

The story follows Hank Malone, played by Alan Ritchson, a former United States serviceman who now works as a specialist courier in Brisbane, Australia. His latest assignment requires him to collect a medical package. Thereafter, he must deliver it to a hospital.

Hank soon discovers that the package contains a liver intended for Ellie Baker, a seriously ill young girl. He must also travel with Ben Bishop, the medical courier played by Owen Wilson. The pair have only about three hours to complete the delivery before the organ becomes unusable.

Their urgent journey turns into a violent pursuit when cartel leader Damian Zaldivar, played by Rodrigo Santoro, sends his men to seize the liver. What begins as a courier job develops into a chain of ambushes, betrayals and close-quarters confrontations.

Waugh, whose directing credits include Need for Speed and Expend4bles, uses his stunt background to give the fights a physical quality. The characters appear exhausted and injured as the chase progresses. The action feels consequential even when the plot moves into familiar genre territory.

The film’s strongest element is the contrast between its two leads. Ritchson gives Hank the imposing presence expected of a conventional action hero. However, he also reveals the guilt and grief beneath the character’s restrained exterior.

Wilson’s Ben is more talkative and emotionally open, supplying humor without completely weakening the danger surrounding them.

Their developing partnership gives the film its emotional center. Hank is not simply protecting valuable cargo; the mission forces him to confront a painful episode from his past. In turn, he must decide whether saving Ellie can offer him a form of redemption.

Santoro also avoids playing Zaldivar as a purely functional villain. His performance remains threatening, yet the character’s personal motivation gradually complicates the apparent divide between hero and antagonist. That added context does not excuse the cartel’s violence, but it gives the conflict more weight.

Runner still relies heavily on recognizable action conventions. Several developments are predictable; some violent sequences continue longer than necessary. Not every joke fits comfortably beside the story’s darker moments. The screenplay by Miles Hubley and Tommy White occasionally makes its moral themes too explicit.

Even so, the film sustains its momentum and benefits from the chemistry between Ritchson and Wilson. Its critical reception has also been broadly positive:

Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 77 percent critics’ score from 61 reviews and a 90 percent verified-audience score as of Sept. 28, although those figures may change as more reviews arrive.

Runner does not reinvent the action-thriller formula. It succeeds because its urgent medical mission gives the violence a clear purpose. At the same time, the central partnership adds enough warmth to make the chase worth following.

Rating: 7.5/10

Director: Scott Waugh
Writers: Miles Hubley and Tommy White
Main cast: Alan Ritchson, Owen Wilson, Rodrigo Santoro, Leila George, Peta Sergeant and Geraldine Hakewill
Indonesia classification: 17+
Running time: Approximately 98 minutes