Runner Runner (15)

Ahh, sweet September - the sun is shining, the birds could well be singing (stereo's up a bit loud) and I'm off to shelter from the sun in a darkened room watching the sun.

Because, if you can say nothing else about Runner Runner (and there really isn't a lot to say), it's sunny. Well it would be, it's set in Costa Rica.

Which is good, because it gives us something to talk about. Otherwise, this would be a short review.

If you haven't yet seen the trailer for Runner Runner, here's the deal - Ben Affleck runs an online gambling website safely away from the jurisdiction of the US Government, Justin Timberlake is a broke Princeton graduate who can't afford to pay for his Masters, and Gemma Arterton sounds classy and looks good in a dress.

That's pretty much it. There are other people, but they're not really crucial and vital. Think of them as palm trees, you're aware they're there but they don't affect your overall view.

The plot is simple, crime caper by numbers stuff that you can plot happily without engaging your brain - giving you more time to enjoy the scenery.

People cross and double-cross people, the Feds (despite having NO jurisdiction) wield an amazing amount of control and influence, and one small chap discovers what the whole scam really is (don't worry if you miss it, it's spelt out twice).

That's it.

Really.

But it looks nice.

In fairness, director Brad Furman has done a decent job. Affleck and Timberlake put in perfectly good performances, Arterton does what she's asked to do (not her fault she wasn't asked to do much), crocodiles are fed chickens and women in bikinis saunter about at parties and on boats.

What else do you want? Plot?

Oh, you wanted plot.

Wrong film, sorry.

That's not to say this is a bad movie - it's not. It won't change your life, but just like a fast-food burger it passes the time and fills a gap without really satisfying.

That's not to say Runner Runner isn't trying - it is. It has high aspirations. It wants to be a classy, sassy, intelligent thriller with something to say (judgements are passed on 'real criminals', parallels drawn with the crooks of Wall Street), but it really isn't that film.

It's a looks pretty, looks shiny, bright and colourful, people are on boats film. In Costa Rica. Which looks nice, if you've got money.

If you haven't, it's a steaming cesspit of cock fights and dirty bars apparently, but hey - these people have money, so it's all champagne and corruption. Job's a good 'un.

Don't think about this film, and you'll find it passes the time without much bother.

Instead, amuse yourself by picking holes in the plot while wondering how shutting a blind stops a man on a plane from knowing where he's going when there are no signposts at 20,000ft...