The Running Man
The Running Man
Starring Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Lee Pace
Directed by Edgar Wright
In the future, America is a wasteland. People live in squalor, especially Ben Richards (Glen Powell), a hothead who's been fired from all his jobs for insubordination and anger management issues which only hides his true motives: he looks out for the little guy, and stands against the establishment. His wife is working double duty and their young child is sick, and he can't pay to get her the help she needs, so he resorts to applying for a game show called "The Running Man" to fix it all, but there's a catch: the show centers on three "Runners" who must spend thirty days on the run from a group of "Hunters" who are tracking them thanks to public information, and if a "Runner" is caught they're killed on screen for the world to see. Yet the prize is too much to pass up: one billion dollars - but it's only that high because no one has survived.
After meeting with the shady producer Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), Ben's name is smeared by the show's host Bobby T (Colman Domingo) and is launched into the general populous with two other "Runners" as they're tracked by the "Hunters," including lead hunter Evan McCone (Lee Pace). With the public getting money for turning the Runners in, Ben has to maneuver his way through the streets and survive the thirty days to save his family - but also in the process become a hero for the people, bent on taking down the corrupt leaders who've restricted society as a whole.
I never saw the original "The Running Man" with Arnold Schwarzenegger, so this is my first outing with the franchise (I also never read the novel either), and at first I was concerned with the over two-hour runtime, but considering it's directed by the fantastic Edgar Wright I was ready to sit back and enjoy myself. Fortunately, Wright makes all the right moves yet again, delivering a pulse-pounding action movie that kicks off from the start and never lets up, which is good for the viewers but also good for him, as we're so enthralled in the race we overlook glaring mistakes that the movie makes as well, and in the end we really don't mind because it's a fantastically made film that hits all the right notes.
In the grand scheme of cinema there's been a few lead actors who are considered action stars: Tom Cruise, Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Arnold, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone...the list goes on. In today's day and age that list has diminished slightly, but one that stands out is Glen Powell, who has proven himself capable in other genres ("Anyone But You" and "Hit Man" accentuate his romantic and comedic chops respectively) as well as the action genre itself, including the billion-dollar hit "Top Gun: Maverick." Having this much goodwill with moviegoers helps the movie make it all the more exciting, as watching Powell perform exciting action sequences with his trademark deadpan humor makes for an enjoyable ride.
I'm sure King had no idea when he wrote this novel that today's world would be so closely associated to his vision, but "The Running Man" really points the camera back at us, the viewer, for what we choose to digest in our daily basis. The movie does over-exaggerate a lot (such as having literal game shows where people are murdered on screen, dropping the F-bomb, and labeling it as "family friendly entertainment"), but we're really not that far off in the long run. We love to see people fail and fall, we love the drama it creates, and ultimately we also love a good underdog story. Ben is a flawed man who's doing it for all the right motives, and society sees him as their voice against the bureaucracy that's enslaved them. It's why Ben is allowed to live so long, because he gets ratings - but in doing so, he also creates a cause. Much like in today's world where we're seeking someone to represent the downtrodden, Ben represents that in this movie's world. He doesn't want it, but he's forced to take that mantle.
Ironically, I've talked a lot before about how movies shouldn't be over two hours long, but I feel like this one should've been longer. We don't get rich character development, as Ben is relegated to being angry all the time, and the supporting characters all have one-note feels to them as well (especially Wright's longtime fellow collaborator Michael Cera, who's given more or less a thankless cameo, but who's character has a huge backstory that needed to be explored more). Still, for what it's worth, it's a movie that knows what it is and jumps headfirst into it, thanks to Wright's direction and his expert use of music (supervised by Kirsten Lane) and excitingly edited action sequences edited by his longtime partner Paul Machless.
"The Running Man" is one of those action popcorn movies that aren't really made much anymore, a movie that, on the outside, doesn't try to tell any important message, but in the end - thanks to terrific action, acting, and editing - tells an exciting message of rebellion and sticking it to the man.
The Score: A
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