With a sick daughter, and unable to find work, Ben Richards (Glen Powell) volunteers to be a contestant on the most dangerous show on television. If he survives for 30 days on the run, he will win $1 billion. But the network doesn’t exactly play fair. Hot on his trail are a team of hunters, and a population baying for blood. All of whom believe it’s in their best interests to hunt Richards down.
If you've ever watched Hunted, you've got a pretty good idea of what you're in for with The Running Man. Edgar Wright's striking adaptation of Stephen King's Richard Bachman novel has much the same feel as the Channel 4 show. Although the ex-cops and former soldiers who hunt down random celebrities and members of the public aren't allowed to actually kill them like the Hunters in The Running Man - all of whom are a curious combo of military gear and gimp attire. Which certainly gives Wright and his movie an edge. As does Colman Domingo as the wonderfully flamboyant host, 'Bobby T' - Hunted certainly never had that either! Wright's film is a much more faithful adaptation of the novel than the somewhat generic 80's actioner that is the Arnie movie, this new Running Man traverses a delicate tightrope between madcap action, crazy laughs, and genuine peril, and does it very well.
The world in which we find Ben Richards is somewhat reminiscent of Blade Runner; sparkly and nice for high society, and grim and dark for the rest of us. And much like Denis Villeneuve did with Blade Runner 2049, it's not exactly the future we face, but it's not far off. No doubt one from a not too distant part of the multiverse. Where the warnings about deep fake technology, fake news, and the importance of a free press are as relevant as they are here in our world. In fact, you only have to take a glance at the news to realise how oddly prescient it is that 2025 is both the year in which the novel is set and the year that the movie was released. That said, it was also a wise choice by Wright to be a little ambiguous with the movie's setting, making it simply the near future, and maybe a little too real.
Glen Powell once again shows us why he is becoming the movie star of his day. He brings a lot of depth to Richards - a man who is just trying to help his family, but is driven to do the right thing, and reluctantly becomes a folk hero. Wright's Richards, much like in the novel, is more of an everyman than an action hero - although he certainly resembles one physically - and Powell is able to make him not only relatable, but likeable. He also has some help in the form of a couple of colourful members of the resistance, played with some excitability by Daniel Ezra and Michael Cera. More importantly however, Powell brings genuine rage and anger issues to Richards. In other words he is crazy enough - and there are times when he is delightfully unhinged - to take on the deadliest game show and actually have a shot at going the distance.
The question is; will he? Will Richards be able to survive 30 days on the run? After all, the house likes to win, and the game is fiendishly rigged. And as much as this is a more faithful adaptation of the book, Wright is still able to keep you guessing. He even has a few surprises in store. In many ways it's a lot like watching the show - this includes some very crafty product placement that only a game show can get away with - and a little like being on the run with Richards. You never know if someone is going to give up our running man, or when the Hunters will appear. And when they do everything explodes into gloriously brutal chaos, forcing Richards into some hilarious insanity. Like dangling off the side of a building, wearing only a towel.
Now, the movie does lose some of its momentum towards the end. There's still a struggle, only it's less intense. But again, it feels realistic. The longer he's on the run, the more doubt and exhaustion starts to creep in - the effects of which Powell portrays brilliantly. Which is also when Josh Brolin's slimy Network boss 'Killian' - a man whose face you really want to punch - is at his most fiendish, twisting the screws in Richards in order to get as much good TV out of him as he can. So that as our reluctant hero goes into his final confrontation with those that have made his life so miserable, there is a genuine sense of mystery as to how this will all turn out.
Richard Bachman's - or should that be Stephen King's? - vision of a dystopian Roman colosseum is beautifully brought to life by Edgar Wright. While Glen Powell brings just the right amount of relatability and crazy to the guy who wants to burn it all down.
8/10
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