Edgar Wright's Dystopian Thriller Hits Cinemas
For nearly fifty years, Stephen King's extraordinary literary works have found brilliant second lives on the silver screen. From the terrifying Carrie in 1976 to classics like The Shining, Stand By Me, Misery, and The Shawshank Redemption, these adaptations have become cultural touchstones. The latest entry into this prestigious canon is Edgar Wright's The Running Man, a dystopian thriller that confidently earns its place among such illustrious company.
From Page to Screen: A Fresh Take
Originally penned by King under his Richard Bachman pseudonym in 1982, the novel was set in what then seemed a distant future: the year 2025. King envisioned a grim America dominated by a police state, a collapsed economy, and a populace addicted to reality television. While a film version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was released in 1987, Wright's interpretation is not a direct remake, though it does offer a clever nod to the original with Arnie's face appearing on banknotes.
This new version proves superior, hewing more closely to King's source material while showcasing Wright's signature directorial flair. The film adds a major blockbuster to the director's impressively diverse portfolio, which includes the psychological horror of Last Night In Soho (2021), the high-octane romance of Baby Driver (2017), and the beloved 'Cornetto' trilogy of British comedies.
A Desperate Man in a Deadly Game
Glen Powell delivers a charismatic performance as Ben Richards, a construction worker whose life is falling apart. Fired repeatedly for insubordination and union activities, his frustration mounts as he struggles to provide for his wife, a nightclub hostess, and their ailing daughter. In a moment of sheer desperation, he applies to be a contestant on The Running Man, a brutal game show where 'Runners' can win a billion-dollar prize.
The catch is lethally simple: contestants must evade capture for 30 days, not only from a squad of professional assassins but also from the entire American public, who are incentivised with rewards for helping to eliminate them. What follows is a tense saga of trust and betrayal, with Ben constantly unsure of who he can rely on.
His every move is broadcast nightly on television, with Josh Brolin as the show's ruthlessly manipulative producer and Colman Domingo as its slick host, drawing comparisons to Stanley Tucci's Caesar Flickerman from The Hunger Games. While the film shares thematic ground with The Hunger Games and other recent King adaptations like The Long Walk, acknowledging it may not be the most original concept, it more than compensates with sheer excitement and energy.
Powell's performance is grounded by some real-world training from his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise, who advised him on perfecting his running technique for the screen. The result is a compelling lead who truly lives up to the film's title. The Running Man is in cinemas now.
