Alan Ritchson’s popularity on Reacher has led to tons of other offers for the actor, which may be why we’re seeing his name pop up so often on the 2026 movie calendar. After his military sci-fi drama War Machine earlier this year — and with his Christmas action flick with Arnold Schwarzenegger still to come — Ritchson is now hitting theaters in Runner, an action/buddy comedy with Owen Wilson. Reviews are in, and critics agree these two make a pretty good odd-couple pairing.
Runner (not to be confused with Gal Gadot’s The Runner, which premiered last week) sees Alan Ritchson’s Hank tasked with delivering a liver (and its escort — Owen Wilson’s Ben) to a hospital for a young girl to receive a transplant. They’re intercepted by mercenaries who want to steal the liver for their own benefit. Peter Sobczynski of RogerEbert rates the movie 3 out of 4 stars, praising the leads’ “undeniably winning chemistry” in an otherwise meat-and-potatoes action flick. The critic says:
[Runner] hurtles co-stars Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson from one crazy escapade to another. This is about as generic an action-comedy hybrid as you can possibly get; while it won’t exactly make anyone forget the classics of that particular cinematic sub-genre, it has a certain weirdo charm that makes it far more watchable than it has any right to be.
Helen O’Hara of Empire’s review of Runner notes that Alan Ritchson has shown considerably more range than he’s allowed to here. However, what the movie lacks in originality, it makes up for in pace and “perfectly serviceable action baloney.” O’Hara gives it 3 out of 5 stars, writing:
Much of the action involves car chases weaving in and out of suspiciously disciplined civilian traffic, Waugh’s camera (and VFX) swooshing around them, but there’s a surprisingly high body-count for a film ostensibly about saving a life and some wince-inducingly crunchy kills. Still, that’s what we came for, and who cares when they’re faceless goons trying to kill a small child?
Todd Gilchrist of Variety says Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson are “enjoyably mismatched,” with the former bringing a thoughtful, drily funny performance and Wilson providing enough charm to keep his character from being obnoxious. Runner is simplistic and silly, the critic says, but the laughs are intentional, and the action is exciting. He continues:
[Runner] is actually pretty entertaining, with the good sense to clock in at an efficient 98 minutes. … Perhaps ironically, the actors are clearly having fun, which can elevate even the cheapest-looking entertainment to classic status. This clunky vehicle doesn’t transcend its limitations — Wilson and Ritchson’s efforts are the duct tape holding it together — but it’s much better than anyone could have expected.
Scott Collura of IGN rates the new action movie an “Okay” 6 out of 10, saying he could have used more carnage and fewer flashes away from Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson to the hospital. In Collura’s words:
Runner is a paint-by-numbers action-comedy that benefits from Alan Ritchson’s well-practiced stunt craft as well as Owen Wilson’s likable comedic stylings. The problem is the script’s insistence in continuously cutting back to the most uninteresting part of the movie – namely, the hospital setting, where some manufactured drama is distracting and ultimately unbelievable. Still, director Scott Waugh knows his way around a fight scene, so if that’s what you’re looking for, Runner mostly delivers.
Alex Harrison of ScreenRant also rates Runner 6 out of 10, saying that while the chemistry isn’t quite there between Owen Wilson and Alan Ritchson, there’s “an impressive degree of well-choreographed carnage” and it has a tendency to resonate in some unexpected ways that make it worth seeking out. Harrison explains:
Runner is occasionally funny, and Wilson’s line delivery is the source of some of those laughs, but his character isn’t properly calibrated to this story. Ritchson is giving the right action-hero performance to sell the combat and the drama, but the odd-couple sparks that should’ve fueled the comedy aren’t flying between Hank and Ben. More of that energy actually comes from the interplay between Hank and Damian, who Santoro plays as a fun, cartoonish, wounded villain who almost seems to relish the unexpected challenge.
The critics seem to agree that while Runner doesn’t color too far outside the lines for a buddy action movie, there’s something about Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson’s duo that makes this one worth checking out. The movie premiered to a Rotten Tomatoes score of 70%, so if you want to check out the latest of the Reacher star’s projects, you can do so now.
