Welcome to “The Running Man”, one of Edgar Wright’s best films yet. Easily one of the top Stephen King adaptations to date, and possibly one of the most exhilarating movies of the year.
Coleman Domingo, who plays Booker, the show’s host. Steal the show in every scene he’s in, so charismatic and energetic he makes a cameo role stand out like I’ve never seen.
It’s an Edgar Wright film, so of course there is going to be a killer soundtrack, one that sets the tone and plays as the countdown to what is about to be a spellbinding journey into the deadly game known as “The Running Man” .
The film plays as both a popcorn blockbuster and a social commentary simultaneously. Which is something a lot of films don’t try to pull off, because it’s hard to do and doesn’t usually work.
Films like “Don’t Look Up” and “After the Hunt” both try to make entertaining films while being a beacon of social commentary. Yet neither captures the popcorn feel or the essential meaning of what a social commentary film looks like.
This is not to say that the film is one of politics or of a political agenda, that tries to push its political views down your throat. Although, I think most will be oblivious to the subtext because we are too close to the references and reflections in which the movie points out. Similar to “Fight Club” in 15-20 years, I believe people are going to be analyzing the film’s subtext and undertone, and the reflection it had to society at the time.
Yet “The Running Man” works wonders as simply being an action blockbuster, where we get to root for our protagonist to take down the bad guys, serve justice, and be the hero that is needed.
Which in that aspect the film works fantastically. The dialogue is witty, punchy, energetic, and entertaining. With a comedic undertone played throughout the movie, breaking up the more dramatic and serious aspects of the film. Ones in which, given a different director, could come off tone-deaf and off kilter.
The action pulls no punches, and we get to see explosions, shootouts, and intense car chases. There are also the more sporting kill scenes, where we get to see a revolutionary Michael Cera. Who somehow, who somehow still has this hipster vibe to him, even in a dystopian future. Playing a rebel, who takes a little too much pleasure in killing the goons. Yet we root for him anyway.
He brought such a unique and delightful experience to the character. Whose background, whose background and brief origin story were traumatic, heartbreaking, and the perfect origin for a rebel fighter.
For a film clocking a little over two hours, it’s the leanest, most entertaining, quickest two hours plus of your life. At no point does the film drag or even slow down for the turns.
“The Running Man” is some of the most fun I’ve had at the movies all year. This is without question a film that I would go pay to see again in theaters. It’s everything a good blockbuster should be and more.
Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars.