Name: The Running Man
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Comedy, Thriller
Released: 2025-11-14
Rating: 6.0
Cast: Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Lee Pace, Jayme Lawson

Millions Hunt. One Runs. Everyone Watches.  In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television a deadly competition where contestants known as Runners must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins,  with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward.  As ratings skyrocket,  so does the danger and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters but a nation addicted to watching him fall.

The Running Man

Times of India

Desperate times call for desperate measures – and that’s precisely what drives Ben Richards (Glen Powell) to risk it all. Recently unemployed and consumed by his temper, Ben’s home life is in free fall. His wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) toils endlessly at demeaning jobs to fund treatment for their ailing child. When a flick through TV channels lands him on The Running Man, a brutal reality show where contestants are literally hunted for entertainment and survival, Ben sees a twisted way out of his misery. His rage and recklessness make him a perfect fit for the show’s ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), who sees both ratings and redemption in his newest recruit. What follows is a nerve-wracking game of cat and mouse that tests not just Ben’s endurance, but his humanity.
Set in a dystopian world that eerily mirrors the spectacle-driven culture of ‘90s game shows, The Running Man feels both nostalgic and disturbingly current. Director and co-writer Edgar Wright, along with Michael Bacall, injects the 1982 Stephen King story with modern-day anxieties like AI manipulation, mass surveillance, and our addiction to manufactured drama. Yet despite these contemporary touches, the film’s core remains a familiar commentary on voyeurism and power. When the premise demands some suspension of disbelief – how a show broadcasting civilian murders escapes accountability, it’s the satirical intent that keeps it within reason.
Glen Powell delivers a solid turn as a desperate man cornered by circumstance, though his anger-fueled performance soon becomes predictable. His emotional beats play out too neatly, leaving little room for surprise. Josh Brolin, on the other hand, revels in his role as the conniving showrunner Killian, though his character’s over-the-top villainy borders on caricature. Still, the film succeeds in keeping viewers invested in the dangerous spectacle unfolding onscreen – a guilty pleasure that thrives on tension and moral ambiguity.
Chung-hoon Chung’s kinetic cinematography and Steven Price’s pulsating score complement the relentless chase, ensuring the pace rarely dips. The Running Man doesn’t reinvent its genre or outsmart its audience, but it delivers a slick, fast-paced survival thriller that’s both entertaining and thought-provoking.
In the end, it stands as a watchable, darkly satirical remake. One that reminds us of the terrifyingly blurred line between reality and entertainment in the age of constant spectacle.

The Running Man | Official Trailer (2025 Movie) - Edgar Wright, Glen Powell

The Running Man | Final Trailer (2025 Movie) - Edgar Wright, Glen Powell

Glen Thomas Powell Jr. is an American actor. He began his career with guest roles on television and small roles in films such as The Dark Knight Rises and The Expendables 3 before making his breakthrough performance as Chad Radwell in the Fox comedy-horror series Scream Queens.

Glen Powell

Josh Brolin is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Llewelyn Moss in No Country for Old Men. He also plays the villain Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Brolin started his acting career on TV, starring in short films and making guest appearances on popular shows. His made his film debut with the Richard Donner-directed The Goonies in 1985. In 2009, Brolin turned producer for the documentary The People Streak which was based on historian Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. Brolin also writes and directs short films and has always been very selective about the roles he plays.

Josh Brolin

Colman Jason Domingo is an American actor, writer and director. He is best known for his role as Ali on Euphoria and Victor Strand in AMC's Fear the Walking Dead.

Colman Domingo

Lee Grinner Pace is an American actor. He is known for starring as Thranduil the Elvenking in The Hobbit trilogy and as Joe MacMillan in the AMC period drama television series Halt and Catch Fire.

Lee Pace

Jayme Lawson

Michael Cera is a Canadian actor and comedian who made his acting debut as the young Chuck Barris in the biographical-spy comedy Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. He has played leading roles in several comedy films like Superbad, Juno and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Cera is also a musician who has established himself as the touring bass player for a band known as Mister Heavenly.

Michael Cera

In a dystopian future, Ben Richards enters a deadly reality TV show where he must outsmart and outrun ruthless killers to survive and win a cash prize.

The Running Man(2025)