The Running Man 2025 Movie Review: Glenn Powell Doesn’t Make You Regret!
Edgar Wright goes back to mixing action and irony in The Running Man, proving his once again extraordinary ability to orchestrate action sequences with rhythm, perfect and stylistic precision. In this adaptation freely based on the novel by Stephen King, Wright merges the spectacular component of cinematic violence with the character building, resulting in a film that amuses, excites, and engages without ever taking itself too seriously. The story descends into a dystopian future in which the protagonist, Ben Richards, played by Glen Powell, finds himself fighting for survival in a deadly TV show. Wright manages to transport Kinghian mythology to the screen without distorting it, maintaining the essential elements of the original novel and reinterpreting them for contemporary audiences. His direction creates a fast pace, with dynamic shots that emphasize both the action and the irony of the lightest moments, avoiding any weighing down of the narrative.
How much and how Stephen King has shaped directly and indirectly, between literature and visual arts, our Western imagination is something that perhaps we cannot realize enough. “The Running Man”, which arrives in theaters on November 13, is yet another film adapted from one of the novels by the American writer, who published this in 1982 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. A film adaptation had already been made in 1987, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose role here was instead taken by Glen Powell under the directorial direction of Edgar Wright. This makes it a story more faithful to the original work (and therefore not a remake), a dystopian story in an America under an authoritarian regime where a man becomes entangled in a ruthless and dirty game of survival.
The Running Man Movie Review: The Story Plot
In The Running Man, there is a “necessary” event engine. The underlying matrix is what, in cinematographic jargon, is defined as a “high concept”. That is to say, it would be an immediately identifiable idea and with a very simple basic motivation at its centre, but drastic enough to be an adequate propulsion for the development of an entertainment network that is often pyrotechnic and always in motion. Now imagine the story of a family man willing to do anything to find money for his sick daughter’s medicines and get his family out of poverty. It is the checkmate in which Ben Richards (Powell) finds himself, with a smoldering character and fired from all the miserable jobs that belong to the lower social classes in a society divided into the castes of rich and poor.
Wright, who writes the film with Michael Bacall (the two had worked together on that jewel of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), then pushes the pedal of social anger, that feeling that resonates so well and so strongly in today’s community, and relaunches it in the polarized distances of the virtual, of social media, of the “Network”. Ben actually has a chance. Hesing up for the reality show of The Running Man, produced by a television network led by the god-producer Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) and which holds the state and the population in its grip, to which he administers an anesthetic made of entertainment and blood. In this reality show, the contestants must survive for thirty days by hiding in the common world while being hunted by a team of “hunters”. If they win, they take home a billion dollars. But they never win.
The Running Man Movie Review and Analysis
It is a perfect recipe: a story of abuse, endurance, and catharsis. David against Goliath, where the dealer, in addition to being stronger, is even made up. A story that then resonates with contemporaneity, because if before it was television, today it is the internet. Which, in fact, works even better these days. In fact, what has changed is a system that has spread from vertical surveillance to the horizontal. “Record, report, and report” suggest the advertisements and slogans of The Running Man, which want spectators to be active in hunting and in that social network, tamed as an instrument of control by the controller, essentially in an indirect police regime. But the film doesn’t worry too much about theory. It is done and explodes in practice. With characters that may not be memorable (Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Colman Domingo), but characteristic enough to make them valid shoring of a story that opens and expands progressively. From escape to metropolitan corridors (in which the film was bordered by Schwarzenegger), The Running Man expands to cross the United States, from city to country, from urban to rural lands.
The strength of the film is on the exasperated impetuosity of Powell, who among other things continues on that career trend that leads him to disguise himself and change his identity between homeless people, managers and blind priests, after having “hidden” himself already in the recent series Chad Powers and especially in Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, in which the actor histrionically took on multiple forms and personalities. And Wright finally knows action is inside his pockets. He does what he wants, from frantic cat-and-mouse hunts in the narrow streets of dilapidated apartments to car chases in open spaces. Obtaining a result that may not be among the most brilliant of his career, but with an unexpected thematic cohesion and solidity of step, points of convergence between the ruthless underlying reflection and an entertainment varied in terms of scenario and solutions adopted.
