The Running Man (2025) Review: Big Ideas, Blunt Edges, and a Solid 7
The Running Man hits theaters November 14, and you can feel the tug-of-war inside it from the first few minutes. It wants to honor Stephen King (movies and tv series)'s bleak book and tip its hat to the campy 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger (movies and tv series) movie. That's a tough split. The film lands somewhere in the middle.
Edgar Wright (movies and tv series)'s take leans more into King than Arnold, but it still wants to throw a party. The result is a story that's serious, then snarky, then serious again. You get the point-and you'll likely enjoy a lot of it-but the tone keeps shifting under your feet.
Let's talk performances. Glen Powell (movies and tv series) steps into full-on action lead mode as Ben Richards (movies and tv series) and, yeah, he's got it. He anchors the story with a stubborn streak and just enough vulnerability to make you root for him. Do I miss the cockier Powell from Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters? A bit. But he sells this angry-everyman version well.
Wright's fingerprints are there, even if they're smudged. The title sequence clicks-clean visual storytelling that tells you how this world works without screaming it at you. A drone shot that swings through tight corridors, "broadcast motivated" and purposeful, is pure Wright. The catch: those moments come in bursts. The rest feels more standard than you'd expect from him.
The spark plug here is Colman Domingo (movies and tv series) as Bobby Thompson (movies and tv series), the showman pulling the strings. He's magnetic-sequins, swagger, and a smile sharp enough to cut a cable tie. He sells the cynicism and the survival instinct in a single beat. Every time he's on screen, the movie wakes up.
Small touches help too. "Auntie Sam" pin-ups. New Dollar faces. Little gags that hint at a culture sliding into its worst habits. They're smart, quick, and they keep the world from going flat.
But the big problem is tone. It's not wild enough to really work as satire. The near-future is too close to now-sky-high inequality, shaky healthcare, deepfakes-so it plays less like a funhouse mirror and more like a dimly lit photo. And when the movie goes heavy, it stays heavy. There's a brief pop of humor from Michael Cera (movies and tv series), but it's gone before it can breathe.
Josh Brolin (movies and tv series)'s Dan Killian is another piece that doesn't land clean. He's an easy-to-hate exec with a neon-white smile, but his arc doesn't build to much. When the big unravel finally hits, it feels rushed. With more texture-more bite or more brains-his ending might've hit harder.
Action-wise, there are highlights. The bridge sequence seen in the trailers, the cleanly staged hunt-and-chase beats-those work. But none of it lingers like, say, the car sequences in Wright's Baby Driver. You walk out thinking, "Good ride," not "I need to rewatch that set piece tonight."
Here's what this could mean for audiences: the movie wants sharp teeth. The story deserves them. The themes-truth bent by media, spectacle as an anesthesia, money deciding who lives-are still painfully current. But the bite is inconsistent. You'll feel it. Then you won't.
What works
- Glen Powell proves he can carry an action movie with grit and some heart.
- Colman Domingo steals scenes as a glittering, ruthless ringmaster.
- Wright's visual flourishes-when they show up-click beautifully.
- Smart worldbuilding details keep the setting alive.
What doesn't
- Tonal whiplash: not bold enough as satire, not restrained enough as drama.
- Brolin's villain arc doesn't quite earn its ending.
- Action is competent, but not distinctive in a crowded field.
If you're tracking the lineage here, the film nods to both sources without fully becoming either. For context on the origins, Stephen King's original novel (written as Richard Bachman) is worth a look, and the 1987 adaptation offers the pulpy counterpoint that still echoes through this version. King's page and the 1987 film overview help map the differences.
Verdict
Score: 7
The Running Man is a well-built movie with flashes of the filmmaker you came to see and performances that stick, especially from Glen Powell and Colman Domingo. It lives up to its heritage enough to satisfy, but it keeps getting pulled between bleak sci-fi and popcorn showmanship. Good film. Worth a second watch. I just wish it ran a little harder.
