The Running Man (dir. Edgar Wright)
By: Adam Freed
There is something particularly exciting in witnessing an actor become a superstar in real time. This is certainly the case for Glen Powell (Twisters, Top Gun: Maverick) who, as the face of Edgar Wright’s inspired and energetic The Running Man, puts an end to any lingering debate as to the nature of his stardom. The action genre has experienced a notable lack of reliable star power under the age of 50 for the better part of a decade, a vacancy Powell has officially put to an end. The Texas native has taken a circuitous route to his stardom, having worked through his fair share of genres and a notable list of filmmakers. Powell’s impressive list of collaborators includes Richard Linklater, Joseph Kosinski, and now Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver). The result of the Wright / Powell partnership is a refreshingly retro callback to an era in which genre films were shouldered by their stars and studios didn’t flinch at the idea of putting their weight behind a big budget film with an R rating.
Like the Arnold Schwarzenegger 1987 cult classic of the same title, Edgar Wright sets his remake in a vaguely recognizable dystopian America in which the minds and perspectives of citizens are shaped by the massive reach of a omnipresent broadcast network. The network’s most popular and profitable show “The Running Man” tasks a team of three contestants with the opportunity to survive for a month in order to win one billion dollars. The Running Man, originally a 1982 Stephen King novel, pulls no punches in the savagery with which the contestants are pursued and eliminated by a team of barbaric hunters. The notable stylistic freneticism of Wright’s film pairs nicely with its lingering social commentary about the nature of media manipulation, and America’s growing socioeconomic divide. Glen Powell plays Ben Richards, an oft unemployed father, desperate for financial solvency and the ability to purchase proper healthcare for his young daughter. The Running Man makes never hesitates in its framing of healthcare as a human right and comfortably vilifies those who stand by and watch a cross section of society suffer.
The heart of Powell’s performance is rooted in the lengths a father will go in order to provide for his family. Aiding the budding star in this pursuit is an impressive ensemble of notable performers, all of whom capture the winking intensity of the proceedings with a palpable glee. This is never more evident than in the performance of Colman Domingo (Rustin, The Color Purple) who takes the mantle as the slimy host of the “The Running Man” from television legend Richard Dawson. Adding to the smarmy network team is executive producer Dan Killian captured with devilish delight by Josh Brolin (Weapons, Dune: Part Two). Additional appearances by William H. Macy, Katy O’Brian, Michael Cera and Lee Pace, insure that The Running Man is a delightful ode to genre filmmaking at its entertaining apex. While Edgar Wright’s action-packed film will certainly be the target of a few warranted notes pertaining to plot believability, it will be those who can suspend disbelief and bask in the glow of a bygone era of action filmmaking that are best positioned to profit from the joy present within The Running Man.
Target Score 7.5/10 - The Running Man is an important reminder that the action filmgoing experience is supposed to be fun, propulsive and invigorating. Glen Powell answers all possible questions pertaining to his viability as a leading man with a confident and commanding action performance audiences are destined to embrace.