‘The Running Man’ (2025) Review – Glen Powell Solidifies His Stardom In An Otherwise Underwhelming Stephen King Adaptation

For the second time this year, a Stephen King adaptation about the failures and absurdity of modern capitalism graces the screen with Edgar Wright’s The Running Man. Earlier this year, we got Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk, a more toned-down, bleaker exploration of desperation through capitalistic pressures. As the title suggests, it’s more of a walk-and-talk film than an action-packed one. Wright’s film offers a more fun, action-driven look at Ben Richards (Glen Powell) as a man out of work and out of options. In an effort to bring his wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) and daughter out of poverty, Ben tries out for The Running Man, a popular game show where contestants must live on the run and survive for 30 days to win.

The Running Man marks Wright’s second film of the decade, following his horror film Last Night in Soho (2021). Wright’s comedic ability and unique visual language informed this smart and purposeful decision for him to adapt King’s work, taking things from the 1982 book of the same name into the semi-modern setting. Of the several non-horror King adaptations over the past couple of years, this one seems to be slightly less ripped from the page and is trying to stand on its own rather than rely so much on the source material.

That being said, the film suffers similarly to other adaptations with overwritten dialogue and thinly veiled themes and real-world comparisons. Maybe that’s because our world looks even more similar to that of the book now than it did in 1982, but this makes the metaphors and sentiments feel too on-the-nose. 

Outside of the plot, the performances are everything you’d want from a movie like this. Glen Powell is definitely solidifying his stardom, commanding the screen throughout almost every scene. We get to see a more angry, volatile side of him that often doesn’t come through due to his charm, and it’s a welcome wrinkle in his acting arsenal. Josh Brolin also provides a strong performance as network exec Dan Killian, an albeit one-note character who only cares about ratings. His overdone makeup and shiny, straight chompers make for quite a sight compared to some of his more rugged characters over the years. 

The real showstopper is Colman Domingo as Bobby T., the host of The Running Man, who is willing to come up with any lie he can to turn the audience against the contestants. Domingo’s confidence and swagger oozes through the screen in his limited role. Each time we see him in a movie, he reminds us that he’s one of the best in the business, and this is no different. 

Wright and director of photography Chung-hoon Chung have to do a lot of work visually to make this film compelling, mixing the drab, gray cityscapes with more colorful lighting. The difference in these two worlds is made paramount by the difference between how the world looks in the show compared to the real world when Richards is running for his life. The work of the real-life visual team is reflected in the work the network producers must do to keep the audience entertained in an authoritarian world. The action scenes leave a lot to be desired, riddled with overediting that makes it hard to follow what’s going on. There are a few more successful longer takes that really immerse you into the fight, but they are few and far between. 

Overall, The Running Man is an entertaining, fun ride that doesn’t quite reach its potential. The script is bogged down with overwritten dialogue and has some pacing issues that lead to its 133-minute run time. The main takeaway from the film is this: Glen Powell is a star, and I’m not sure if this would have worked at all without him being at the center of the movie. Wright is a competent director, but may be better served going back to lower-budget original films to re-find his footing.

The Running Man will debut exclusively in theaters on November 14, 2025, courtesy of Paramount.