The Running Man

A bold new cyberpunk vision held back by tonal whiplash and a muted leading man

Edgar Wright is a beloved director for many film nerds, known for a winking style and frenetic editing, the Brit has delivered some modern classics such as Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Scott Pilgrim vs. World (2010). Yet Wright has hit a ceiling, remaining within fun yet immature movies, instead of branching out. This constraint is put to the test with his largest budget ever in the remake: The Running Man (2025).

The Running Man is adapted from the 1984 Stephen King book of the same name – which was published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, and which heavily inspired “The Hunger Games.” While loosely adapted in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wrights’ film follows the book more closely. We follow Ben Richards (Glen Powell) a desperate father in a dystopian cyberpunk United States, where corporations have taken over governance. In a bid to pull his family out of poverty, Ben enters the reality show “The Running Man” where he is mortally hunted down across the country and given money the longer he survives.

The Schwarzenegger film is beloved by some, due to its ridiculous 80s aesthetic, yet was a far cry from the story told in the novel. The 1987 film took on the reality TV element and gladiatorial bouts, but forwent the characterization and plot of the novel. By following closer in this remake, Wright is already a massive step above the original, digging into a deeper set of lore and characters as a result. As such, Ben is given a more complex background and motivation for entering the show, as well as featuring the entire United States as the playground for the hunt instead of a warehouse like the 1987 film.

Wright crafts a winning grime-filled and steam-issuing cyberpunk world, melding the aesthetics of varied sci-fi films like Blade Runner (1982) and The Fifth Element (1997). This aspect is were most of the budget visibly went to, helping illustrate a lived-in world. The techno-authoritarian government depicted is also an intriguing theme to dig into, given the real world’s increasing flirtation with it, and continues Wright’s evolution, after Last Night in Soho (2021) from a singular barrage of jokes and action, to thoughtful commentary. While the depictions of modern screen addictions, dehumanization, and the post-truth world is more of a credit to King’s prescient novel, it’s nevertheless traced magnetically by Wright.

The Running Man features a darker story than we are accustomed to from Wright, yet it doesn’t tamp down his hijinks comedy and restless energy. The film still clips along at a steady pace, featuring tongue-in-cheek edits, and witty one-liners. Yet it is perhaps in this meld of tone and material that the film undercuts itself. Wright can’t resist adding some levity and humor to the subject, and as a result waters down serious and dramatic moments, as if he was afraid that playing it straight too long. It is this step of patience and restraint that Wright is lacking to evolve into the next stage of his filmmaking. As a result, The Running Man whips between incredibly violent and dramatic moments to satirical jokes in a matter of seconds.

Wright brings along one of the hottest (in every sense of the word) actors working today. Powell is on the cusp of becoming a superstar in Hollywood, needing only a solo box office triumph to cement his status. However, The Running Man does not seem to be that film; it has faltered at the North American box office and doesn’t look to be recouping much of its budget internationally. Additionally, Wright doesn’t unlock the full potential of Powell’s capabilities. Powell is at his best when he is allowed to exude his irresistible charm and flash his smirk. His niche is the confident, laid-back protagonist, always ready with a witticism. It’s what made him a standout in Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) and has subsequently carried him to fame through Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Twisters (2024). He has also shown great range in the likes of Hit Man (2024), yet finds himself with a character too dour and dampened in this film. Ben is a hotheaded and scowling protagonist that, while effectively portrayed, completely shuts down Powell’s natural charisma. The result is a lead that feels more like an outline rather than someone you irresistibly root for.

In the end, Wright delivers his energetic direction, which clashes with the intriguing, but more serious subject matter. Powell is constrained in a limited lead role that gives him too few notes to play with and hides his strengths. The majority of the film remains a fun romp, only falling short of being a deeper and more incisive story. The finale changes some important elements from the book, essentially Hollywood-izing the story in a cheap way. It becomes needlessly drawn, losing steam in the final scenes, so that The Running Man wanders to the credits rather sprinting to them.

6.5/10