BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — There are two ways an adaptation of a book to a movie can go. The film product can remain as loyal as possible to the original material or the movie version can use only select elements such as the title and character names.
Glen Powell’s “The Running Man,” the latest adaptation of Stephen King’s dystopian novel of the same name, is generally loyal to the original material King wrote under the name Richard Bachman in 1982. The 1987 version of “The Running Man” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger went in the other direction. Only the names and general concept were used but it did give the character the nickname of the “Butcher of Bakersfield.”
There is a lot to be said for sticking to the source material because there is a reason a book becomes popular. This latest version that embraces the book is far better than the previous attempt but to be completely honest the bar was set almost on the ground.
Both films take place in the not-to-distant future where the haves have more and the have nots have nothing. Ben Richards (Powell) can’t find work because he has been blackballed as the result of a few honest actions he took while on the job to protect fellow workers.
Richards needs money fast as his daughter is sick and in desperate need of medicine. His solution is to head down to the mega television network to audition for one of their brutally cruel game shows.
This is the first of many places where the film makes a political message. People who are struggling to survive under a government that doesn’t seem to care are forced to degrade themselves for a few dollars.
Richards shows so much anger and vile at the establishment while trying out to be on any game show that he is hand picked by super TV producer Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) to be on “The Running Man” game show. The rules are simple. Try to stay alive for 30 days and win a billion new dollars.
In a nice wink and a nod to the previous film, the currency carries the picture of Schwarzenegger.
Richards reluctantly agrees as the only solution he sees to help his family. What he didn’t anticipate was the game being rigged. No one has ever won the top prize and if the production team has their way, no one ever will.
Here is another point in the film where the political banners wave freely. Killian never hesitates to use AI to create the kind of fake news he needs to make Richards the villain of the story. Anything that will make for good television ratings is not going to let the truth get in the way.
Credit director Edgar Wright (“Baby Driver”) with showing an appreciation for the original book without sacrificing big action sequences. When one man is being hunted by the world, there are plenty of places for explosions, fights and gun battles.
Powell is able to handle the action sequences while still being very convincing in all the big action scenes. The fact he is driven by so much rage makes it believable he could survive a blast that leveled a building.
A weakness is that Powell’s acting range goes from being riled up to being maniacally mad. He can deal with those emotions, but he never sells the kind of desperation as a family man that would make him put his life on the line. That being said, his acting compared to what Schwarzenegger did in the first adaption is like comparing a three-legged race to a marathon.
The film gets bogged down near the end as the political messages get more apparent. Having crowds line the streets waving “Richards Lives” signs does cast a hot spotlight on the frustrations that many are facing in real life. The problem is the mass demonstrations for Richards look less like the first sparks of revolution and more like those with nothing better to do.
Wright’s film gets points for sticking so closely to the book (although the endings are very different). Couple that with strong action sequences and an acceptable acting job by Powell and “The Running Man” goes the extra mile.
Grade: B
Cast: Glen Powell, Katy O’Brian, Layme Lawson, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace.
Director: Edgar Wright
Rated: R for gore, language, strong violence
Running time: 133 minutes.
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