Range Runners (2019) User Reviews

Slow and nothing much to write home about

[omendata · 5/10 · 9 September 2020]

Acting is fine , has potential for a good story but it just felt laboured and soon became a bit of a repetitive borefest.

The bad guy was not bad enough, dialogue was a bit wishy washy and the action was not great but I did enjoy the disembowelling scene; it was the best part of the whole thing which does not say a lot.

Average 5/10 and that is being generous!

Pretty OK

[kbaxws · 6/10 · 7 October 2021]

I was actually surprised at this woman "proving strength over adversity" chase movie. The lead actress was pretty good, the bad guys typically inept, and the plot ok. It does keep you interested and rooting for her throughout which I didn't expect at the start.

Above the norm

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 6 September 2020]

We've all seen our share of female-centric survival thrillers, but this feature film debut by TV and film location managers Philip S. Plowden and Devon Colwell (Chicago P.D. and Jupiter Ascending), working as co-writers and directors, don't allow their story to degrade into (the usual) supernatural subplots; they instead chose to focus on drama and character development over the usual ultra-violence we are normally subjected to in the female-survival genre.

Actress Celeste M. Cooper-who met the writing-directing duo as a recurring background actor on the set of Chicago P.D.-is Mel, a tough-as-nails long-distance runner taught by her father to endure pain and exist outside of her body's physical limits. While setting a goal for herself to conquer an infamous 2,000-mile hiking trail, she puts the lessons of her father (coaching her via flashbacks) to the test when two desperate men (Sean Patrick Leonard and Michael B. Woods; both Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med acting alum) descend her into a life of terror.

The day and night outdoor photography on this by Darryl Miller (Chicago P.D., natch) is crisp and sharp; in conjunction with its tight script and pacing from Plowden and Colwell, Range Runners rises above the usual VOD streaming and Lifetime damsel-of-the-weekend product. The acting in this is superb and assures we will see more from Cooper, Leonard, and Woods on the small and big screen.

Off to buy a length of rope....

[denledwidge · 2/10 · 31 January 2021]

It starts as it means to go on, badly. The acting is poor, the storyline weak and an hour in it almost telegraphs the twist. I found myself physically jolting at some of the join by dots set scenes. The main baddie delivered his lines as if he was auditioning in an echo chamber and the script, if there was one, was such that I felt compelled to fast forward chunks of the film so I could simply get to the end. I created this account just so I could warn others to avoid this film. Jim 80958's review must make him a relative of one of the actors. Either that or he is reviewing a completely different film. On a positive note the setting was outstandingly beautiful, I would love to go there.

Don't Waste Your Time

[elapalermo · 1/10 · 15 September 2020]

I couldn't even finish this movie, the acting was so bad. Plot was all over the place and story line was so clunky. Not worth watching.

She'd need to gain 30 more IQ points to be a moron...

[millsmichaelgregory · 2/10 · 5 October 2021]

This women (Mel) has got to be the dumbest, most idiotic victim I've ever seen. I'll guarantee you'll catch yourself yelling.... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING more than a few times. I bet most viewers continued to watch just to see how it ends... cause you'd like to believe that Mel CAN NOT BE AS CLUELESS.....CAN NOT BE THIS DAMN DUMB but somehow she continues to to show that she as dumb as advertised.

Insulted my intelligence!

[essencemylyfe · 1/10 · 19 December 2020]

When the main character a seemingly intelligent black girl all by herself gladly handed over her knife to a total stranger, a big white dude who is with another white guy in the middle of the woods, I completely lost interest! That's not to say that she'd hand over her knife to a big black dude either but come on!!!

Should be titles Common sense Runners

[pooch-in-aus · 1/10 · 29 December 2020]

This movie had me saying "why the f would you do that" about 100 times. Bad script, horrible acting and no common sense. Nothing about this film could even be considered partially realistic. The decisions made by all parties are stupid and void of all logic. The writing is very bad.

Surprisingly tense & motivational at the same time

[OneAnjel · 7/10 · 5 November 2021]

Celeste M. Cooper actually does a terrific job acting here. Some of it feels amateur but overall a good watch where you root for Mel and try to absorb the motivational flashbacks.

