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He’s running as fast as he can—in a film that’s going nowhere.
There isn’t one “wow” moment in this entire remake of the tepid 1987 movie of the same name, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. Blame the writing, direction and production elements for the inability to make any of this footage truly exciting or visually stunning. But don’t fault the cast, especially Glen Powell. He’s doing the best he can with what he’s been given.
And where did it all begin? In 1982 the prolific sci-fi writer Stephen King wrote a book about a totalitarian society with televised violence. The setting was 2025. Ben Richards, a man down on his luck and money, becomes part of a reality show called The Running Man. Participants are given a head start as hitmen track and try to kill them—on live TV. The winner gets a bundle of cash. The losers, well, death. The eerie fascist, nihilist theme was mindboggling 43 years ago. It’s timely and scary today. But never as scary as it should be in a film adaptation that should’ve learned from the mistakes of its predecessor. So, aside from name recognition, why shake the dust off this story? Dystopian themes couldn’t be more apropos.
Ben Richards (Glen Powell) and his wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson, Sinners, The Woman King) live on the wrong side of the tracks, in poverty in a place called “slum side.” But they aren’t alone. Many are suffering while the wealthy few don’t. Their little daughter has serious health issues, and they can’t afford the medicine she needs. Perhaps their Obamacare has run out? Or they can’t afford the new 100% premium hikes? Mom is willing to take on more shifts, but dad decides that bringing in more money is on his shoulders. The Running Man TV show offers big bucks to those who can outrun killers for 30 days. Sheila warns, “People on these games never come back.” Against his wife’s wishes, Ben signs up.
Thrust into the world of the media giant “The Network,” he is shocked to learn how callous the show’s producer Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) can be. And the emcee, Bobby Thompson (Coleman Domingo), is just as eager to see contestants get hunted like prey by a killing force: “Bloodlust is our birthright!” Eying the money, Ben becomes friendly with two fellow contestants: Laughlin (Katy O’Brian, Twisters) a hard partying type and the very nerdy Jansky (Martin Herlihy, Saturday Night Live). The game is on. Those who dally die. Those who don’t stay steps ahead of an evil posse led by Evan McCone (Lee Pace). Incidentally, Evan wears a mask, just like ICE agents. Coincidence? Run for your life!
An interesting premise. A very timely look at a modern world desensitized and dehumanized by realty TV. The plot even has a show called Americanos, a vapid Keeping Up With the Kardashians knockoff. Poor people on defense. Exploiters and villains on offense. The media’s warped attention to Ben’s deeds and misdeeds are hyper inflamed missives. Like sensationalized headlines from the New York Post or seedy clips from TMZ. Somewhere in this collage of ideas, visions and tonal missteps are hard truths about the wicked world we live in. That’s what the audience would relish if the film’s other aspects weren’t so subpar.
Every scene looks like it was shot in a poorly lit studio. Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung worked on the classic Asian thriller Oldboy, but his talent is either wasted here or he’s off his game. Production designer Marcus Rowland’s dingy, staph-infection looking sets are shockingly telltale, which is a surprise because his work on Last Night in Soho superbly meshed style and color. Costumes by Julian Day are slightly more tuned in, but Sheila is way over dressed for a poor person—and over made-up too. The musical score doesn’t leave a lasting impression or feel (composer Steven Price), while editor Paul Machliss’s work is sufficient. Not more.
Though, it’s hard to edit a film together well if the scenes that you’re combining aren’t that interesting. The body count is high in this movie. The actions scenes plentiful. None are mesmerizing. The gutsy, innovative action/thriller John Wick: Chapter 4, set the bar high. Its stunt choreography was astonishing. No rumble, chase scene or gunfight in this production is near that level. Though there was one sequence that had promise: Ben finds refuge in a booby-trapped home owned by Elton (Michael Cera), an anarchist with a grudge against The Network. This weird house scene could have been the blast the film needed. It fizzles.
Director Edgar Wright displayed a great sense of design, movement and intrigue with Last Night in Soho. Had his finger on the pulse with the crime/thriller Baby Driver. Knew how to accentuate consistent outrageous humor in Shaun of the Dead. None of the flair, grit or drollness from those gems is evident or well executed here. This sci-fi/action/thriller mishmash is an ugly duckling. Unimaginative. Not an improvement over its 1987 predecessor. The script by Micharl Bacall (Inglorious Bastards) and Wright may have aimed for something higher, but the writing and any lofty ideas haven’t firmly translated to the screen.
Glen Powell, as Ben, is billed as a nice guy trying to save his daughter. But really Powell is a superman tasked with saving this film from the junk heap. An overwhelming assignment for most actors. But this leading man finds ways to make his character interesting even when the script is not. That’s what superstars do. Tom Cruise does it. Now, Powell is learning how to give movies that have virtually no redeeming qualities one saving grace. His performance. He’s stalwart. Belligerent. Delivers lines with conviction. Consistently expresses his plight and emotions well for 133 minutes. Michael Cera is interesting too, but his character’s role is truncated. Emilia Jones as Ben’s sidekick, Danile Ezra as a podcaster, O’Brian and Herlihy are all fine. Sandra Dickinson plays Cera’s deranged mom like she’s on furlough from an insane asylum. She and Colman Domingo chew up the scenery in the most grandiose yet delightful ways.
The filmmakers should be grateful that Powell is running as fast as he can while carrying their dead weight.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD18ddeFuyM
Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.