In a dystopian future, the masses live for game shows like “The Running Man,” in which contestants must escape assassins to win a cash prize.
This thriller, based on the Stephen King novel, was originally brought to the screen in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger as contestant Ben Richards. This go-round stars Glen Powell as Richards, who must survive on the streets for 30 days to win a fortune in “new dollars” (which, in an amusing homage, feature a picture of Schwarzenegger).
Ben is a reluctant participant. He promised his wife to never risk his life by auditioning for “The Running Man.” But he’s out of work, and their infant daughter needs lifesaving medication. So he signs on, along with two others who are speedily dispatched.
From the first frame, Ben’s rage at a heartless society is at full boil. And that’s the problem with this remake. We want to root for a principled hero who takes on the soulless powers-that-be. But Powell gives us the equivalent of a hormonal adolescent. He flips the bird. He spews the F word. He sticks out his tongue, like a toddler in full meltdown. Played at full throttle the whole time, his performance becomes exhausting. There’s no sense of fear or apprehension, the vulnerabilities that make heroes more human. If Ben isn’t afraid, what are the stakes?
My idea of a dystopian future is one that includes more films like “The Running Man.”
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Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. Rising star Bruce Springsteen grapples with his identity as the son of a poor, frustrated bus driver, and reckons with record company execs, who see him only as a hit machine. Jeremy Allen White is effective as an uneasy artist on the brink of global fame, whose inner conflicts helped make him the voice of a generation. The film is ploddingly paced but thoughtful, and a must for fans of the Boss.
Blue Moon. Thistranscendent profile of Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart stars Ethan Hawke in the role of a lifetime. It’s the opening night of “Oklahoma!”, by Hart’s former partner Richard Rodgers and his new collaborator, Oscar Hammerstein. Brooding at Sardi’s bar, Hart makes light of his ostracism in witty barbs that can’t quite disguise deep feelings of abandonment. “Blue Moon” is excessively talky and never breaks out of the mise en scene of that bar. But Hawke is funny, tragic and brilliant. This is an Oscar-worthy performance.
Marjorie Preston is a business writer, editor, ghostwriter and compulsive reader, who gobbles up books like potato chips. For more information (and more book reviews), visit marjorieprestonwriting.com.
