Stephen King’s committed and spectacular, yet bland, new adaptation

The charisma of Hollywood’s new heartthrob, Glen Powell, isn’t enough to make the 2025 version of this action film an unforgettable experience.

American actor Glen Powell plays Ben Richards in the new adaptation of Stephen King’s eponymous book, man running, by Edgar Wright to hit theaters on Wednesday November 19th. The essence is unchanged compared to the 1987 version, in which Arnold Schwarzenegger takes on the role of a man hunted by a political media system that wants him dead after using him to provide spectacle and attract audiences. His crime: refusing, as a police officer, to kill unarmed demonstrators during hunger riots.

2025 version of Running Man East is much more faithful because it takes the plot of King’s novel which he published in 1982 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Ben Richards is an angry man in an authoritarian, unequal, and unjust society like that of the United States: he cannot afford the services of a doctor when his daughter is seriously ill. The young man who had a reputation for being angry because of the values ​​he defended, decided to become one of the “Running Man” candidates. This television program, sadistic but very popular, offers him the opportunity to look after his child and earn a large amount of ND (new dollars) whose tickets have a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger, a nice nod to the previous version.

The game presents its candidates as people rejected by society, therefore “worthy” of being hunted in order to better gain public support during their hunt. In addition to these observations, Richards also quickly understands, thanks to an unlikely ally, that the game is rigged. His quest for justice finds in his journey across the country a larger playing field than in the 1987 adaptation, a political dimension that will make him even more popular with viewers. Those who wanted him dead are now ready to protect him from the “Running Man” hellish machine: Ben Richards has become the face of the resistance.

In Wright, the solitary hero dimension is much stronger than in Running Man by Paul Michael Glaser. Just like the criticism of entertainment society, amplified by social networks, it is both anesthetizing, but also the only salvation for those who are most precarious.

Running Man is a mix of social pamphlet and spy film in which the hero goes undercover to escape his pursuers and get out of the most difficult situations with panache. We can’t help but draw parallels, when we see Glen Powell running, with Mission Impossible where Tom Cruise became the king of running. Also alongside the star actor and producer, who recently won an honorary Oscar, Powell made his mark by starring as one of the film’s young pilots. Top Weapon: Maverick.

In short, Edgar Wright has made a film that is a long series of action scenes, spectacular chases and mind-blowing stunts. As time goes by, time becomes long, because the situation is completely predictable. The provocative humor of his character or Glen Powell’s plasticity which we can admire in a sequence where the heroine is actually a towel, fail to make this Running Man charming even though he is played with determination. Maybe a little excessive.

The villains played by James Brolin, Machiavellian channel boss Dan Killian, and Colman Domingo, who plays unscrupulous host Bobby Thompson, turn out to be much more ferocious. Significant supporting roles that aren’t enough to make up for a storyline that generally leaves you indifferent. We may be a good audience, but the 2025 version Running Man hard to convince.

Gender : Science fiction, prohibited for children under 12 years old
Filmmaker : Edgar Wright
With : Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Emilia Jones, Michael Cera, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin
Country : UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
How long : 2 hours 14
GO OUT : November 19, 2025
Distributors: Most Important Image

Summary: In the near future, “Running Man” will become the number one show on television: a cruel game of survival in which contestants, called Runnermust escape from professional killers for 30 days, under the watchful eye of a fascinated public. Ben Richards, a desperate worker ready to do anything to save his terminally ill daughter, accepts the unthinkable: participating in this deadly show, encouraged by Dan Killian, its charismatic yet ruthless producer. But no one predicted that Ben, through his rage against life, his instincts, and his determination, would become a true hero to the people… And a threat to the entire system.