The Running Man is a dystopian action thriller film directed by Edgar Wright, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Bacall. Based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Stephen King, the 2025 film is set in an alternate 2025 America, where the most popular television show is a deadly competition in which participants are hunted by professional assassins for a large prize. It follows Ben Richards, a financially struggling man who’s convinced by a ruthless TV producer to take part in the game but soon finds himself fighting for his life. The Running Man stars Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo, and Josh Brolin. So, if you loved the bombastic action, interesting story, and compelling characters in The Running Man, here are some similar movies you should check out next.
Total Recall (Rent on Prime Video)
Total Recall is a sci-fi action film directed by Len Wiseman from a screenplay co-written by Kurt Wimmer and Mark Bomback. Based on the 1990 film of the same name, the 2012 film is set in a dystopian future, and it follows Douglas Quaid, a man who visits a company that implants artificial memories, but he soon finds himself caught up in a deadly conspiracy, unable to decipher if what he is witnessing is real or not. Total Recall stars Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, John Cho, and Bill Nighy.
Why It Will Get You Hyped for The Running Man? Total Recall and The Running Man are very different movies, but their worlds and bombastic action are very similar, and also, if you loved the vibes of Total Recall, then you will also love the new Glen Powell film.
Gamer (Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, & Rent on Prime Video)
Gamer is a sci-fi action film written and directed by Neveldine and Taylor. The 2009 film is set in the year 2034, when a deadly game is invented that allows gamers to control live humans in death matches. It follows Kable, a death row convict who’s being controlled by a teen boy during a deadly combat game. Gamer stars Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Amber Valletta, Logan Lerman, Terry Crews, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Kyra Sedgwick.
Why It Will Get You Hyped for The Running Man? Both Kable and Ben Richards face deadly consequences for an extremely valuable prize, but their lives are constantly in danger just for other people’s entertainment.
Death Race (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video)
Death Race is a dystopian action thriller film written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Based on the 1975 film Death Race 2000, the 2008 film revolves around a group of prisoners who are offered freedom in return for participating in a deadly car race, which will be streamed for millions of people. Death Race stars Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, and Joan Allen.
Why It Will Get You Hyped for The Running Man? Just like Gamer and The Running Man, Death Race also features a deadly game with our protagonists fighting for their lives for an important prize.
Mad Max: Fury Road (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video)
Mad Max: Fury Road is a post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris. The 2015 film is the fourth installment in the Mad Max film franchise, and it follows Max as he tries to escape from a cult leader named Immortan Joe and his followers. Mad Max: Fury Road stars Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, and Abbey Lee.
Why It Will Get You Hyped for The Running Man? Despite their extremely different plot and settings, both Mad Max: Fury Road and The Running Man consist of a deadly chase where our leading man is running for his life.
The Purge (Rent on Prime Video)
The Purge is a dystopian action horror film written and directed by James DeMonaco. The 2013 film is set in a dystopian America where all crime is legalized for a 12-hour period every year, known as The Purge. It revolves around the Sandin family as they are dragged into the brutality of The Purge by a group of criminals. The Purge stars Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane, and Max Burkholder.
Why It Will Get You Hyped for The Running Man? The Purge and The Running Man both feature a dystopian America where insane criminal behavior and brutality are legalized just for the sake of entertainment.
Guns Akimbo (Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, & Rent on Prime Video)
Guns Akimbo is an action comedy film written and directed by Jason Lei Howden. The 2019 film follows Miles Lee Harris, a down-and-out young man who trolls people in a live-streaming death match game known as Skizm. The next morning, he is drugged and wakes up with two guns bolted on his hands and everybody hunting him. Guns Akimbo stars Daniel Radcliffe, Samara Weaving, Ned Dennehy, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Grant Blower, Edwin Wright, and Rhys Darby.
Why It Will Get You Hyped for The Running Man? Both Guns Akimbo and The Running Man feature a leading man who is being hunted by the people, and both feature some brutal action.
The Hunt (Peacock & Rent on Prime Video)
The Hunt is an action thriller film directed by Craig Zobel from a screenplay co-written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelöf. The 2020 film is set during a time of incredible divide in America, and it revolves around a group of working-class people as they are kidnapped and soon find themselves hunted by a group of elites. The Hunt stars Ike Barinholtz, Betty Gilpin, Emma Roberts, and Hilary Swank.
Why It Will Get You Hyped for The Running Man? Despite the obvious concept similarity, both The Running Man and The Hunt make scathing political commentary about the politics in America.