To prepare for Edgar Wright’s adaptation of The Running Man by Stephen King, I did a little bit of homework. My first step was watching the original 1987 adaptation starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. My impression was that it was the purest distillation of 80s action cheese, for better and worse. It’s not a good film by any traditional measure, but it has that goofy, irresistible charm that makes it hard to completely write off. Then I went to the source material and listened to the original novel by Stephen King. So you can imagine the shock on my face when I discovered how different the film was from the novel. It wasn’t the narrative difference that shocked me, but its tone. The novel is bleak, bitter, and way ahead of its time in how it imagines violence, media, and exploitation. So it is a little shocking that this dark novel has been a dream project for Edgar Wright, who is best known for his hyper-stylized, comedic sensibility. So how does this more faithful adaptation of this novel turn out to be? An entertaining but flawed dystopian action thriller.
In the near future, “The Running Man” is the top-rated show on television, a deadly competition where contestants must survive for 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins and the public. Desperate for money to save his sick daughter, Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. However when ratings skyrocket as he turns into a fan favorite due to his defiance and grit, Ben quickly realizes that he is in way over his head as becomes more than just another contestant.
As an adaptation, The Running Man sticks close to its source material, which is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it is a blessing. Richards, played by the charismatic Glen Powell who is cementing himself as the action star of his generation, grounds us in this world gone mad by propaganda and corporate consumerism. On the FreeVee, the game is portrayed as loud, campy and cartoonish, but in reality it is a terrifying balance of survival, paranoia and propaganda, as the network does everything in its power to boost its ratings. Wright finds that perfect balance with enough dark humor as we follow Richards on the run. At every turn you believe that he is covering his tracks well with his disguises, diversions and misdirections. Yet, the hunts continue to find him at every turn with adrenaline-spiking action set pieces. One minute we’re in a grimy hotel shootout, the next we’re in a suburban house rigged with enough traps to make Kevin McCallister blush. And on the rare occasions when Richards does find someone willing to hide him, the film’s social commentary hits with all the subtlety of a slap: he’s far from the only one crushed under this system. While Wright has definitely smoothed out some of the novel’s harsher edges, he still clearly understands the story’s heart, its themes, and its characters. At the very least, he made an engaging, stylish and thoroughly watchable dystopian action thriller.
But on the other hand, it is also a curse as not everything in a novel will perfectly adapt to the big screen. The film inherits the same clunky dialogue that ravaged the novel. It has the same stop and go pacing, where one moment you are running for your lives alongside Richards and the next you have a quiet moment to breathe and to reflect on your choices, then the cycle repeats. And because Wright tries to preserve every major plot point of the novel, the film ends up feeling a bit overstuffed and underdeveloped. Two hours didn’t feel like enough time to properly develop this narrative without major cuts. Needless to say, narratively it’s a bit of a mess. But I thought Edgar Wright’s signature style would overcome some of these narrative mishaps. Surprisingly, his signature is nowhere to be found. There are hints of Wright’s style, mostly in the action pieces and in some of the gameshow highlights, but The Running Man is shot like a run of the mill action flick. If this wasn’t directed by Wright I would be so harsh, but because it was, I am left wondering where his directorial sauce went.
Flaws and frustrations aside, The Running Man remains an undeniably entertaining ride. Even when the narrative loses its footing or its dialogue grates, the film taps into a lively blend of classic action movie with contemporary political commentary. It’s rough around the edges, but there is an energy to it that keeps you locked it. Wright may fumble some of the novel’s heavier ideas and sideline his own stylistic trademarks, the film is at the very least, an entertaining dystopian action thriller that has enough crowd-pleasing elements to it to make it a great popcorn watch.
My Rating: B
Now in theaters
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