Review: The Running Man (2025)

Reviewed by Joy Parris-The Running Man (2025) is a film that grabs you from the opening frame. It refuses to let go. Director Edgar Wright delivers a slick, hyper-kinetic reimagining. This is closer in spirit to Stephen King’s original novel. It still leans into the social satire. The movie is full of propulsive action. Sharp character work makes this version feel bold and new. It’s loud, stylish, biting, and—most importantly—current in a way that feels impossible to ignore.

Glen Powell is at the center of it all. He plays Ben Richards with a gritty, emotionally grounded intensity. We haven’t quite seen this from him before. In this adaptation, Richards doesn’t enter the competition as a daredevil or thrill-seeker—he’s a man pushed to the edge. His young daughter desperately needs life-saving medical care he can’t afford. In a society where everything is commodified and the government hides behind entertainment to distract the public, survival becomes transactional. Ben has only one choice to get the money and protect his family. He must sign up for The Running Man. It is the world’s most ruthless, deadly reality show. That emotional drive provides Powell with an anchor. He plays it with a rawness. This makes every chase sequence feel personal. Every narrow escape and moral compromise feels personal.

This version also sticks closer to the novel by separating the original TV show figurehead into two distinct characters. Josh Brolin is a perfect fit as Dan Killian, the show’s manipulative producer whose calm demeanor masks a predator’s instincts. Brolin brings a quiet, calculated menace. He’s not shouting or twirling a mustache. He’s weaponizing charm, corporate-speak, and a smile that never reaches his eyes. Colman Domingo, meanwhile, is magnetic as Bobby Thompson. He plays a charismatic, over-the-top show host. Bobby knows how to work a crowd. He knows how to sell a spectacle. Domingo’s performance is electric. He plays Bobby like a performer who believes he’s untouchable. Bobby is the man who can turn violence into prime-time entertainment with a wink. Together, Domingo and Brolin create a chilling portrait of entertainment executives who blend performance, power, and moral decay.

Visually, the film is pure Edgar Wright. There are sharp edits and bold color palettes. Rhythmic camera movement adds a sense of playful danger beneath the brutality. But this time, Wright leans into a darker, more dystopian aesthetic. The neon-soaked cityscapes feel both futuristic and uncomfortably recognizable. The action sequences move with the precision of a music video. They have the stakes of a war documentary. Wright’s signature humor is visible but dialed back. A biting commentary about surveillance culture replaces it. The film examines celebrity obsession and the ways entertainment numbs people to injustice.

One of the film’s most compelling additions is how AI influences the story and the characters. Here, the network controlling The Running Man uses real-time predictive AI. It manipulates the game and tracks contestants. The AI even shapes public opinion mid-broadcast. Ben Richards quickly realizes he’s not just running from human “hunters.” He’s also running from an algorithm designed to predict his next move. It knows what he will do before he even makes it. That idea gives the film an eerie edge, turning AI into an invisible villain that knows its prey intimately. For Powell’s character, AI’s presence forces him to outthink the hunters and the entire system. This situation pushes him into a psychological battle. It adds emotional depth to the action.

Wright uses AI not just as a plot device. It’s part of his larger vision: a world where technology has become the ultimate form of control. It shapes narratives, bends truth, and rewrites public sentiment on the fly. It’s satire, but the kind that hits close to home—so close you feel the sting long after the credits roll.

The Running Man (2025) is bold, fast, and sharp. It features standout performances. The directing style turns chaos into art. It’s a thrilling ride, but also a mirror held up to a society obsessed with spectacle. And in that mirror, we see a world that looks uncomfortably familiar.

If this is the future of action films—smart, stylish, and socially aware—sign me up for more.

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