Stephen King’s dystopian sci-fi novel, The Running Man, was my favorite of those he originally wrote under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. Gritty, brutal and exceedingly dark, I thought it would make a great movie. However, the 1987 version with Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t what I had in mind. Gleefully tossing damn near everything but the title, it was a garish, dumbed-down cartoon loaded with WWE glitz and plenty of Arnie’s eye-rolling one-liners.
Sure, the movie is fun and still has a fanbase who embrace its kitchiness, but at the time, this was the biggest bastardization of a King story since Kubrick dug his mitts into The Shining. I walked out of the theater thinking The Running Man would still make a great movie…just not this one.
If nothing else, director/co-writer Edgar Wright has the right approach for the 2025 version, which is not-so-much a remake as another adaptation of the same source material. As such, it stays more faithful to the novel in terms of both the story, satiric elements and anti-authoriarian themes. And for the first two hours, this is The Running Man I’ve been waiting to see for 40 years. Too bad Wright doesn’t stick the landing. In fact, it’s more like a crash landing…the kind that leaves no survivors.
The Running Man depicts a dystopian future ruled by fascism, with nearly every aspect of daily life overseen by The Network, including televised entertainment created to placate the masses. Most programming consists of game shows in which financially desperate people have a chance to win cash by participating in dangerous (often fatal) competitions. The most popular one is The Running Man, where contestants win a billion dollars if they can stay on the run for 30 days without being killed by a squad of hunters, aided by an entire population who can also win cash for spotting contestants (or killing them themselves).
One of those contestants is Ben Richards (Glen Powell), a married man who can’t hang onto a job due to “insubordination.” Desperate to provide real medicine for his sick daughter, he auditions for a show and is selected for The Running Man, mainly because producer Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) feels Ben's strength and anger issues will make great television. Despite the fact that no previous contestant has ever survived the full 30 days, Ben reluctantly agrees to participate.
The bulk of the film consists of Ben’s efforts to stay alive, made more challenging by the TV audience being manipulated into seeing him as an evil, violent man who deserves to die. He’s relentlessly pursued by the show’s masked star, Evan McCone (Lee Pace), and his hunters. Along the way, he’s assisted by some that want to see him go the distance, most notably those who are part of an underground resistance movement against the government. In addition to plenty of violent, explosive action, the film’s underlying themes are pretty timely, particularly those presenting the government controlled media as shamelessly manipulative (and not too far removed from what we’re experiencing in the real world right now).
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| The selfie that launched a thousand restraining orders. |
But without giving too much away, the climax of The Running Man is godawful, and straying from King’s original ending is the least of its sins. Not only is Wright’s conclusion unsatisfactory (and unnecessary), it hits us like a suckerpunch, presented in a way that totally negates the tone he worked so hard to achieve during the first two hours. It also happens to be really stupid, reflecting a rushed attempt to wrap things up with a denouement that plays more like an homage to the 1987 film than the novel it's based on.
Until then, this is arguably the best adaptation of The Running Man that one can probably hope for. Despite its length, the film is fast-moving and boasts several impressive action sequences, as well as some amusing satire and a prevalent anti-authoritarian message (or warning?). Just be prepared to experience a bit of WTF whiplash during the climax. Or better yet, shut the damn thing off immediately after the airplane sequence (which King concluded his story with).
For its home media release, Paramount has put together a great 4K/Blu-ray combo package featuring an excellent video and audio transfer for both formats, with vivid color, sharp detail and a booming Dolby Atmos track. The set also includes a big selection of interesting (sometimes pretty amusing) bonus features. The SteelBook release we reviewed boasts artwork that, if not particularly creative, at least reflects the movie’s overall vibe pretty effectively.
EXTRA KIBBLES
4K, BLU-RAY and DIGITAL COPIES (The 4K includes all of the bonus features listed below; the Blu-ray features selected ones).
FEATURETTES - The Hunt Begins features Edgar Wright discussing how he got involved; The Hunters and the Hunted showcases the cast & characters; Welcome to the Running Man: Designing the World is a look at the production design; Surviving the Game: Shooting The Running Man features a lot of on-set behind-the-scenes footage; Stunts Compilation; Hair, Make-up & Costume Tests.
AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director/co-writer Edgar Wright, actor Glen Powell and co-writer Michael Bacall.
THE RUNNING MAN COMMERCIALS - Faux commercials as seen in the film.
SPEED THE WHEEL and THE AMERICANOS - Footage of the fake shows as seen in the film.
THE APOSTLE - Similar to the above-mentioned features, this is footage of the Apostle’s broadcasts.
DELETED/EXTENDED SCENES
TRAILERS
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