Edgar Wright’s The Running Man is a ribcage-rattling thrill machine that blasts through a near-future hellscape with neon confidence. I walked out buzzing, heart still thudding, ready to run it back. Then the high eased, and a few seams started to show. The cinematic experience rules! The story logic does not always keep pace.
Powell Ascends, Brolin Versatile, Domingo Dominates
Glen Powell turns Ben Richards into a full-spectrum action lead. He mixes agility, bruised humanity, and live-wire charm, and none of it feels lab-grown. The camera loves him, the stunts read clean, and the quieter beats land. When the game turns him into a folk hero, the moment feels earned, not engineered.
Josh Brolin slides between velvet and razor as Dan Killian. He can sell a handshake, a threat, and a ratings pitch inside one breath. The role demands charisma, calculation, and corporate chill. He balances all three with a shrug that says he has done this dance for years.
Colman Domingo treats the arena like a cathedral and the audience like disciples. As Bobby “Bobby T” Thompson, he strolls in, adjusts the energy, and owns the room. Every line has flavor. Every pause has intent. When he speaks, the movie finds a higher gear.
Kinetic Broadcast Dystopia In The Running Man
Edgar Wright shoots motion like music. Chung-hoon Chung’s camera glides and darts, then plants when geography matters. Paul Machliss cuts on intention, not just impact, so momentum never flatlines. Steven Price’s score throbs like a live ratings ticker, then blooms when the human stakes crest. The broadcast overlays, pop-up stats, and slick studio artifice feel expensive and disturbingly plausible.
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The game is simple. The incentives are grotesque. The audience is complicit. That is the point. Livestream culture bleeds into prime-time polish until human bodies look like KPIs. The satire rarely winks, which makes it sting. The Running Man is not predicting a future. It is remixing a present that already monetizes outrage and privatizes mercy.
Momentum Vs. Logic
Here is the whiplash. A Paramount release hammering media cruelty and cheering pro-equality courage, during a year when the parent brand was loudly criticized for rolling back DEI. The movie argues for a broader, braver culture, then the studio playbook shrinks the tent. The contrast is not subtle. If you cut equity budgets, do not act shocked when viewers clock the message. Progress is not a marketing beat. It is a choice.
The set pieces slap. A mid-film gauntlet earns cheers, and the Wembley-scale melee toys with light, space, and crowd psychology. Yet at 133 minutes, the comedown exposes the seams. A few turns hinge on thin setup. One reveal raises more questions than it answers. I left thrilled. An hour later, I was poking holes. The feeling stays strong. The logic gets wobbly.
Final Lap of The Running Man: Awesome Cinema, Uneven Story Logic
Wright’s control of rhythm rewards a rewatch. Like Baby Driver and Last Night in Soho, the craftsmanship invites you back to study the cuts and cues. On that level, The Running Man crushes. As a story, it sprints, stumbles, then sprints again. Powell announces himself as a top-tier action lead. Brolin proves there is nothing he cannot shade. Domingo devours the spotlight. The movie rocks, even if a few beats do not hold up to daylight.
For the runner’s high and the guaranteed incredible cinematic insight upon rewatch that Edgar Wright always provides, I give The Running Man a
7/10
The Running Man opens in the United States on Friday, November 14, 2025, via Paramount Pictures after UK previews earlier in the week. See it on the biggest, loudest screen you can. IMAX or Dolby Cinema will reward the sound design and scale. Plan a second viewing for the craft, once the adrenaline fades.
About The Running Man
EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY George Linder, James Biddle, Rachael Prior, Audrey Chon, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, Andrew Lary
PRODUCED BY Simon Kinberg, p.g.a. Nira Park, p.g.a. Edgar Wright, p.g.a.
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY Stephen King
SCREENPLAY BY Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright
DIRECTED BY Edgar Wright
CAST Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Sean Hayes, Katy O’Brian with Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin
SYNOPSIS
In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort.
But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.
Are you ready for The Running Man? What do you want most from a modern dystopia, ruthless satire or clean action? Do you think studios can champion pro-equality themes while cutting DEI in practice? Which performance are you most excited for, Powell, Brolin, or Domingo? Drop your thoughts below or @me.
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