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No points for guessing: The Running Man is a blistering socio-political commentary. And a powerful one at that.
The story is set in a dystopian America, where society is segregated along class lines (Hardly revolutionary). Our protagonist, Ben Richards, hails from the most marginalised stratum of society (Again, familiar territory). In a desperate bid to secure essential medicines for his ailing daughter and lift his family out of their impoverished neighbourhood, he makes the choice to enter a reality television contest run by the monolithic corporate empire, the Network. The prize for winning: billions. In the competition, titled The Running Man, contenders must evade capture by the country’s police and citizens for thirty days; if they’re caught, they are killed. Richards, however, is unaware that he isn’t just running for a better life; he’s running to bring down an entire corrupt system.
Based on the novel The Running Man by Stephen King, the film is directed by Edgar Wright (Last Night in Soho, Baby Driver). It stars Glen Powell in the lead role.
From the outset, Powell’s character, Richards, is utterly captivating. Every action and line of dialogue, from his sheer fury at the systemic inequality and injustice, points to a system that thrives on exploiting the most vulnerable in society. I shall try not to get too technical, but it’s unavoidable – Powell’s introductory sequence instantly establishes him as an angry rebel, positioning him as one man against the world. There’s a shot of him walking along a busy pavement, intentionally moving against the flow of residents in the affluent section of the district. He crosses the road with a complete disregard for the rules, and an overhead shot shows cars screeching to a halt on either side as he strides through. In my favourite sequence of the film, Richards – like the other participants – is undergoing physical endurance tests before entering the reality TV world. In the final, theoretical stage of the test, he is asked to respond to a single word from the examiner, with a single word of his own (for instance, if she says “government,” he would say “injustice”). At the test’s conclusion, the examiner informs him that he is the most “angry” contestant to have ever appeared on their channel, to which he simply replies, “That pisses me off.”
The Running Man tackles themes of injustice, discrimination, propaganda, narrative control, and the ills of plutocracy, yet it never feels remotely preachy. Far from it. And Powell ensures this remains the case. He steers the film with the sheer magnetism one expects from a leading man. He is the film’s undeniable star, in every sense. The film is a sharp, edgy thriller, keeping the viewer utterly gripped by the suspense of whether Richards will escape or be captured, leading to a climax that leaves you genuinely wondering: what will he do if he is caught, and if not, will he manage to dismantle a system built on deceit?
The film’s social commentary is patent, almost glaringly obvious. The societal division depicted in the film clearly mirrors the class discrimination faced by people in the real world, most recently highlighted by the ongoing struggle for basic necessities such as clean air and water. The media conglomerate, the Network, which effectively runs the entire country in the film, is clearly symbolic of vast corporations that relentlessly lobby for policies in their own favour. The affluent populace, who are continually fed a narrative of patriotism and an ever-present threat to national security, mirrors our own society, which is busy consuming adulterated content and being shielded from the truth at every turn. The reality TV audience, who blindly believe the Network, represents us, a public that conveniently devours the narrative it is served and can be easily incited into enacting mob justice. Our hero, Richards, however, represents that vital voice in real life that we often choose to ignore. Thankfully, with this film, the audience simply won’t be able to ignore Powell, his compelling action, and his charm.
The Running Man is certainly not the first piece of media to hold a mirror up to our society. We have had George Orwell’s novel 1984, the sci-fi dystopian series Black Mirror, the feature film Blade Runner 2049, and many more besides. Even shows like The Simpsons and BoJack Horseman have highlighted the humanity crisis in numerous ways.
But this does not, in any way, diminish the value of The Running Man, which, despite its bleak and sharp commentary, remains an absolute edge-of-the-seat experience and thorough entertainment.
Distributed by Paramount Pictures, The Running Man is now showing in cinemas worldwide.