THE RUNNING MAN
**
Directed by Edgar Wright.
Starring Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace.
Science-Fiction, US, 133 Minutes, Certificate 15.
Released in cinemas in the UK by Paramount Pictures on 12th November
Until now, when you bring up THE RUNNING MAN your immediate thoughts are of either Arnold Schwarzenegger in an orange jumpsuit fleeing outrageously costumed villains or Stephen King’s very different, and much grimmer, source novel written under his Richard Bachman pseudonym in under a week at the height of his addictions. One could not be more different than the other, yet they have managed to co-exist alongside together, the differences between them so great that they manage to appeal to their respective audiences of colourful 80’s action cinema and dark, downbeat dystopian literature. Now, along comes Edgar Wright with an adaptation that promises to hew closer to the novel laced with his own slick action stylings.
The premise is the same as ever: a down at heel man forced into taking place in a life or death game show that pits him against a group of skilled killers, all for a baying audience thirsting for blood. Hollywood’s current golden boy Glenn Powell takes on the role of Ben Richards, an honourable man down on his luck in this particular United States where the poverty line has smeared itself across the whole nation. In time honoured fashion the masses are kept complacent with watching desperate contestants scramble for “New Dollars” in all manner of cruel game shows, the most popular being The Running Man, wherein contenders attempt to flee from a pack of skilled killers, and a treacherous public, for a month. Worrying for his sick child, the unemployed Richards signs up, only to realise that the deck is stacked against him in nearly every way by a network hellbent on driving viewership numbers up and the public complacent.
There has always been a light-hearted aspect to Wright’s work so the prospect of him tackling one of King’s most nihilistic and angriest books is an intriguing one. Sadly his sensibilities do not seem to properly gel here. The story is already primed for action-blockbuster stylings, with an in-built satirical edge that could propel it even further, particularly in this day and age. What we are treated to here however is something that despite its protagonist's desperate chase for freedom, never really gets anywhere interesting or exciting. The action aspects are delivered in a perfunctory way and the comedic elements fizzle out even faster, the inclusion of a Kardashian’s style reality show that Richard’s momentarily catches glimpses of is unfunny in the extreme while Powell struggles to raise any laughs or fully convince as a fury-driven man raging against the injustice of his situation.
Also puzzling and disheartening is a complete lack of style throughout. It could be argued that the 1987 version directed by Paul Michael Glaser, aka Starsky, was styleless and televisual, something that Schwarzenegger has commented on himself. At the least there was a theatricality around it, especially in its game show stylings that went on to influence American, then UK, game shows throughout the 90’s, for better or worse. There are no Paula Abdul choreographed dance numbers on show here, just Colman Domingo, an otherwise fine actor, struggling to liven things up as the show's host Bobby Thompson on an empty dark stage. Josh Brolin also struggles to bring any energy or real fun as the shows producer Killian, a role that real life game show host Richard Dawson made so memorable with his own gleeful two-faced portrayal.
The rest of the cast are wasted in thinly sketched out characters: Katy O’Brian as a fellow contestant barely gets a look in, while other dependable actors such as William H. Macy and Michael Cera pop up to do little more than guide Powell along to the next scene via exposition. At the least, Cera tries his hardest to enliven proceedings with his off-kilter performance, which seems to belong in a funnier and perhaps more interesting film.
The film suffers, especially coming so soon after the successful adaptation of King/Bachman’s THE LONG WALK, a film that pulled no punches in regards to tone or story, something that this film fails to do on both counts. There is a streak of anti-authoritarianism that raises its head, taking aim at a deepfake driven, post-truth media landscape but this is soon brushed aside to deliver a final act that tries to convince you that all of what has come before can be solved with half-baked action and laughs. This is sadly little more than a missed opportunity that strives to channel Stephen King’s angrier side but still falls short of its daft, and much more fun, 80’s counterpart.
Iain MacLeod