The Runner (1999)

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A young man with an addiction to gambling (played by Ron Eldard) has managed to get himself into serious debt. In an effort to pay off the bookies, his uncle (Joe Mantegna) pulls a few strings and gets him a job working for a gangster (John Goodman) who needs a "runner" to place bets with various… More A young man with an addiction to gambling (played by Ron Eldard) has managed to get himself into serious debt. In an effort to pay off the bookies, his uncle (Joe Mantegna) pulls a few strings and gets him a job working for a gangster (John Goodman) who needs a "runner" to place bets with various bookies. The gangster keeps his new "runner" on a short leash, and for the most part the young gambler behaves himself. However, the temptation of walking around with large sums of cash proves too great, and the "runner" puts both his job and his survival on the line when he dips into his boss's funds to buy a ring for his girlfriend (Courtney Cox). This story about life in the Las Vegas underworld is enlivened by a few unusual plot twists and bizarre set pieces (including Goodman's mechanical attack dog). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi