The Running Man

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ movieswetextedabout.com/the-running-man-movie-review-a-lot-of-running-for-an-underwhelming-finish-line/

"The Running Man falls short of the potential that Edgar Wright and the source material suggested, though it's an efficient vehicle for the talent and charisma of Glen Powell and presents themes that could and should be incisive.

Its narrative repetition, unnecessary exposure of its messages, and unsatisfactory ending prevent it from becoming a memorable dystopian thriller. It's competent and perfectly acceptable entertainment, but it lacks the impact and significance it promised.

We're left with the echo of an undeniable truth: even in the most rigged and predatory spectacle, the fire of hope and rebel...

With his young daughter in need of some basic medication that he and his wife cannot afford, Richards (Glen Powell) sets off to enrol in the most taxing of television game shows. If he can stay alive for thirty days, he will win a gazillion new dollars and be able to live, with his family, like a king. Of course, he learns fairly quickly that this will never be a fair fight as the shows boss Killian (Josh Brolin) makes quite clear. This is going to be brutal stuff, with the population actively encouraged to report his whereabouts for a cash bonus, so the goons or the hunters can come and waste him. Now he isnt exactly your average ye-ha ninja type. Hes more your decent, gym going, family man - so what chance he can adapt and survive in the ...

Pretty fun and entertaining remake/re-adaptation that features a fine performance from Glen Powell alongside solid action scenes. Josh Brolin's shear presence made home quite good even if it's a thinly written character and one who doesn't have a ton of screen time. Nothing groundbreaking but still worth checking out. 3.75/5

There's often a very good reason why they say a film is "adapted" from a literary work.

Such was the case with the 1988 film, "Running Man". Ably adapted from Stephen Kings literary work, it condensed a much longer tale, into a manageable and entertaining package.

Regrettably, what has been repeatedly touted as an advantage, that is the new film, following the literary work of King more closely, is anything but. This is an overly long, at times thoroughly boring film, that's lacking in both pace and direction. Worse still, its narrative is devoid of depth and wit, leaving characters who feel more like caricatures. Unsurprisingly too, its woke. Who didn't see that coming?

The net result is a film I personally found so tiresome a...