Not every classic movie has to be a great movie. For me, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 film The Running Man holds a special place in my heart. Its R-rating here in Canada meant that I couldn’t actually go to the theatre to see it, so my dad took a friend and me across the border to Buffalo so we could catch it. I remember that excursion fondly, just like how I remember the film. Is it the best movie Arnold ever made? No. Is it the best adaptation of a Stephen King novel? Not remotely. But as a piece of fun action cinema, with some memorable characters and lines, that version of The Running Man holds up.
The new Edgar Wright-directed version of The Running Man is so different from the 1987 film that it’s almost unfair to compare the two. This 2025 version of King’s sci-fi dystopian story, originally written under his pen name Richard Bachman, is far closer to the original novel. That 1987 film takes place in game areas with over-the-top Hunters trying to kill Schwarzenegger’s Ben Richards. In the 2025 film, desperate for money for his family, Richards (Glen Powell) willingly participates in a Network-sanctioned game show that finds him on the run across the country. Should he survive 30 days, being chased by Hunters and citizens alike, he will earn more money than he can dream of.
Director Wright and his Scott Pilgrim vs the World co-writer Michael Bacall have made a far more realistic version of The Running Man than its predecessor, and it’s arguably just as fun. It’s certainly more thoughtful. Maybe it’s the world we live in now, but this version feels frighteningly of the moment. Though there are some funny moments here and there, this is a far more thrilling feature than the original film, and its set pieces are less colourful and more gritty. Powell’s Ben Richards is all seething rage that doesn’t just bubble up to the surface, but that overtakes him, almost to the point of no return at times. Richards is a good man, regardless of what the Network tells the audience, and watching Powell navigate the character’s temper makes for engaging viewing.
Whereas the 1987 film had the inimitable Richard Dawson as The Running Man‘s host and producer, Damon Killian, that role on film is now split between Colman Domingo’s show host, Bobby T, and Josh Brolin’s sadistic producer, Dan Killian, as originally written in the book. Domingo does absolutely fine work in his role, though he’s less dynamic than Dawson. Brolin, though, is fantastic as the de facto villain of the film. The Running Man also gives us a Scott Pilgrim reunion between Wright and Michael Cera, who plays Elton Parrakis, a rebel and one of the few citizens willing to help Richards elude the Hunters. It’s clear that Cera is having a lot of fun on screen.
If I have one complaint about Wright’s The Running Man is that it doesn’t follow the ending of King’s original work, which is the main thing I remember from reading it more than 35 years ago. I won’t spoil it for you, mind you, other than to say that, considering how largely true the film stays to the novel, changing the ending feels more like a studio note than an honest decision.
Regardless, The Running Man is a fast-paced and well-acted film, and following the fantastic The Long Walk from a few months ago, yet another excellent Stephen King adaptation in 2025. Run, don’t walk, to see it on the big screen.
