November 12, 2025 | 9:09am
MANILA, Philippines — British filmmaker Edgar Wright fulfills a passion project of his by remaking 1987’s “The Running Man,” this time with “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Twisters” star Glen Powell being hunted.
The original film is an adaptation of a 1982 Stephen King novel (who went by the pseudonym Richard Bachman), however, Wright is going for a more faithful retelling of King’s story on the big screen.
Powell plays Ben Richards, a man down on his luck trying to make ends meet for his family in a dystopian world ruled by corporate overlords, where the elite are entertained by commonfolk joining game shows to earn some cash.
Despite initial misgivings, Richards joins the hardest and most popular game show of all, “The Running Man,” where he must survive 30 days on the run in public while being hunted by ruthless mercenaries — a show that’s been airing for several seasons now.
One cannot fault Wright for expanding his skills by engaging more in genre-specific projects. Early beloved hits like “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” have cemented his capability to inject comedy into whatever genre he takes a liking too.
“The Running Man” isn’t Wright’s first foray into hard action, having done “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” and “Baby Driver,” but this new film seems an even bigger departure than his previous outing “Last Night in Soho” from his familiar quirky self.
Conversations about society and class are held in “The Running Man” that the director and co-writer Michael Bacall doesn’t skirt from, often so bluntly that it spars with the relentless action taking place.
Think of it as “The Hunger Games” where technology is more abundant, but instead its a whole population after your head because wads of money with a familiar face on the bills are on the line.
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King’s book is set in 2025, and it’s eerie to think about the things he got right and what either film version presents what running society today: the working class are exploited, footage can be doctored, all for the sake of entertainment for the elite few.
With respect to Wright, technical decisions assure viewers that he is still the filmmaker people know him to be. Editor and frequent collaborator Paul Machliss stamps on Wright’s signature cuts and transitions, though the film would be even better with tempered pacing.
Cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon is back behind the camera for Wright after “Last Night in Soho” and he does well to shoot action sequences that are both heartstopping and chair-clutching.
The original film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger at the height of his popularity, nowhere near Powell’s who still has the potential to become a bona fide A-lister.
After other leading man roles in “Anyone But You” and “Hit Man,” Powell is still finding his footing to follow the steps of Schwarzenegger, colleague Tom Cruise, and more action stars from decades past.
Josh Brolin has done better antagonistic work while Lee Pace is wasted underneath a mask, scenarios that allow Colman Domingo to ham it up and shine brighter as the host of the titular game show.
Characters that Richards runs into — William H. Macy’s Molie, Daniel Ezra’s Bradley, Michael Cera’s Elton, and Emilia Jones’ Amelia — all give perspective that perhaps there’s hope in this dreary environment, a resolution the film tries to nail hard.
While that ending has a disjointed path, Wright and company have injected the entire journey with fuel of different kinds, leaving people more or less satisfied with what they’ve seen on screen.
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