“The Running Man” is the second big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novel of the same name. As many know, the first was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 action thriller which was set in the far distant future of 2017. This latest spin on King’s dystopian science-fiction comes from Edgar Wright, although fans of his might have a tough time finding his fingerprints. That’s not to say they aren’t there. But this feels much more like a studio product than a filmmaker’s unique vision.
The biggest strength of “The Running Man” is easy to spot. It’s found in its star, Glen Powell. The sudden everywhere-man oozes charisma and throws in splashes of maniacal charm that make the film easy to watch. He’s also an actor who fully commits to his movies which makes everything better, from the emotional family moments to the wild and crazy action set pieces. Yet while Powell puts in the work, he can’t make up for the frustrating script which oscillates from entertaining to kinda boring.
Pulling more from King’s novel than Arnie’s movie, “The Running Man” 2025 sees Wright leaning heavier into the dystopian setting, stuffing his story with as many sociopolitical issues as he can. The healthcare system, class division, wealth gaps, corporate corruption, labor unions, media misinformation, television violence, authoritarian control, government propaganda, and more. It’s a lot to cover and most of it has to settle for lip service rather than any worthwhile consideration.
Powell plays Ben Richards, a loving but frustrated husband and father. He was recently fired from his job at a steel mill for upsetting his crooked employers by exposing a life-threatening yet costly work hazard. At home, his 2-year-old daughter has been sick with the flu leading Ben’s wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) to work double shifts and two jobs in hopes of affording medicine. It’s a brutal situation which throws gas on the already burning fury inside of Ben who just wants to take care of his precious family.
Desperate for money, Ben travels to the upper-class district to try out for one of several reality game shows ran by a corporate media organization called The Network. He’s offered a spot on their most popular and most dangerous show, “The Running Man”. It’s a violent and deadly event where contestants known as “runners” are released into the city. They try and stay alive for thirty days as crowd-pleasing “Hunters” track them down to kill in front of a television audience. Any runner who can survive the thirty days will win a billion “new dollars”. Of course, no one has ever won.
To add incentive, runners can earn bonus “new dollars” by killing Hunters. But adding to the peril, citizens sighting the runners can earn cash prizes for reporting their whereabouts. So Ben and two throwaway runners are released into the city, wrapping up what is a really solid setup to the story. The early scenes are aided by several entertaining side characters. More specifically, Josh Brolin’s amusingly shady Dan Killian, the show’s creator and producer, and Colman Domingo as the show’s flamboyant host.
From there “The Running Man” falls into a pretty simple formula as Ben is ushered from one action set piece to another. At each stop he’s aided by some sympathetic soul who helps pave the way for him to become a reluctant revolutionary who will take the fight to the oppressive system. Unfortunately his unexpected allies add more to the sociopolitical landscape than to progressing the story in a meaningful way.
Among Ben’s newfound allies is Bradley Throckmorton (Daniel Ezra), an underground influencer who secretly posts videos exposing the truth of “The Running Man”. Ben also encounters Elton Parrakis (Michael Cera), a quirky guerrilla activist who is secretly building his own solo revolution against The Network. Then there is Amelia (Emilia Jones), a 37-year-old realtor who essentially comes out of nowhere. None are especially important story pieces outside of reciting anti-establishment monologues and adding a little humor.
Wright drags things out a little too long before finally wrapping it up with a cobbled together ending that doesn’t quite deliver the payoff it needs. It’s unfortunate because the action scenes are a lot of fun and Powell brings more than enough to the table to be entertaining. But “The Running Man” gets stuck in between being thematically overstuffed and playfully action-packed, while lacking that extra pizzazz we’ve come to expect from Edgar Wright films.