The director Edgar Wright, after Last Night in Soho with its ironic streak and cinematic goal, and the irreverent Baby Driver, returns with an ambitious and at the same time risky project, bringing a new transposition of The Running Man, loosely based on Stephen King’s novel. The British director rereads the material with its stylistic signature of visual elegance, cynical irony, and some exaggeration, but also with a darker and more reflective tone and atmosphere, in line with the dystopian evolution of our present, imbued with technology and media. If the original 1987 film by Paul Michael Glaser’s irony was the outlet of an action story, in this remake, director Edgar Wright focuses on the socio-political aspect, focusing on the fact that Ben Richards’ struggle is not only physical, but above all moral. In his The Running Man, Wright develops the narrative with a tight pace and almost always functional editing, where action turns into a political struggle. At the heart of the issues is a strong sociopolitical criticism against the voyeurism of the spectator now addicted to the spectacularization of pain and the desperate need to have more and more of it, in a society that lives in symbiosis with television games that transform survival into entertainment.
The photography of Chung-hoon Chung, who plays with cool tones and warm tones mixed in it, is reminiscent of a twisted, cumbersome show aesthetic. At times, the film recalls suggestions from titles such as Deathrace or Gamer, where the protagonists are forced to risk everything for a desired freedom. Steven Price’s soundtrack has an impact and accompanies the story, amplifying its sense of alienation and constant danger. Glen Powell, magnetic and tormented, gives substance to Ben Richards, a man driven to participate in a deadly reality show to save his family. Around him, an ensemble cast that includes William H. Macy, Lee Pace, and Colman Domingo, as the presenter, offers different nuances of television manipulation. But it is Josh Brolin, as of Dan Killian, to embody with ambiguous force the face of media corruption: savior and executioner, puppeteer of a system that transforms life into entertainment.
Glen Powell emerges in his ability to embody the action hero with the right amount of vulnerability. His physical prowess dominates his screen: the pectorals and the almost mythological musculature of the actor are exposed in all their grandeur, often an end in themselves. Powell, however, is not just a moving body; his interpretation is permeated with irony, that lightness that allows the audience to smile even in the most tense moments. This combination of physical strength and self-deprecation makes Richards a more human character compared to the original film with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and at the same time maintains the spectacularity necessary for a contemporary action movie. Powell knows how to alternate combat scenes and breathtaking chases with moments of introspection, in which his emotions shine through with naturalness. The result is a credible protagonist and a charismatic, capable of involving the viewer on multiple levels.
Wright, in this one version, gives ample space to the humanity of Richards. The character becomes more empathetic, closer to today’s sensitivity: it is not just a muscular hero who faces dangers, but a man who fights for deep and universal reasons: his family. This approach makes the film more “pleasant” while still retaining the adrenaline and pace you expect from a modern action film. One of the most interesting aspects of The Running Man it’s their Wright’s ability to take freedom from the material original without betraying it. The characters are explored in depth, their emotions emphasized, and their motivations made more credible; thus, a stronger bond with the contemporary public must be established. The hero is no longer just a symbol of strength, but also an individual with whom the public can identify.
However, there is no shortage of tributes to the past. The version of Arnold Schwarzenegger, one clear landmark remains: the dystopian frame, the dynamics of the deadly TV show, the muscular hero who faces impossible challenges. Wright manages to insert them without falling into sterile nostalgia, reinterpreting them in a modern key and cleverly. Eighties action mythology comes like this, celebrated, but updated with irony, emotionality, and greater depth of the characters. This choice allows us to create a film that is both respectful of the past and bold in contemporaneity. The fusion of action, irony, and reflection on the characters makes The Running Man a more layered work than a simple remake. Every scene action has a narrative weight, and every moment is ironic or light, which helps build the personality of the protagonists.
Wright exploits the Powells’ physicality as a true narrative tool. Upbringing chase, fight, and escape scenes are never an end in themselves, same they serve to tell the determination and resilience of the protagonist, to show his ability to adapt to difficulty and, at the same time, entertain the viewer. This action thus becomes a means of expressing the emotionality of the characters and the plot tension. Powell thus becomes the contemporary hero who combines body, charisma, and irony, making The Running Man a celebration of action in the key modern. The pace of the film is sustained, with moments of lightness that balance the spectacular nature of violence and physical acrobatics. This balance between action and irony is one of the strengths of the direction by Wright: every scene, even the most spectacular, contributes to outlining the character of the protagonists and the dystopian context in which they move.
