Time: 133 Minutes
Age Rating: R16– Violence, cruelty & offensive language
Cast:
Glen Powell as Ben Richards
Josh Brolin as Dan Killian
Colman Domingo as Bobby “Bobby T” Thompson
Lee Pace as Evan McCone
Michael Cera as Elton Parrakis
Emilia Jones as Amelia Williams
William H. Macy as Molie Jernigan
Daniel Ezra as Bradley Throckmorton
Jayme Lawson as Sheila Richards
Katy O’Brian as Jenni Laughlin
Sean Hayes as Gary Greenbacks
Director: Edgar Wright

Edgar Wright’s latest movie is an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man, which was previously adapted into an Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie in the 80s. Considering its middling reviews, I actually liked it.

I haven’t read the original Stephen King book, but from what I can tell, this new version of The Running Man does play its plot much closer to the source material compared to the 80s movie. The environment for the central game in which its protagonist needed to survive in the previous movie was pretty contained, but Wright’s movie is much wider scale and also comparatively bleaker. The pacing isn’t always the best, it definitely feels a little drawn out across its 133 minute runtime. It takes a bit to get going in the first act, once it gets into the second act it definitely picks up. It’s not boring, I found it to be entertaining, and it does have some enjoyable humour. However, it felt like multiple movies smashed together. It is a tense action thriller, an absurdist comedy, and a serious satire with social commentary trying to say something, and they don’t gel together perfectly. There is certainly social commentary about a number of topics including media, poverty, classism and capitalism. The satire is decent enough and in some ways does reflect our current reality, although is a bit too obvious and on the nose.

In the lead role, Glen Powell is great. He’s charismatic, believable, likable, and conveys his character’s anger and rage throughout. The supporting cast which includes Josh Brolin, William H. Macy, Katy O’Brian, Lee Pace and Emilia Jones are good, with Colman Domingo and Michael Cera being the standouts.

Considering that Edgar Wright is helming the movie, The Running Man felt interestingly restrained and you only see his stylistic flair a few times in the film. Overall though, his direction is good on the whole. The visuals aren’t spectacular but does well at presenting this dystopian world. None of the action ranks amongst some of Wright’s past action work, but is entertaining, well shot and edited, and contains some good tension.

The Running Man (2025) is a little messy, but overall is an entertaining and energetic action thriller, with exciting set pieces and a strong cast led by a great Glen Powell.