REVIEW: THE RUNNING MAN

3.5/5

Running With The Night

133 Mins. Starring: Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Katy O'Brian, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo & Josh Brolin. Screenplay: Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright. Director: Edgar Wright. In: Theatres.

RUN! After watching 'The Running Man', the Netflix hit 'Hit Man', and the American football, 'Mrs. Doubtfire' like, comedy 'Chad Powers' on Hulu and Disney Plus, it's clear to see (although you can't really see him), that Glen Powell is Hollywood's new master of disguise. Playing priests, business men, and any other hick the Hollywood heartthrob can get his hands on. But it's not like this handsome Dan needs to hide his face, or the 'Twisters', 'Anyone But You' and 'Top Gun: Maverick' star's body of work. Even here, in Japan, when he went shirtless, someone in the audience gave the thumbs up to his partner...it was the husband's thumb. Powell would even be the next face of Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible' franchise...if his Mum would only let him do the stunts. C'mon, Mom, the man was made to wear masks. There's enough on hand, here though, in his new star vehicle 'The Running Man'. Based on the faster than a speeding bullet novel by Richard Bachman (you might know him better as Stephen King) and the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, that with an Easter Egg here, is right on the money.

Glen gives this movie, and his latest Hollywood run, all he's got. A blue-collar Carhartt, assembly line worker who just wants to provide for his wife (a wonderful Jayme Lawson of 'The Batman' and 'Sinners' fame) and sick daughter. There's a whole host (with 'Will & Grace's' Sean Hayes, quiff bouffant) of game shows Glen Powell's Ben Richards could try his humiliated hand at, but the one that pays out the most is, 'The Running Man'. And it has nothing to do with the famous Bobby Brown dance. That's not its prerogative. Ben could win a billion dollars, be set for life, and he only has to work for a month. Sounds like a lay-up line milk run, right?! Well, not when there's a price on his head and a bounty of hired goon hunter killers on his tail. And you thought, like Quentin Tarantino, that 'The Hunger Games' was bad. Running up more hills than a kid from 'Stranger Things' in a coma, listening to Kate Bush, everyone with a smartphone in sight can cash in on turning Richards in, to boot. Will he live? Tune in and find out. But what really makes a killing is the hits to reality TV and smartphones (not to mention this day and age of deepfakes), in this science fiction satirical action given to us by 'The Cornetto Trilogy's' own, Edgar Wright ('Last Night In Soho').

Executive produced by human horror maestro, Stephen King himself, who better than the 'Baby Driver' energy of Edgar to deliver this epic? Especially now he has a real action man to pose and play with. Wright even takes a shade swipe at Netflix for giving the game away when it came to 'The World's End'. Speaking of spoilers, one of the coolest characters is the "back at ya", grenade kicking, masked leader of the hunters. We shouldn't reveal who he is, just in case, but it's a nice surprise. Even though this cult favourite elicits more "okays", than "oooh's", he still scene steals. And that's pretty hard when you have the poster boy power of Powell lighting everyone up, from apartment breaks ("Y") to running through the night more than Lionel Richie, in a commanding performance. This movie isn't the biggest hit, man, but that doesn't matter. And like that aforementioned Richard Linklater film, it's different to what you expected it would be. And that's what makes it Rotten Tomato fresh. Despite the mixed reviews and the fact that it was a box office bomb. But who really makes a billion dollars these days?

This man. No, not me, Powell. Amongst a whole host of famous faces and ones making their own name. Wright reunites with 'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World' screenwriter Michael Bacall ('21' and '22 Jump Street') and another Michael, in 'Scott Pilgrim' himself, Michael Cera (a surprise that really shouldn't have been spoilt in the opening credits), having a whole host of 'Home Alone' fun in his super soaked, with tears of laughter, booby trapped house. There's also a brief, but brilliant, and somewhat beautiful, turn from the great William H. Macy who has been ace acting with aplomb recently (see the 'Train Dreams' he should have been nominated for on Netflix...sorry, Edgar). 'CODA's' Emilia Jones, 'All American' British actor Daniel Ezra and 'Love Lies Bleeding' talent Katy O'Brian ('Twisters', 'Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning'), also make their mark, but it's the greats that have the most glorious time. Especially the forever flamboyant Colman Domingo's ('Rustin', 'Sing Sing', 'The Color Purple') gaudy and great host of proceedings. And the Thanos villainous Josh Brolin, continuing his latest mean streak after 'Weapons' and the 'Knives Out' mystery 'Wake Up Dead Man'. We hope this one doesn't die out in this film's wake, because Glen Powell has what it takes to run this Hollywood game all the way to the bank. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'The Running Man (1987)', 'Hit Man', 'The Hunger Games'