“The Running Man” An Action-Packed, Tense Re-Telling of the Stephen King Novel
- Matt Palmer
- Nov 21, 2025
- 4 min read
For last week’s edition, I took a look at the 1987 movie “The Running Man,” which was loosely based on the Stephen King novel. While the movie did alright in theaters, it ultimately became a cult classic. A new adaptation of the novel (which is said to be closer to the original novel) is now on the big screen!
In the new adaptation of “The Running Man,” in the near future, “The Running Man” is the top-rated show on TV, a deadly competition where contestants must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins. Desperate for money to save his sick daughter, Ben Richards is convinced by the show’s ruthless producer to enter the game as a last resort.
Ratings soon skyrocket as Ben’s defiance, instincts and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite, as well as a threat to the entire system.
The new adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Running Man” delivers a lot of fun, engaging action sequences and a touch of humor (mainly from actor Michael Cera, who has collaborated with director Edgar Wright before). A lot of the action will definitely hold your attention, yet there are a few moments where the movie can drag a little bit.
The action sequences that we see throughout the movie are actually really creative and a bit on the intense side. Quite a few of these scenes really stand out, including a tense car chase scene shot from the inside of the trunk where Ben Richards is hiding. Seeing all of that action in the character’s POV really helps build the intensity of that particular moment and gives the audience a chance to be part of the chaos in that moment.
There are many other action sequences that also stand out, such as a huge brawl at a cheap hotel, a huge tense action scene set in a plane and a bridge jump where Richards makes a daring jump from a bridge as two cars speed toward each other.
Another sequence I really enjoyed is the scene featuring Michael Cera’s character Elton,
who’s helping Ben Richards. As the Hunter’s attack Elton’s house, we see that the house is rigged with a trap set that is almost like a more chaotic version of the “Home Alone” traps in a way. There’s also a moment that during one of these traps, we see that the floor is somehow hooked up with electricity and Elton uses a super soaker to spray water onto the floor, giving the Hunter’s a very big shock. Just seeing Cera’s performance in that moment is actually kind of hilarious,
Just like the 1987 iteration, this version also has a social commentary angle, including themes of corporate control, economic depression, and surveillance. This can likely resonate to some viewers as it feels relevant to modern issues. In this movie, we also see how the show’s producer (another great performance from Josh Brolin) uses AI to manipulate videos from Ben Richards to show the audience a side of him that doesn’t actually exist.
Even though I thought this movie’s conclusion is a decent way to wrap the story up, the ending has been slightly controversial for some fans of both the novel and the previous movie since it’s incredibly different.
Overall, “The Running Man” is a solid, entertaining action movie with some very great casting and a few intense sequences. While some fans of the book and 1987 movie adaptation may have mixed feelings about this remake, make sure to give it a chance!
Cast: Glen Powell (Ben Richards); Josh Brolin (Dan Killian); Colman Domingo (Bobby “Bobby T” Thompson); Lee Pace (Evan McCone); Michael Cera (Elton Parrakis); Emilia Jones (Amelia Williams); William H. Macy (Molie Jernigan); Daniel Ezra (Bradley Throckmorton); Jayme Lawson (Sheila Richards); Katy O’Brian (Jenni Laughlin).
Writer/director: Michael Bacall (writer) (22 Jump Street; 21 Jump Street; Project X); Edgar Wright (co-writer;director) (Last Night in Soho; Baby Driver; The Sparks Brothers)
Trivia: Edgar Wright told Stephen King to watch the Netflix movie “Hit Men” to convince him that Glen Powell was the right choice to play this iteration of Ben Richards. Before Powell was cast, Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth had met with Wright or were considered for the lead role.
MPA: Rated R for strong violence, some gore, and language (runtime 133 minutes)
Make sure to keep on checking my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook for more updates of what I have coming up on the review front! And here is a rundown of what I have planned for the 12/3 edition of the Examiner: “Wicked: For Good”; “Zootopia” (a revisit of the animated hit to get ready for the sequel); “A Goofy Movie” (30th anniversary; final Family Movie Night review); and a couple holiday reviews to get my “Reel Jolly” review series going for the holidays!
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the star of the original The Running Man (1987), appears on the currency used in the film.
The giant 'N' logo above the Network building is colored red and resembles the Netflix logo (everywhere else in the movie the logo is colored white). This is a subtle dig at Netflix, who director Edgar Wright says ran trailers for his film The World's End (2013) that carelessly gave away the ending.
Edgar Wright told Stephen King to watch Hit Man (2023) to convince him that Glen Powell was the right choice to play Ben Richards.
The book the movie is based upon was published in 1982 but takes place in 2025, the year this movie is being released. The original movie was released in 1987 and takes place in 2017.
Prior to developing this adaptation, Edgar Wright said on Twitter that The Running Man (1987) was the film that he most wanted to remake.
One of two films released theatrically in November 2025 (the other being Predator Badlands) in which the first film in the franchise starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.
As the contestants are led away after being introduced on camera, the host, Bobby T. (Colman Domingo) can briefly be seen doing the dance move also called "the running man."
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