"Great men, men who build legacies, they aren't always decent." After giving an impassioned speech talking about the effects of the BP oil spill in Louisiana Congressman Colin Price (Cage) is poised to make a run for the Senate. When a scandal is revealed his career is over. Now, after losing everything he has to chose between wanting to make a real difference, or becoming like every other politician. I don't think I even need to state this anymore but I am not a Nicolas Cage fan at all. There have been a few of his movies I liked (National Treasure, Rock) but not because of him, it was the idea and actual movie I liked. This movie falls under that category. It may have been because of the political aspect but this was very interesting to me and watching a politician build himself back up is inspiring, especially when it is someone who is really trying to make a positive change. Not many of those in real life. Overall, a really good movie that Cage didn't screw up with his acting. His best in a while. I give it a B+.

With all the poor reviews from critics that I've seen on this film, plus its low rating on IMDb I was expecting very little here, so I was somewhat surprised that it turned out to be a reasonably decent watch. It does have many unlikable characters and it's not going to win feel-good movie of the year, but the acting is solid led by Cage and Sarah Paulson, and the story was engaging enough to keep my attention.

Nicolas Cage can portray flawed characters as well as anyone, and he does so here as Colin Pryce, a Congressman from a Louisiana coastal district. He's from a family line of politicians, with his father (Peter Fonda) having been a revered Mayor of New Orleans years ago.

After the disastrous 2010 BP oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico, Congressman Pryce's popularity soars after he gives impassioned testimony, on Capitol Hill, asking for help for the people in his constituency, and he's being seriously being considered as a Senate candidate for Louisiana.

However, his extra-marital dalliance with a young woman is exposed in a closed circuit elevator video and, of course, ends up going viral on the net. Pryce decides to resign and ends up working as a pro bono attorney for citizen claimants against BP, and comes upon all the frustrations associated with bureaucracy and getting a large corporation to pay up. This will lead to Pryce's return to drinking after being sober for 16 years, as well as sparking divorce papers from his high powered and ambitious wife Deborah (Connie Nielsen).

After some time has elapsed, Pryce will have to decide whether to "jump in bed" with the manipulative oil companies and re-enter the political world, or continue on the benevolent path he's been on. I might mention the very talented actress Sarah Paulson adds quite a lot to the movie, as a former consultant and friend of Pryce, and later a possible love interest.

All in all, as some reviewers here have noted this film exceeded low expectations and became, in my opinion, a reasonably decent watch. I thought it was a good writing and directorial debut for Austin Stark, who's been a producer for a number of excellent films in the past.

THE RUNNER is an extremely boring and talky little Nicolas Cage, non-trashy unlike the rest of his recent work, but certainly without many reasons to tune in (unless, for some unfathomable reason, you're actually a fan of the star). He plays a do-gooding politician striving to build a career in the wake of the BP oil disaster, but who instead finds himself caught up in personal conflict and disaster. It's one of those films that you watch wondering why you should care, because the characters are thinly-drawn and lacklustre and the lack of incident makes this extremely dull. Supporting actors include a rare non-crazy role for Sarah Paulson alongside Connie Nielsen and old-timer Peter Fonda.