Plot
In a dystopian future, there exists two types of people, the haves… and have nots…
Ben Richards is one of the Have Nots, who lives in the slums of a major city. Unable to afford health care, his young daughter has become ill. Ben believes the only way to help her is to go onto one of the many television shows, (as the government is run by networks), and large cash rewards are offered to those who ‘win’ on shows.
One show, is The Running Man, and the reward is $1 Billion. All he needs to do is stay away from a group of hunters, and not be killed for 30 days.
Simple???
Direction
Directed by Edgar Wright of ‘Cornetto Trilogy’ and Baby Driver fame. This has more Baby Driver feel to it than his ‘comedic’ films – but also showcases his love of music with a solid sound track.
There are some amazing camera work throughout, especially through some of the brilliant action set pieces.
Cast
Glen Powell plays Ben, who brings the right amount of intensity to the film, with equal parts comedic. His ‘hiding in plain sight’ includes a multitude of costumes, that his Gary Johnson from Hit Man would likely use too.
Josh Brolin plays Dan Killian, the network boss who signs Ben up for the ‘game’. He is the perfect film antagonist, one who really has no redeeming qualities, and is something you’d find in a mid 90s action film. The way he talks Ben into competing in the Running Man, to holding his family ‘hostage’ at one stage is exactly the despicable acts you see in those era type movies!
Coleman Domingo is brilliant as the host of The Running Man, who delivers in every scene he is in with his overzealous performance. His ‘America’ advert is brilliant – even from a non American!
Some other cast members include; Katy O’Brien as Jenni Laughlin, one of Ben’s competitors, William H Macy as Molli – one of the people assist Ben in his hiding, Michael Cera as Elvis (another assistant to Ben). Television stars David Zayas and Sean Hayes have very small roles early in the film.
Breakdown
Based on the Stephen King novel, this is the second film adaptation of said novel.
It starts its intensity from the get go, with Ben – an out of work blue collar, who is seemingly non government (much like King himself?). He lives in the ‘slumside’ and is struggling to make ends meet. When his daughter has a bad cold, and he and his wife can’t afford to pay for the medicine- he decides to sign up for a game show in hopes of winning.
I would have appreciated more attention given to the world around them in regards to this. The television networks are the ones that run the governments. I also feel that this is a future that worked for when King wrote this, but it doesn’t reflect the present we currently live in (who even watches game shows anymore?)
This really could have (and should have) been a sideways sequel to the recent The Long Walk – due to that films own take on a dystopian world, the government’s ruling (killing those who disobey!) and the chance of television shows paying out mega bucks for those who win. It also has all the rules involved for the game too… King writes what he feels! These were pre Trump too!
For the majority of the film, Ben goes from place to place, city to city trying to keep away from the hunters hunting him. The helpers – happens too much, with four different parties at one stage or another assisting him on his way. Of course one of the random people on the street who finds him and takes him in for sanctuary is an expert on the game.
By the time he gets to Amelia, it feels to redundant by this stage, and her “haves” understanding his plight doesn’t feel earned – and the emotion is all out the window by this stage.
One part I quite enjoyed was the use of AI and how the network used this to fake Ben’s messages to the world. With how real videos are today, this was one part that actually made sense in a 2026 view.
I really loved the tension that the film creates when Ben is constantly chased by the Hunters. There are plenty of ‘escape’ sequences – such as the escape from the hotel, and then the escape from Elton’ house (poor Elton).
Overall
Solid enough, but I would have liked more background on the world that Ben lives in, especially given the 2hr+ runtime.
By the third act, the “Ben plus one” has grown a bit tiresome, and the forced emotion between himself and Amelia doesn’t have the pay off it should have.
Still fun, that is assisted by the performances of Powell, Brolin and Domingo.
3.5/5
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