The Running Man Review
This updated adaptation of The Running Man might be a bit long, but it’s full of edge of your seat action, laugh out loud one liners, and a great underlying world that at times is more interesting than the plot itself.
In a futuristic society, blacklisted worker Ben Richards (Glen Powell) takes an offer from Dan Killian - head of the mighty Network - to participate in their flagship show The Running Man. He’ll make an obscene amount of money, but only if he survives; because this show has a team of ‘Hunters’ track down the titular participant for 30 days, trying to kill them, aided by a public who are primed to believe Richards is a murderous despot. Richards goes to ground, and tries to survive his 30 day hunt in order to provide for his wife and sick daughter.
Edgar Wright’s adaptation of The Running Man is too long. That has to be said up front, because it’s one of the only things that doesn’t work for the film. By 20 minutes or so, Wright overstays his welcome, and we find ourselves longing for a tighter version of this. It’s not a feeling aided by the structure of the story, which has Richards needing to survive 30 days - a plot device that inevitably leads to a repetitive structure of hide, be found, kill and escape, hide again.
But outside of this, The Running Man is a competently made, electric action film that never takes itself too seriously - a true triumph for a movie this grounded in a statement on capitalism, the wealth gap, government oversight and AI. These themes all zing about in the background, but Wright never loses sight of the fact that this should, first and foremost, be a fun movie. And it is.
There are myriad explosions galore. Action set piece after action set piece, each a little more audacious than the last (although the final plane fight is a tad anticlimactic). New characters pop up all the time, and while there may be a few too many, some of the later ones are great additions.
Then there are the performers, a few of whom really stand out. Colman Domingo is endlessly watchable as the host of The Running Man, with standout line after standout line. Brolin is great too, as the sleazy, sneaky Network owner. And Glen Powell is magnetic in the lead role, bringing a more nuanced, fun, and energetic take on the role than Arnie did back in the day. The only gripe might be that angry Glen Powell at the top of the movie fades away to a more understated one by the end - which is a shame, because one of this movies best scenes is a psych eval that ends with Richards being declared the most angry man the evaluator has ever met.
The Running Man is perhaps not as well done as some of Wright’s other works; it’s not as slick or well constructed as Baby Driver, not as funny as Hot Fuzz. But the original property here is more topical than ever, and it’s not hard to proclaim this as the better adaptation. If you’re looking for a fun, funny action flick that never takes itself too seriously, The Running Man is your game.
