Glen Powell in 'The Running Man.' Paramount Pictures Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Google Preferred Stephen King's 1982 novel, The Running Man, imagined an authoritarian America in 2025, ruled over by a giant corporation that controls the flow of information while keeping the underclass in its place. Unless they qualify as contestants on one of the violent game shows aired on the all-powerful Network's Free-Vee platform, which serves up a mix of propaganda, Real Housewives-adjacent inanity and gladiatorial spectacle to entertain the masses and discourage them from thinking about how ruthlessly the system is stacked against them. The book's time frame now converges with our own, while the distance has also shrunk between the dystopian world it depicts and present-day reality. The prescience of King's sci-fi volume, originally published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, is undeniable. Its contemporary relevance should translate to a heightened sense of urgency. But Edgar Wright's update of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle of the same name, while it has no shortage of action and adrenaline, ends up feeling hollow. It also fails to erase lingering doubts about Glen Powell's viability as a leading man. Related Stories Movies Hollywood Flashback: Schwarzenegger's 'Running Man' Hit Lots of Hurdles Movies Daisy Edgar-Jones, Emilia Jones to Star in Irish Period Thriller for 'Kneecap' Director Rich Peppiatt The Running Man The Bottom Line Running on empty. Release date: Friday, Nov. 14Cast: Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Sean Hayes, Katy O'Brian, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin, Jayme LawsonDirector: Edgar WrightScreenwriters: Michael Bacall, Edgar Wright, based on the novel by Stephen King Rated R, 2 hours 13 minutes Written by Wright with his Scott Pilgrim vs. the World collaborator Michael Bacall, the new version hews far more closely to the source material than its predecessor. But the jokey qualities and irreverent personality that have energized Wright's best films sit somewhat awkwardly against the grim picture of class and wealth inequality, poverty, inadequate healthcare and oppressive law enforcement. It's somehow both fast-moving and lumbering, exciting and numbing. I was with it for a good while, but it wore me down. Ben Richards (Powell) has a spotty employment record with reports of insubordination frequently earning him a pink slip. He's a hothead who was blacklisted by his last employer for intervening to save co-workers in a life-threatening situation and now desperately needs work to buy meds for his sick two-year-old daughter. A flu strain is one of several things killing off the poor, who struggle to meet the high cost of pharmaceuticals and frequently must settle for temporary relief from black market drugs. Reluctant to let his exhausted wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) work back-to-back shifts waitressing at a seedy club for wealthy men, Ben makes an impulsive decision to apply at the Network for a spot on one of the shows. Sheila makes him promise he will not sign up for the ultra-violent top-rated contest, The Running Man, which offers $1 billion in prize money that no one has ever gotten far enough to claim. Even the tamer shows are cause for concern, like Spin the Wheel, which puts quiz contestants in a large hamster wheel that accelerates with every incorrect answer, resulting in injuries or worse. An unrecognizable Sean Hayes plays the jeering host, Gary Greenbacks. The long, snaking lines of people queueing to apply suggest that half the country is in a similar position to Ben, struggling to provide for their families. But his quick temper gets him fast-tracked upstairs to undergo rigorous physical and mental aptitude tests used to decide which show is the best fit for each potential contestant. Naturally, Ben qualifies for The Running Man, along with punky queer daredevil Jenni (Katy O'Brian) and scrawny goofball Tim Jansky (Martin Herlihy), clearly earmarked for early elimination. Later, it's explained that contestants are chosen according to three different character types - the "Hopeless Dude," who usually lasts less than 48 hours; the "Negative Man," who just wants to go out in a blaze of glory; and the self-explanatory "Final Dude." It's not hard to guess who's who in Ben's group. Determined to honor his promise to Sheila, Ben rejects the selection offer, but Network head Dan Killian (Josh Brolin, making a colorless villain) proves persuasive. He uses intimate knowledge of Ben's personal situation to make the show seem his best chance of getting his family out of Slumside. Ben is told during the selection process that he's "the angriest man ever to audition," and assured by Killian, who prides himself on his nose for talent, that he has wha