The Running Man knows how to combine spectacularity, irony, and introspection of the characters. The Glen Powell /Edgar Wright pairing promises not to be prisoners, and perhaps it could be replicated in the future for other adventures. The film celebrates the past of the Eighties action and pays homage to the version of Schwarzenegger, reinterpreting it with modernity and lightness. Every action scene, every comic sequence, and every emotional moment help build a coherent cinematic experience and engage. The Running Man it’s not just a homage to such an icon, but an autonomous work, capable of entertaining, exciting, which retraces all the steps of the film revolt, in which the hero sets out on his mission to defend one’s family, then becomes a symbol of revolt and begins to lead the Revolution. A vision that, although already seen, will not it will fail to set souls on fire in a historical moment in which society seems desperately in need of guidance.
This reboot offers one visually spectacular and narratively exciting show. Glen Powell establishes himself as a modern protagonist, ready to collect the legacy of past action heroes, but with a contemporary sensitivity that makes it credible and human. For those who look for an action movie that combines rhythm, physicality, and irony, The Running Man it’s a vision unmissable. In this version, we are still in the New United States. Ben Richards is a man who ended up in the Outer Blocks of the Co-Op City metropolis. He was fired because of his humanity and blacklisted for being insubordinate. The daughter needs care, and the wife works in a nightclub. When the opportunity arises to make money thanks to a television program, in which he has to be a “runner” for 30 days, he accepts. It’s a shame that his life is at stake: the escape is from murderers who want to eliminate him. Producing is Dan Killian, a Josh Brolin deliciously diabolical. However, everything takes an unexpected turn when Ben becomes, against his will, a symbol: the resistance of the forgotten elevates him to an icon of the fight against power.
In 2025, a plot like this seems almost normal: in the era of social media, in which everything has become entertainment, a television show of this type would certainly seem less strange to us. He told it very well in a series like Squid Game. However, we must think that when King published the book, the US President was Ronald Reagan: the contamination between entertainment and politics had just begun. Today, that threat has turned into a real dystopia (think of the images created with AI by Trump’s team). Wright is well aware of the drift of contemporary society and, in fact, inserts several references to facts and characters we know well into the film. But, at the same time, just like the show in which the protagonist participates, he makes a feature film of pure entertainment. The management of the three narrative levels works for most of the duration, but at different times, there is uncertainty in the change of tone. The Running Man, however, remains an extremely enjoyable science fiction action, with a large cast. In fact, together with Powell and Brolin, there is always excellent Colman Domingo, as Bobby “Bobby T” Thompson, the program’s host; William H. Macy, who plays Molie Jernigan, who helps the protagonist escape; Lee Pace, one of the hunters; and Michael Cera, a member of the rebels.
The Running Man Movie Review: The Last Words
The Running Man contains three souls in one: the irrepressible personality of Edgar Wright, master of action scenes that mix perfectly with the music; the faithful adaptation to King’s novel; and the homage to the 80s film with Schwarzenegger. There are some uncertainties in the change of tone: this new version is, in fact, darker than the previous one, but it is still pure entertainment. Sustained pace, great soundtrack, excellent cast, led by an increasingly rising Glen Powell. If you are looking for strong emotions at the cinema, it is the film for you. With The Running Man, the director Edgar Wright brings to the screen one of his most conscious and mature films, a fast-paced dystopian thriller, with some exaggerated directorial choices, but one that works overall. Above all, it represents a sort of parable about the price of public exposure, where the regaining of dignity is more important than the race for victory. A powerful warning, which reminds us how thin the boundary is between freedom and entertainment, between entertainment and violence.
Cast: Glen Powell, Katy O’Brien, Daniel Ezra, Karl Glusman, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Jayme Lawson, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, William H. Macy, David Zayas, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo
Director: Edgar Wright
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3/5 (three stars)
