The Running Man (2025) - 6/10

Having just watched the frankly pretty awful 1987 version, I’m intrigued to see if Edgar Wright’s Stephen King approved remake of The Running Man is an improvement. We’re in a dystopian industrial hellscape once again, America is ruled as a police state and Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is having a rough time. He and his wife, Sheila (Jayme Lawson) have a sick child, they need money. Everyone does, poverty and desperation are rife in a scrungey world of concrete and neon, that although depressing, looks fantastic. Television is the escape of the oppressed masses, the only glimmer of hope. It’s full of lairy game shows, promising cash prizes, but the risks are high. Ben, a man with a moral compass, an issue with authority and a temper really isn’t suited to be a player, but needs must. So he auditions and winds up on, of course, the most dangerous game of all, The Running Man. He was after a less risky show, one where he might not get killed, but its director, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) insists, sees his potential… and promises a lot of money. The set up is good, everything looks great, Powell does his best surly Brad Pitt impression, it’s highly entertaining and takes a solid satirical swipe at America. Ben is painted as a criminal, vilified by the audience and let loose in Boston. His aim, to kill those trying to kill him and survive for 30 days with the public incentivised to help his hunters, in a dangerous spin on hide and seek. The odds don’t look good, but Ben is tough. There’s a lot more meat on the bone here than the ‘87 film, more back story, more purpose and it’s an infinitely better film for it. It’s not short on action though, there’s some great needle drops and it has amusing cameos from William H. Macy and Micheal Cera. It’s a lot of fun, pretty silly, but keeps clear sight on building tension and once the accelerator’s punched, it doesn’t really let up. That’s not to say it’s perfect, plot holes are plenty, everyone aside Ben’s character is pretty redundant, it’s a bit predictable and despite its pace, it’s still too long. It’s a damning and cutting take on the state of society though and although I’ve not read King’s book, I feel at least Wright has. Yes it’s a bombastic, dialled up to eleventy stupid depiction of a near future America, but there are some unnerving truths that keep it oddly grounded. It’s not a great film and it doesn’t have to work hard to surpass its predecessor, but it’s worth a watch.

6/10