The Most Dangerous Game meets The Long Walk in Che Guerva fashion. Originally written by Stephen King and adapted in the 1980s— admittedly neither having seen or read either; nonetheless after flipping through the book at Barnes & Nobles briefly I felt the initial sentence to be a general description of the text, and the film’s revolutionary appeal.
The 2025 adaptation is similar to another film released this year, One Battle After Another. Though less blatant as the DiCaprio film, the theme shows up main-frame nearly every scene. Ben Richard’s in Running Man is a father going to the absolute limit to aid his daughter. As case in point, Michael Cera’s character Elton Parakis has a pull down flag of Che (as well as an anarchy A, to name another).
Conveniently called ‘the Network’ as the totalitarian regime in charge, there isn’t a leap in the 1960s revolutionary aesthetic as counter to the overt fascistic ones of the ruling corporation. Front and center, most notably the N in their logo is an obvious derivation from the swastika— like the four P’s put together for the Process Church of the Final Judgement’s icon; or Marilyn Manson’s chest tattoo. As a lesser nod, the symbol used in this society for dollar currency is akin to another symbol the National Socialists in 20th century Germany utilized: the Wolfsangel. Derived from the 13th rune in the runic alphabet of the Norse, it’s known as Eihwaz; and embodies mysteries associated with Yggdrasil, to put a long story short.
Similarly to Stephen King’s other work (which also got a film adaptation this year), The Long Walk this tale is that of death as spectacle for the nation (United States, namely). While The Long Walk has no set limit and goes till the second to last person drops, Running Man is like The Purge for 30 days straight to those signed up.
Unlike The Most Dangerous Game, the ending of the film is less of an open note; though a confirmation to one of the outcomes. In the end of Running Man, Ben chooses to slay his Zaharoff… while on live camera. Thus continuing the cycle. While the pendulum swings away from what Trump in 2016 called the ‘swamp’ he makes for a future— or even possibly of the moment martyr, as seen in recent months in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s demise. In rising up, he takes the place. “God conquered will become Satan/ Satan conquering will become God…” as Anatole France melancholically noted in the poetic work Revolt of the Angels.
Remarked within the film, games being put on by the Network for pulling people’s pathos as being akin to the Circus Maximus, it strikes a chord when paired with the implications of Anatole France’s observation.
Ancient history are the days of gladiatorial combat, at least for the most part. People have moved on, ‘fallen’ into more civilized manners.
Evolving into spectacles of public execution: hangings, drowning the witch as well as the lovely gift to the world from the French known as the guillotine. Although the last of such in the Western world was just short of a century ago, as time and standards shift so does the way of more bloody entertainment. Take this film Running Man, which can be that fill for some. Wherein now much is better suited in psychodrama. Within the shockwaves in light of Charlie Kirk being publicly murdered, there’s an expressed need for the human animal to have more than mere cinema.
What not, if just pictures fucking up our eyes?
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