Hey everyone and welcome to a brand new review! This time, I am going to be looking into the latest Stephen King adaptation to grace screens this year (there’s been quite a few weirdly enough) and it is one that has been attempted before. Based off of King’s 1982 novel of the same name, the first stab came in 1988 in the form of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film which was a financial and critical disappointment at the time that book fans and even Schwarzenegger himself weren’t fans of (likely cult fandom notwithstanding). It is a story that many have wanted to see redone correctly and so did director, Edgar Wright, who has cited this as a passion project that he has always wanted to do. Wright is one of my favorite directors as I am fan of all the stuff he has done such as his Three Cornettos trilogy, Baby Driver, and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World among other things. So him given a big budget and an interesting premise based off of an acclaimed work from Stephen King already has sold and I thought the marketing did a solid job in selling this as a fun time. Was the final product able to live up to the potential? Let’s jump right in and see how far this Running Man was able to go!
Taking place in a future where the United States under rule by an authoritarian media network where most citizens live in poverty, we follow one Ben Richards, a man who works in the slums of Co-Op City and is struggling to maintain a steady job due to his unwillingness to follow the rules set before him. He and his wife and daughter are struggling to get by with the latter suffering from the Flu. Desperate to get the medicine, he tries to try out for any one of the many game shows that serve to entertain the masses. However, he ends up getting selected for the most popular and dangerous one, The Running Man, where those who participate can win a cash prize of $1 billion, if they are able to survive 30 days without getting taken out by ordinary citizens or the elite team of Hunters who are tasked with taking them out. So now with no other choice, Ben decides to partake in the show, soon realizing that there is more to this game than he thought and that a conspiracy may be a foot.
This is one of those movies that comes very close to reaching greatness for me. I think that for the majority of the runtime, Edgar Wright very much succeeds in injecting his energy into this in order to make it into a very fun action that packs a lot of social commentary very much relevant to today. Ben’s plight is established very efficiently and the world is set up in a way where we are immediately behind him with the audience being disgusted by this authoritarian world he lives in. While a bit reliant on exposition to explain things, the rules of the game are clearly established and the urgency is present from the moment Ben enters the game. When things kick off, the movie is at its best as it becomes a highly entertaining “man on the run” plot that a had me hooked with Wright doing an excellent job in writing the various scenarios Ben finds himself in as it becomes a guessing game as how he will get out of things. I enjoyed seeing where this journey would escalate and there is an undercurrent of intrigue regarding what really is going on with these games and the ways in which they are rigged by those in charge in order to create a perception that they want maintained. It becomes quite unpredictable with a couple of twists and turns coming from unexpected places.
That and I think Wright is able to handle the messaging quite well for the most part. At his best, he is able to integrate these themes naturally into the plot in a way that manages to convey what he is going for with a punch. I particularly thought the way he tackled how the media is manipulated in order to create propaganda in the service of those in power was done very well as it integrates things relevant in today’s time such as AI deepfakes. Wright clearly has a lot to say regarding the issues being tackled and the scary thing is that one can imagine this becoming the reality at some point if America continues on the path it is on. That being said, I do think there are times where Wright’s sledgehammer approach to the messaging isn’t always as impactful as he intends. This becomes truer in the back half where the plotting becomes more uneven, with new elements being thrown in at the last minute and Wright wanting touch on the ideas of privilege and what those on the upper side of society are led to think of those below them and the assumptions made. Definitely a lot that can be tackled here, but it is only given so much time to be properly explored beyond Ben angrily stating proclamations to the audience. Now the actual climax provides a lot of excitement and intensity, building up to a natural end point… only to keep on going and going. What really hurts the movie is that it feels like there are one too many false endings and it felt like Wright is trying too hard to (slight spoilers) form a more crowd pleasing finale to the point of self parody (A LOT of overexplaining), when I feel a more ambiguous closing note would’ve been more powerful.
Despite some of the story’s shortcomings, Wright is able to keep things entertaining with his sensibilities, even if they may be toned down a bit compared to his prior works. Still, though this is his most conventional film yet, that doesn’t mean there is a lack of work done behind this production. He still manages to bring a lot of his usual energy to a lot of the proceedings and it aids the editing department as he has always been very good at not overdoing it when it comes to quick cut editing and knowing when to let scenes play out, especially the less action heavy segments. That being said, when action time commences, it is a joy to see the kind of sequences Wright is able to cook up with a tentpole sized budget. We get some truly memorable sequences that utilize the environment well in order to take advantage of Ben’s quick thinking to set up some very fun moments such as a run in with Hunters while in a hotel or a car chase where he is stuck in the trunk.
Wright plays around with perspective a lot in these scenes moving the camera around in ways where we can see the action play out from some unique angles (something that is used to great effect in some one take shots) and it is all done in a way that is coherent and where one can get a sense of the impressive stunt work on display by those involved. Visually, the film pops with color with red being a common motif that effectively symbolizes the blood thirsty of the nation for the barbaric entertainment being presented to them and I think Wright presents the Dystopian nature of this world well with actions instead of word and the production team did the job in crafting it. They are able to create a very successful contrast between the cleaner, more technologically advanced areas of the nation and Media centers with the rundown locales where the majority of people live that gets across just how dire the situation for everyone is.
