The Running Man
Apple Cinemas Xtreme
Hartford
Nov. 17, 2025
I love it when my bloodbath movies actually have something to say about the state of the world. I was looking forward to seeing the new film The Running Man as a result, because the trailers painted a picture of an action romp with a few more brain cells than the normal wanton violence on the big screen. And I’m pleased to say that, for the most part, it delivered.
First, the movie itself. The Running Man (TRM) is a remake of the 1987 classic Arnold Schwarzenegger film, which itself was based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Characters are dropped into a reality TV show called "The Running Man," where they must survive attempts by the Hunters to kill them. If they survive for 30 days, they win $1 billion in New Dollars, which are presumably better than the old dollars.
TRM smartly updates the first film’s formula, expanding it from a television set to the entire United States. With the power of modern surveillance technology, the country is in on the game, reporting the location of Runners to the Hunters who are tasked with eliminating them. TRM is also clear in that the product is a game, manipulated and controlled by the producers to serve their ends. TRM is full of nods and winks to the first film that don’t detract from the experience, so I enjoyed those aspects as well.
In terms of the actors, I am an unabashed Glen Powell fan. I loved him in Top Gun Maverick and Twisters (and we share a birthday!). I love him in this movie too. For the most part, as everyman Ben Richards, all Powell does is glower and grumble about getting back to his family between action scenes. But he looks and sounds great while glowering and grumbling. Powell is also an underrated comedic actor; there are many small moments of humor in the film that he nails.
The supporting cast is strong as well. Colman Domingo is a scene-stealer as usual in the role of Bobby T, host of the eponymous television show. (I am ready for Domingo to step into a leading role.) Josh Brolin is effectively despicable as Dan Killian, the creator and producer of the game show. My favorite role easily goes to Michael Cera’s turn as Elton Perrakis, a zany anti-network activist who seeks vengeance for his father’s murder. Cera switches between serious cynicism and giddy bloodlust effortlessly, and I would have loved to see more of him.
One of the film’s sour notes is how it treats its female cast members, who are almost universally relegated to crying in the corner. There’s a flash of independent thought from Sheila Richards, Ben’s wife, played by Jayme Lawson, but she disappears for the remainder of the movie. Katy O’Brian shines in the five minutes they allow her to talk as fellow runner Jenni Laughlin. Finally there’s Amelia Williams, played by Emilia Jones, who almost gets to make a point about the movie before she too is forced to sit in the corner and cry.
The other sour note is the glaring product placement in the film. Usually stuff like that doesn’t bother me; I get it, bills have to get paid. But due to the film’s anti-corporate, anti-wealth message, a particularly egregious scene featuring Monster energy drinks did harm my suspension of disbelief. It’s a small thing, but in a film that was doing well maintaining its themes, it sticks out.
What about the film as social commentary? It’s ham-fisted and obvious, but I appreciate that. Nuance and subtlety are good, when appropriate. But we’re living in a time when companies’ value is now being measured in trillions of dollars.
We need to be hit over the head again and again about the dangers of corporate control over all aspects of our lives. The impulse to value money over human beings. Squid Game was a nuanced, subtle look at the horrors people will subject themselves to in the name of money, and what did we get out of that? A real-life Squid Game. No, people aren’t dying (yet), but I’m hard-pressed to think of a more grotesque misunderstanding of the point of a story.
So yes, I’m glad that Glen Powell is yelling at the audience about the importance of family, and that the film tells us over and over that regular people can band together to make change. You know, as long as they have a Monster energy drink in their hand.
NEXT
Jamil heads to Manchester to get hypnotized, or at least watch other people get hypnotized.
