Director:Edgar Wright
Starring: Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin
Rating: ★★★★
Filmmaker Edgar Wright takes another stab at dystopian spectacle with his remake running manReimagining the world that was first imagined by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) and later turned into that wild camp in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle. This time, Glen Powell steps into the crosshairs armed with Edgar’s pop-slick energy and a story whose 2025 setting suddenly doesn’t seem like fantasy anymore.
At its core, running man Still follows Ben Richards, an everyday American who is pushed to the brink by a corporate-run state. Unable to find work after talking about unsafe conditions and struggling to afford medication for his young daughter, he decides to participate in “The Greatest Show on Earth”, a televised blood sport that turns human existence into prime-time entertainment. It’s simple: Survive for 30 days while a team of state-sanctioned killers hunt you down. Win a billion dollars. Lose, and you become another body on the broadcast.
Edgar has kept the structure intact – the rigged system, the fake publicity, the cunning studio host (played with oily charm by Colman Domingo) and the cold-eyed puppet master (Josh Brolin). The chase spans a nation-sized area, woven together by rebels, punk manifestos, and retro-technology that gives the film a funky, vintage flavor.
Good
Ed’s propulsion is impeccable. There’s that trademark sugar-rush rhythm in action – sharp cuts, needle-drops, breathless pace. Their retrofuturist touches (grainy TVs, VHS tapes, analog glitches) feel both nostalgic and edgy, a reminder of how easily manipulated images can become a weapon. Glen Powell throws himself into the physicality of it all, channeling Tom Cruise-like intensity as Ben is overtaken by hunters, publicity, and his own past. And every time the film leans into its satire — the frenzied studio audience, the awkward contestant bios, the resistance popping up like pirate broadcasters — the world feels horribly alive.
bad
For all its style, the film rarely packs the punch you expect from Stephen King’s most mysterious retrospective premise. Edgar’s irreverence occasionally jolts up against the story’s bleakness — inequality, health care collapse, state surveillance — leading to scenes that feel tonally divisive. The middle section of the episode meanders, side characters barely register, and Glenn’s sincerity can’t always compensate for a character that’s written more as an outline than a fully realized everyman. Worst of all, the film ignores its most troubling question – if everything can be AI-manipulated, what’s the point of the “real” chase? – and its finale feels bland, even evasive.
Decision
It’s fast, powerful and built with impeccable craftsmanship. But beneath the adrenaline lurks a film that never fully confronts the nightmare it’s depicting. Wright is a work in progress, but not at full speed – delivering a dystopian ride that consistently entertains, yet still falls short of being the razor-sharp satire it wants to be.