The big selling point of this movie though is to see Glen Powell as a lead action hero, something that he hasn’t had the chance to be aside from a fairly forgettable supporting turn in The Expendables 3. I think he is able to prove his chops very well here as he is able to bring Ben’s righteous anger to life in a way that is very over the top, but fits the mood that Wright is going for and matches the movie’s no hold barres approach to its messaging. It takes a bit to get used to this approach as admittedly the initial scenes of set up give off the feeling that he is trying too hard to be this immensely pissed off individual who yearns to go against the system, and I did begin to wonder if he was the right fit. However, I got onto his wavelength shortly thereafter as I appreciated just how upfront this character is about his frustrations and I think Powell does a good job in epitomizing the pent up anger so many people feel about what’s going on in this country. Not only that, though he doesn’t have as many opportunities to showcase his usual charisma given the kind of role this is, he still is able to inject some likability to this character through some well timed levity and his very personal motivation in trying to provide for his family that is solidly set up, even if I wish Jayme Lawson (who is quite good here) got more to do as his concerned wife, Sheila. His arc of learning what is going on and using his knowledge to fight for the good cause is well developed as we see him begin to realize through this game just how messed up the system truly is and Wright is able to get us into his mindset so that we understand the stress and fury that he feels. It’s a different kind of performance than I would associate with him, but its to his credit as an actor that I thought he pulled it off.
The supporting cast is one that is stacked to the brim and everyone is given a good amount to do and makes the most of their roles. On the evil media side we get some real scene chewers with Josh Brolin being a perfect fit for Dan Killian, the producer of the show who will stop at nothing to put on a good show for the masses that also advances his own interests. Brolin is great at playing up Dan’s confidence as someone who never chooses to openly acknowledge the harm he is doing, always putting up a fake facade of charm and concern, when his action speak far larger than words. Greatly appreciate how the movie doesn’t even try to hide how much of a bad guy he is as well (they could’ve easily tried to turn him into a twist villain). Colman Domingo is also a stand out as the show’s host, Bobby T, dashing out expositional statements with much gusto and showmanship as someone who quite enjoys being a cog in the corporate machine. His fast talking personality is very fun to watch and I enjoyed it when we got to cut to him in order for him to explain what’s going on in the show. I also thought Lee Pace was terrific as the head of the hunters, Evan McCone, who just manages to ooze with coolness whenever he pops up on screen. Everything from his movements to his voice just brims with aura and despite wearing a mask the majority of the time, Pace manages to get all of the across excellently. I was also a bit surprised at where things went with his character and really dug how complicated he becomes the more that is revealed, to the point where I wish we got more scenes with him.
On the ally side for Ben, Michael Cera is given the showiest role as Elton, a rebel who ends up coming to Ben’s aid at a pivotal point. Cera is always a welcome presence and I thought he was great as an unpredictably unhinged doomsday prepper as he’s a natural at providing the sort of manic energy required for such a part. He has this one monologue discussing the importance of a hot dog cart that manages to be darkly hilarious and surprisingly emotional in both measures, feeling something that Stephen King would write himself and Cera delivers on moments like these to the tee. The likes of William H. Macy (as Molie, an old friend of Ben’s that provides him disguises) and Daniel Ezra (as Bradley, another rebel who does livestreams) give able support and are able to make their characters stand out with some well written interactions with Ben. The latter especially is able to serve as a viewpoint for Ben into some of the atrocities that the Media commits. I was also surprised to see Emilia Jones (some may know her as the star of the Best Picture winner, CODA) pop up as a bystander who gets caught up in Ben’s quest. She’s good per usual and has a well meaning arc, however her inclusion into the plot felt oddly integrated and way too sudden to the point where the movie’s tracks are slowed a bit due to this.
On the whole, I had a very fun time with 2025’s The Running Man as it managed to be an entertaining ride from beginning to end. While it has some notable issues that hold it back from being as great as it is close to being, with it feeling like Wright’s most conventional film to date, an uneven third act, and an ending that doesn’t fully stick the landing. However, the movie still managed to work more often than not, thanks to the story being consistently engaging, it always managed to keep my attention, the unsubtle way of presenting the themes worked often, the action scenes are a blast, Ben makes for a solid lead, and the performances fit the mood of the film all around. Is it my favorite Edgar Wright film? No, as it is honestly his weakest of the ones I’ve seen. That being said I still really enjoyed it and think he is an immensely talented filmmaker. I think fans of his might get some enjoyment as well those who just want to see a fun action film and fans of the book who’d like a more faithful adaptation. It just ends up being yet another well done Stephen King movie in the year 2025, which is funny considering how movies based off of his work had an infamous reputation for the longest time. It also shows the value in taking a story that may not have been received well at one point, but trying again with a new take that stands on its own quite nicely. While its slip ups prevent me from truly loving it, I still found this to be a game worth taking a gamble on.
Rating: B+
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