Remake of the 1987 film and inspired by Stephen King’s famous novel, ‘The Running Man’ is an action thriller movie with tons of twists and turns. In this dystopian world, there are only two classes: the rich and the poor. Ben Richards (Glen Powell) stars as the main character, who we get to know as part of the poorer class. Looking for money to provide for his very ill daughter, he becomes desperate and searches for competition-type TV shows that offer a prize pool of money. Driven by the safety of his own family and his love, Ben tries the most dangerous reality TV show in the U.S., The Running, and becomes one of the three runners.
This treacherous and life-threatening show consists of very few rules: the contestant must send daily video messages, the public can profit by finding their location and reporting it, and to survive for 30 days. Even with all of this, Ben still tries his best to survive. When watching this movie, I needed to be prepared for anything, as Ben could have been spotted at any point. The end of every major scene left me with suspense for what comes next. The movie was not at all predictable, which adds to the enjoyment of the movie.
The first half of the movie was much better than the second half. The first half had many intriguing elements, and the plot was fantastic. In the scene where it was the first time Ben was caught by the hunters, the writers did not disappoint when making the fight and the escape look amazing and developing that immense tense feeling. The beginning of the second half was not totally poor, but it became very easy to tell that the producers almost gave up at the end. The finale was a longshot and I think the writers could’ve come up with a better finish.
Known for his other thrilling movies, Edgar Write seemed to do a decent job directing the film making. The movie was packed with humor and constant smart aleck jokes, and after making similar comedic movies, like ‘Baby Driver’, Edgar Write was familiar with it.
The acting in the movie was amazing. While watching, the actors made the movie feel real and exciting. Glen Powell was inspiring in his talent of acting in this movie, as he made his character match his personality perfectly. Other actors like Daman Killian, who played as the antagonist in the movie, also greatly supported the well-made movie through his way of making his character look real and manipulative towards Ben Richards. This movie explores many themes and had me paying attention to every turn the movie took. I’m not gonna spoil any key parts of the movie, but towards the end, Ben ends up exposing the higher class for who they really are. The movie focused on the rebellious part, while also explaining how you can put other people on your side, just by being kind and giving them something to hope for.
Overall, Edgar Wright’s new ‘Running Man’ is an exciting action movie about a totally different class-based economic world than we live in today. This movie was great at creating suspense and has impressive acting, especially from Glen Powell as Ben Richards. But the last half of the movie feels much weaker, and the ending isn’t what it could have been. Still, the movie uses smart jokes and quality themes about fighting back against evil and having hope to make an interesting and thoughtful thriller.
