The Running Man
Director: Edgar Wright
Writer: Michael Bacall, Edgar Wright
Based on: Stephen King‘s novel (that he wrote as Richard Bachman)
Cast: Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Colman Domingo, Jayme Lawson, Karl Glusman, Emilia Jones, Katy O’Brian, Martin Herlihy, Daniel Ezra, William H. Macy, Michael Cera
Seen on: 28.11.2025

Plot:
Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is one of many people who struggle. He has been blacklisted at his job for asking one too many question about the working conditions, and now can’t find employment anywhere. His daughter is sick and needs medicine, his wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) who works as many shifts as a waitress as she can is considering sex work to make ends meet. In his desperation, Ben turns to the Network who have a slew of reality shows that offer cash prizes. Unfortunately, Ben is chosen for the one show he didn’t want: The Running Man – a show where you get more money the longer you survive, while a dedicated team of hunters is after you – and the public is encouraged to report you, too.

The Running Man is not a bad film, but it’s not as good as I would have thought it would be given that it has Edgar Wright as a director.

I never read The Running Man (I don’t think I have read any of the Bachman-King novels) and I didn’t see the adaptation with Arnold Schwarzenegger that came before it. So, I came to the material fresh and given that the novel is over 40 years old (and originally set in 2025, by the way) and the first movie is not much younger, I got the feeling that they did a decent job modernizing the material (especially with the inclusion of DeepFakes).

At the same time, there is something quaint about the general concept that just doesn’t work that well from today’s perspective. Be it that the importance of TV networks in the age of streaming just feels a little awkward, be it the apparent lack of surveillance in this dystopian world, be it that the concept seems plump when modern reality TV has long become more insidious than “simply murdering” people for fun.

Given the almost retrofuturistic vibe, I was hoping for a bit more of Edgar Wrights personal style in this movie. And while there are touches here and there that are absolutely brilliant and remind us of Wright’s sense of humor, it wasn’t quite enough to make me fall in love with the film. It is decently handled, that’s for sure. It is not a bad film at all. But it’s also not great.

What is great, though, is that it is a film that ends with a revolution. From what I gather, the novel ended on a very dire note, and I feel like we need more stories where change for something better is actually worth fighting for and even achievable, and not just a suicide mission. I am glad that Wright sees to agree with me there.

Summarizing: not bad, even if I expected more.