‘The Running Man’ Review: Glen Powell makes his claim as Hollywood’s next action star
If you’ve followed Glen Powell’s career the last few years, you understand the impact that ‘The Running Man’ was set to have on Powell’s career.
After taking a supporting role in Top Gun: Maverick, Powell saw an opening to take up the mantle previously held by Tom Cruise to star in high budget action flicks and to do as many of his own stunts as possible. Powell talked about the toll the action sequences had on him in a celebratory way. He even had Tom Cruise attend a premiere screening of The Running Man in support.
Does it all work out in ‘The Running Man?’ Kind of.
The things the movie gets right, it really gets right. The tone and pacing of the film make the two hour run time feel more like ninety minutes. It’s fun, action-packed and even funny at times. On paper, it has everything I value in a film. It’s entertaining, great pacing, exciting action. I’m especially a sucker for films with a game element like The Long Walk, Hunger Games or Squid Game.
Where the wheels fall off is the character work and direction. Casting a happy-go-lucky leading man like Glen Powell to play a man with anger issues just doesn’t work. On top of that, having the angry man be in constant need of help doesn’t gel with the tone of the film.
The reason the Mission: Impossible movies work for Tom Cruise is because Ethan Hunt plays the every man. He can be calm, he can be angry, he can be dangerous, he can be anything. I’d even make this observation about Powell’s character in Twisters, but the same cannot be said about The Running Man.
It may be time for Powell to take up a larger role in the movie’s he selects. The acting and stunt work are there, but The Running Man feels like a compromise of both Glen Powell’s ability as an actor with Edgar Wright’s ability as the director. If you want an Edgar Wright movie, let it be the film it wants to be. If you want a Tom Cruise-esque action film, cast Powell as the every man and give him a producing credit.
The movie that we’re left with after all of this is an entertaining mess. If anything, this film demonstrates that Powell can be a solid leading man with the right material.