Edgar Wright's remake of Paul Michael Glaser's 1987 adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man amps up the social / political commentary, which increases its relevancy but might detract from its longevity.
Hollywood looker Glenn Powell takes on the Arnold Schwarzenegger role of Ben Richards, the title character who competes in a televised race against the clock. Powell's Richards is one of the teeming masses living in slums, cut off from meaningful employment, decent housing and adequate healthcare. (To say the narrative is pointed would be a cheeky understatement.)
Unlike Schwarzenegger's disgraced police officer seeking reinstatement, Powell's Richards is a flinty, black-balled industrial worker who was punished for caring about his fellow laborers. He is looking to make enough money to afford real medicine for his sick daughter and move the family out of the slums.
The corporate / state entity runs sadistic contests in which the poor compete for money in front of studio audiences. Richards promises his wife, Sheila (Jayme Lawson of Sinners), that he would not apply for the big payday, The Running Man. This show is hosted by Bobby T (Colman Domingo) and as heavily edited / fabricated reality TV. But Richards is persuaded by the greasy network chief Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) that his fiery temper would get him across the finish line and into a better life.
The movie is a race against time -- a frequent narrative trope since the '87 flick. Lethal hunters, led by the masked Evan McCone (Lee Pace), are on Richard's tail, using all manner of surveillance and public crowdsourcing to track him. (Ditto with the comment on social / political relevance.)
Richards discovers on his journey toward the finish line underground fighters (William H. Macy, Daniel Ezra, Michael Cera) at work undermining government control and propaganda. They help Richards stay a step ahead but, of course, there must be a final showdown.
Though there's little doubt Richards will survive his ordeal, the future of the other millions is left uncertain -- as is true for those of us in the real world of the movie audience.
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