When news broke that Edgar Wright was taking on Stephen King’s 1982 dystopian novel The Running Man, purists held their breath. We didn’t need another campy 80s arcade spectacle; we needed a sharp, kinetic, skin-crawling indictment of media saturation, corporate control, and public bloodlust. Dropping on streaming after its theatrical run, Wright’s vision hits with the velocity of a freight train, offering a terrifyingly plausible look at a world where human misery is packaged, broadcast, and monetized for prime-time ratings.

The Cast & Roles

• Ben Richards (Glen Powell): A desperate, working-class father driven to the edge of survival. Powell sheds his charming blockbuster swagger for a raw, frayed, and explosive performance as a man fighting not just for a cash prize to save his sick daughter, but for his remaining thread of dignity.
  
• Dan Killian (Josh Brolin): The cold, calculating executive producer of The Running Man. Brolin plays the puppeteer behind the curtain with a terrifying, corporate charisma—a man who views human life strictly through rating metrics and ad revenue.
  
• Bobby Thompson (Colman Domingo): The suave, booming game-show host. Domingo brings a dazzling, snake-oil magnetism to the stage, serving as the flashy, smiling face of a bloodthirsty media empire.
  
• Bradley Throckmorton (Daniel Ezra): A sharp, underground rebel who sees Richards not as a contestant, but as the spark that could ignite an anti-establishment firestorm.
  
• Evan McCone (Lee Pace): The ruthless, ice-cold lead Hunter dispatched to track and execute Richards on live television.
  

My Review

Running man is an entertaining flick, I’ll give it that. But there is something lacking in the whole movie and I can’t put my finger on it.

For a short synopsis, Ben (Glen Powell) needs money for her daughter’s med and treatment. The time and setting is like a dystopian future where citizens were divided into the upper class and the lower class. The whole society is crazed over broadcasted games hosted by Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) that are perilous in nature but participants are “promised” big compensation when they join even though these games can cost their lives. So this is the quickest way for big bucks and Ben being down on his luck with his previous jobs decided to participate in the “Running Man”, the most dangerous TV game and the one the offers the biggest prize. The whole concept of this game was you are the prey. You are hunted by the assigned trackers and hunters with the whole populace rich or poor being offered monetary prizes to either report you or kill you. You need to survive in 30 days. There are minute details and mechanics on the game that you can get when you watch it.

The whole movie runs (pun intended) on Ben Richards running and surviving. Doing all he can to see the light of day to be with his family again.

The Good: It’s action-packed and entertaining. It has a selection of known actors. Comedic instances and exchanges are few but ok. That’s it.

The Bad: I just think that the acting were not actually bad but cliched and Glen Powell doesn’t fit as Ben Richards for the part. The acting for some of the characters are a bit lackluster to say the least. Josh Brolin could’ve been more menacing. The hunters were like foot soldiers from a sad dystopian future. I like Bobby T. though and being played by Colman Domingo who at least was the only one I think performed on point. CGI and effects was meh. I didn’t even know if there was a soundtrack or score being played.

So, this is a half-baked remake of the original Running Man which wasn’t also perfect but the original has the heart. They should leave it at that and not try another reboot. I give this movie a 2 out of 5, out of respect for the title.

My Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)

This is an okay movie to watch in your spare time. It’s a decent action film if you’re into Dystopian Future Action type of guy. I just think that the movie tried so hard to fulfill the essence of the movie.

The Trailer