#114. Oscar-Winning Director Kevin Macdonald On Real Time Thriller THE RUNNER

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald joins this episode of the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about his latest film, The Runner starring Gal Gadot and Damien Lewis. The Runner is a tense real-time thriller that sees a lawyer (Gadot) racing across London in attempt to save her abducted son at the behest of a mysterious caller (Lewis). Kevin Macdonald is a prolific filmmaker, adept at both documentaries and dramatic features – having directed the likes of One Day In September, Touching The Void, The Last King Of Scotland and State Of Play. On this episode, Macdonald discusses making an action film on the streets of London, keeping tension and continuity on a real time thriller – and I couldn’t help but ask him about his excellent 2009 political thriller, State Of Play starring Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams and Ben Affleck. This is yet another episode when digs into the minutiae of filmmaking. The Runner hits Prime Video globally on September 2, 2026.