On parts of the film I started to roll my eyes at all the loud cries of pain with her perps possibly finding her location with all the noise. I know that combat training teaches you to subdue your sounds, but I thought common sense would, as well. Of course, it made the film more tense, I guess. But much of the film relies on the protagonist's bad decisions to set up difficult situations, as with any thriller.

The rest of the acting was subpar but it got its point across. The videography was really good. I don't have anything to say about the soundtrack, which is probably a compliment in itself considering that bad soundtrack's are annoying and noticeable.

Grandson and I both unimpresssed

[DeborahOBrien7 · 1/10 · 27 September 2020]

I wanted this movie with my grandson who loves these types of films and he was not impressed. I truly dont like to give negative reviews, but this just didn't do it for either of us. The female lead was pretty good, but the writing was not very good. We were both disappointed and expected it to be better.

Underrated directorial debut gem

[hello-73338 · 8/10 · 9 September 2020]

Despite some occasional wooden acting performances by supporting role actors, this directorial debut from Highland Park-based Philip S. Plowden is strong mostly thanks to a stunning performance by actress Celeste Cooper as Mel. Cooper plays a black woman endurance athlete who is forced to fight and eventually kill for survival when her long distance trail run takes a deadly twist following an encounter with two hapless ex convicts in a convoluted plot involving a county lines drug deal gone wrong.

Perhaps the most interesting plot device are the flashbacks to a young girl training on the track and being pushed to her limits by an ex marine coach who's ashes are eventually scattered in the present time woods mirroring the same scattering of the drug dealers' cocaine that ultimately takes the story to a darker place.

This movie is not horror, thriller nor comedy but fuses elements of all these genres to produce a compelling and intelligent script which is as credible as it is incredible. Expect great things to come from Cooper and Plowden hopefully in future collaborations. A jarring underlying dramatic score keeps the tension building as various scenarios are played out in downstate Carbondale woodland locations including the Shawnee National Forest providing a sufficiently eerie backdrop to a farcical ending.

I felt like a bush walk so..

[danielbrown-47106 · 6/10 · 10 June 2021]

I felt like a bush walk so I chose this movie. What followed is a series of unlikely nonsensical events based on shock and terror tactics to deliver intensity. But I feel where these movies fall short is crossing the realism line all too frequently and this compromises the whole thing, but if it didn't well there wouldn't be a movie. Many viewers i've ready from couldn't even sit through the whole thing because its just too cringey. I mean, unless I was a juvenile and or didn't know better somehow... That aside I stayed with it because the filming locations and style are really nice, it's successfully giving me my nature fix and I like the training montage cut scenes as they're pretty inspiring. Lastly, the acting I have to applaud too. Overall 6/10.

Stop before you watch

[Loveoffilm7 · 1/10 · 30 September 2020]

This film was slow and jumbled. The story did not make sense. There were some incomprehensible flash backs and the bad guys were laughable. The lead actress was ok, cinematography was so so, but the story and direction was like a maze that took you nowhere.

I only wish I hadn't watched this alone!

[amyfleck · 2/10 · 11 November 2020]

Not because it was scary in any sense of the word. Nope, not that. See, the best thing about movies like this is having somebody watching it with you so you can make fun of it. This movie is boring and outlandish. The girl is a selfish dingbat. What person, let alone woman, goes on an 8 day trek by herself in the dead of the forest and brings nothing but a 4 inch carving knife for protection? Oh, and a bell. Her sister, who selflessly left behind her 3 yr old to take her on a cross country hiking trip of some kind of self discovery, asks her to take along a phone to relieve some of her worry, and she leaves it behind. Why? Because it would have weighed her down less than another apple? She deserved to get attacked after that. The acting is horrendous (the 'angry' faces she makes, lmfao), the dialogue sounds like it was written by a 10 yr old, talk about the least intimidating intimidating man ever, "olly olly oxenfreeeee!" I think they even ran out of fake blood for her severely burned hands in one scene. Or heck, maybe that was magic water she dipped them in. A mess.

Direction and acting is no good

[Videokilledtheradio16 · 1/10 · 22 September 2020]

Directing, acting and plot well below par. Not movie theater or even at home viewing worthy.sorry I had to pay for it.

Pick a different movie

[CertifiedMovieCritic12 · 1/10 · 24 September 2020]

Was honestly so boring I had to turn it off. The story line was very dry and boring...hard to watch or get into.

JUST AWFUL

[Movielady135 · 1/10 · 22 September 2020]

I honestly cannot believe that someone came up with this. Felt very generic like it was written by a child. Very poor writing and direction. Very predictable and hard to sit through.

Dragging and not worth the time

[Moviephone101 · 1/10 · 21 September 2020]

This was truly boring. 2 hours of a storyline that makes no sense. The acting was poor, cinematography was okay, direction was weak. The villain's dialect changes on a whim. The flashbacks are peculiar and don't make sense. I fell asleep before the credits rolled.

We accept our condition

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 26 September 2020]

Mel (Celeste M Cooper) is training for a long distant runner. She is being trained by someone who is ex-military who toughens her up. She jogs on a hiking trail (looks like Trillium Trail ) by herself. She meets a couple of men who need some assistance. She helps them and as you know, no good deed goes unpunished.

It is one of those underdog films over coming the odds through guts, perseverance, and a rock. Doesn't require any heavy thinking.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

H O R R I B L E!!!

[babinefertiti · 1/10 · 12 September 2020]

I have a few other choice words but that pretty much sums it up! Plot predictable and stupid acting was below subpar! But mainly the horrible storyline is what did it. The movie just made zero sense and I only finished watching to talk about how dumb it was plus there was nothing else on!

Great movie kept me very intrigued..

[jeanettecolon · 8/10 · 12 September 2020]

The movie had a great storyline. I had no problem just watching the movie because of how interesting it was The main actress killed it. She really knew what she was doing she definitely acts better then most actresses. The other actors did great too.

Aims high but doesn't quite get over the top.

[aarpcats · 6/10 · 3 October 2021]

I have a soft spot in my heart for freshman or sophomore films made on a micro budget. I know the cast sometimes doubles as the crew and I know that the money invested in making the movie is nothing compared to the blood, sweat and tears of the people who made it.

With that said, it's really hard to make a thriller without knowing what thrills the audience. If the premise is that an obviously depressed women decides to run through the wilderness, the audience needs to see what is scary about the wilderness. Although we hear where they are discussed, we have no context as to where it is. Are they in a National Park or in someone's back yard? Why are the trails empty? A spot of exposition or more overhead drones of green would have helped. There's so much context lost by not knowing why the heroine should be guarded,

Second, Celeste Cooper does an admirable job of SHOWING not TELLING that she is troubled and grieving. She is restrained, intense and quiet in her pain. She understands what her character is telling us, and really doesn't need the injury trope for us to know she is troubled. She gives a hell of a performance.

So too does Michael B. Woods, the mopey eyed criminal who is over his head and knows it. His part should have been bigger, and it would have fit with the story better had he had a chance at redemption.

Last, I would like to see more movies by the people who made this one. I think they did a good job in spite of the limitations, and I think the hate here is unjustified.

Yes, I would gladly be a free script doctor for their next project. I like their enthusiasm.

Advice is not to waste your time

[Marco_From_Tropoja · 2/10 · 9 September 2020]

Nothing really to recommend here at all really. There is a cliched flashback story which is told in parallel to the main plot which is boring, superfluous and annoying. The main story has been seen many times before and was pretty clunky. The acting didn't impress either. I'd give it a miss.

Haze runner

[Stanlee107 · 5/10 · 10 September 2020]

How on earth did this film win any awards? What I see is an average film with a basic back story that tries to trick you into sympathising with the main female protagonist.

Mel (Celeste Cooper) is child of colour that is forced to have a hard upbringing being a school athlete. The hardship of her youth prepares her for the struggles as an adult. Her coach, Howard (Carl Clemons-Hopkins) tries to inspire her into subscribing to the idea to never-give-up attitude. I don't buy it as the speech has been done better in inspiration sport films many times over such as The Field of dreams, Remember the Titans. This film tries too hard to be inspirational and also a thriller. I am unconvinced it has achieved either. She is caught up in some dodgy dealings after she helps a person she passed on her run.

A rotten tomato all the way

[Moviemaven721 · 1/10 · 12 October 2020]

How this movie ever made it onto a screen is beyond me. This has been done 100 times, and much better. The screenplay is weak, the direction is sloppy, and it is a shame that movies like this even make it into production. I want my money back! This film should be under the comedy genre because its so ridiculous. No thrills here.