Cover Glen Powell stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
Glen Powell stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
1 / 1
...And there’s a good case for it. Here are our insights about Edgar Wright’s new film, ‘The Running Man’. Mild spoilers ahead
We meet Glen Powell’s Ben Richards at a low point in his life: begging his old boss for his job back, with a sick baby in tow. Here, we learn he’s been blacklisted from employment by the government-owned Network for putting his coworkers’ lives over profits. Such is life in this brain-washed totalitarian state. Unable to afford medicine to treat his child, he’s forced to join the same Network, but as a contestant in their violent game shows. After rigorous testing, he’s been chosen as one of three participants in The Running Man, where the challenge is to survive 30 days on the run so they can win a billion new dollars. The catch is, the runners have to outrun a formidable team of five hitmen called Hunters, while the rest of the citizens are also called upon by the show to “Record and Report” in exchange for a reward.
Read more: ‘Bugonia’ review: More than just aliens—what happens when corporate power and conspiracy clash?
Above Colman Domingo stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
Colman Domingo stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
1 / 1
Powered by a desperate need and a healthy dose of hatred for the system, Richards sets out for his 12-hour headstart with a visit to an old friend who furnishes him with a bunch of disguises. He heads to New York and watches a fellow runner perish on national telly, moves to Boston and learns to play the game with the help of a local rebel, then he lands in Maine to find a growing resistance network rooting for his survival.
The third act finds our hero at a moral crossroads when faced with a chance to reverse his fortunes—all for the ratings.
Read more: Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’: the maker, the monster and the mirror of man
Above Director Edgar Wright, left, and Micahel Cera on the set of Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
Director Edgar Wright, left, and Micahel Cera on the set of Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
1 / 1
In the era of peak IP storytelling, we can see why updating the 1987 film The Running Man is a good idea. Writer-director Edgar Wright’s version stays mostly true to the original text of Stephen King, painting a society that bears a striking resemblance to ours. The result is a cross between Mr Beast, Squid Game and Die Hard. This vision of dystopia is more grounded than that of the original movie, where we can find antagonists named Subzero, Buzzsaw and Dynamo.
In Wright’s capable hands, we move through the story with propulsive set pieces, showcasing how he’s put all those years of churning out his iconic action comedies (The Cornetto Trilogy of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End) to good use. However, we do miss his signature flair—his unique visual and sonic cues that make his movies so memorable. Wright seems to be moving further away from that approach, as he first showed in his 2021 psychological thriller, Last Night in Soho.
Above Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
Above Michael Cera stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
1 / 2
A movie that’s set in a dystopian society would inevitably have something to say about the state of the real world, and this is where the movie stumbles. The material also doesn’t have much to give its female characters, but what else is new?
Above Glen Powell stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
Glen Powell stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
1 / 1
We haven’t even talked about the best part of this movie. Powell, as Richards’ “man against the world”, proves his leading man stature. We see him down, raging, battered and bruised, and we never stop rooting for this guy.
Powell cut his teeth stealing scenes in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some!! and Apollo 10 1/12 before breaking out in a huge way in Top Gun: Maverick as “Hangman”, playing third fiddle to his mentor, Tom Cruise, and the film’s lead, Miles Teller. He has also dabbled in writing and producing his own projects, most notably 2024’s Hitman with frequent collaborator Linklater. We have seen him as a college bro, a romantic lead, a war hero, an adrenaline junkie, a man out of his depth, and we can’t wait to see more of him (with or without an elaborate disguise and a matching accent).
Above The Hunters star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
The Hunters star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
1 / 1
Overall, Wright’s steady handle on the action and Powell’s movie star performance has made this cheesy Eighties relic an enjoyable watch.
The Running Man is now showing in cinemas and IMAX.
NOW READ
10 fun facts about your favourite ‘Physical: Asia’ contestants
From ‘Barbie’ to ‘The Notebook’, Ryan Gosling’s most memorable movie moments
Inside the Bayaniverse: ten years, three films, one radical take on Filipino heroes
Topics
