Yes, it's finally time to give you the rundown on The Running Man! You might remember it as Arnold Schwarzenegger's other big film of 1987, but do you also remember that it's based on a Stephen King novel? As I previously mentioned, he wrote the book under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, which the first film credited him as. This time, he has his own name on the credits, while co-screenwriter Michael Bacall is credited twice (long story). Let's see what Bacall and his collaborator - director Edgar Wright - do with the material this time.
The original novel is set this year, so we can assume this film is set even further. In its crummy future, average citizens live in poverty, an evil Network runs the country and lethal game shows dominate the air. The Network's signature show is The Running Man, where contestants try to survive a month while being pursued by Network "Hunters." Viewers can also cash in if they turn in the "Runners" - or kill them. The Grand Prize for the Runners is a $1 billion.
Our hero is Ben Richards (Glen Powell), who has been blacklisted from most viable professions due to "insubordination" (translation: sticking his neck out for his fellow man). His daughter, Cathy, is chronically sick, while his wife, Sheila (Jayme Lawson), is overworked at a shady joint. So, he tries out for the Network and gets picked for The Running Man. Once he goes on the run, he and his fellow Runners are depicted as hardened heels. But eventually, he soon becomes the face of a growing anti-Network movement. He just wants to survive, but soon figures he might give the public what they want...
We barely get any exposition, but the existence of "New Dollars" has us wondering what happened. I mean, is inflation even worse? It doesn't take long before Ben gets going, but we can easily sympathize with his family's situation. We even open with him as he brings Cathy along as he pleads for a job back. It's not to guilt his heartless supervisor, but to remind him to check his temper. That's enough to get us on his side during his run. Midway through, the plot stops by at freedom fighter Elton Parrakis's (Michael Cera) place. His backstory is equally funny and not, but any sympathy for him goes out the window when he grabs the Idiot Ball just to have a go at the Network. As confusing as that moment is, at least this film's revised ending leaves us on a far-less sour note than The Long Walk's.
What else can I say about Ben? Well, for one thing, Powell has fun whenever Ben takes up a disguise. He outwits the Hunters as a priest, while he has moustache trouble as a businessman! For another, Ben gets involved in one exciting battle after another during his run. We get a buggy filled with dynamite, a round of Metal Gear in a hostel, and a battle aboard a plane! One of the Network's other shows, Speed the Wheel, which is essentially death by hamster wheel, even foreshadows the plane battle during a question! His traveling companion, Amelia Williams (Emilia Jones), gets some good chemistry with him, even if she shows up well after an hour into the film!
Yes, Ben is a good hero, but he has even better adversaries. Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), the show's producer, is so casual in his loathsomeness, particularly when he breaks some devastating news to Ben near the end. He never even loses his cool until everything finally falls apart. His lead Hunter, McCone (Lee Pace), is a perfectly vicious heavy who lives up to his hype. Still, one can somewhat sympathize with his own backstory. Finally, we have Bobby T (Colman Domingo), the show's host, who gleefully dehumanizes the Runners on-air. But he's so fun to watch doing so, and it helps that he, unlike Killian, has standards. I'll just say that Domingo ought to have more roles where he gets to go all in.
Who else do we have? We have Ben's fellow runners, Jenni Laughlin (Katy O'Brian) and Tim Jansky (Martin Herlihy), who get along rather well with Ben during their short time together. When we next see them outside the studio, they're dead. Tim gets undone because he's an idiot, while Jenni's overconfidence deals her a bad hand (at least she goes down fighting). On the technical side, we get some excellent production designs for this futuristic world. A few highlights include the Network HQ, the main setting of Co-Op City, and even a dilapidated Derry (with no Pennywise!). There's also a pretty good score by Steven Price, but I'll especially remember the opening credit track. Is it just me, or do the opening bars sound like Frère Jacques on a kazoo? I think that's it.
The Running Man may not be as outlandish as its cinematic predecessor or Wright’s usual filmography, but it's still an entertaining action thriller. Some moments could have been written better, like the quick ending, but I’ll give credit to the parts that worked. Once this and The Long Walk both come to home media, I'd imagine they'd make for a rather interesting double feature. You can check this out at your own pace; I've got some more films to run off to.
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