Remake of 'The Running Man' entertains as an action film

"The Running Man" is back in theaters. Yes, this is a remake of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie of the same name from 1987. But this version is different enough from the original film both in terms of story and quality to make it stand on its own. This updated version of the story is entertaining with some great action sequences. "The Running Man" is now available only in theaters.Sometime in the (not-so-distant?) future, the United States is in a dystopian nightmare. The difference between the haves and the have-nots is stark. The wealthy and powerful keep the downtrodden under their collective thumbs. They go so far as to keep the lower classes confined to their slums and physically restrained from entering the more prosperous areas.Against this backdrop Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is trying to be a good man, though it's not going well. Blackballed because he dared to expose safety concerns at work while at the same time saving the lives of his fellow workers, Ben now can't get a job. Ben is angry. Furious.His young daughter has the flu, and he has no money for medicine. Her temperature has skyrocketed, so Ben swallows his pride and returns to his old employer begging for a job. It doesn't work. Ben's wife, Sheila (Jayme Lawson), is working double and triple shifts at a club to try and make ends meet, but it's not enough. Ben needs money, and he needs it now.The Running Man is a violent gameshow where contestants from the lower classes are given $1,000 and a 12-hour head start before hunters are released. The hunters are tasked with finding and killing the contestants live on national TV. If the contestant survives 30 days without being executed, the reward is $1 billion. No contestant has ever survived for 30 days.Against Sheila's wishes, Ben signs up for The Running Man. Along with two other runners, Ben begins his fight for survival. The public is encouraged to report any sightings of the runners, and they even get a cash reward if their report leads to the death of the runner. Ben must survive, not only for himself, but for his family too.Quick show of hands, who had even heard of this movie or had any idea when it was being released in theaters? I'm willing to bet that almost no one raised their hands. Why? Because the marketing for this film was almost non-existent. The movie made $16.5 million on a production budget of $110 million. I firmly believe this is not due to the quality of the acting, directing, or writing, or even the overall quality of the movie. No, this poor showing at the box office is due directly to the miniscule marketing.Like the first film, this movie is based on the 1982 Stephen King novel. The re-make is more faithful to the book than the Schwarzenegger version. The 1987 film has the basic setup of a reality game show chase to the death, but much of the remainder of the film was changed. The new movie is mostly faithful to the book until the final climactic action sequence. Most of the action is well-paced to keep the story moving forward, but toward the end it starts to bog down a little.The amount of comedy in the film was unexpected. Most so-called comedies these days are just not funny. I don't know if that is due to political correctness, or something else. All I know is that there are fewer and fewer funny movies. "The Running Man" is no "Wedding Crashers," but it's funnier than any action flick has a right to be.While the story itself is entertaining, it's the action scenes that make this movie. Even though Ben travels from city to city mostly wearing a disguise, the hunters quickly locate him no matter where he goes. Each time there's a confrontation there's an action scene. One scene where Ben is found in a rundown hotel is particularly inventive and fun.Glen Powell is trying to be the next huge movie star. There's even speculation that he could be cast at the next Indiana Jones. While this movie doesn't exactly showcase his charismatic personality, Powell does his best Tom Cruise impression as an action star who can carry an entire movie based mainly on one action scene after another."The Running Man" is better than its box-office numbers indicate. It's a good action movie that deserves more praise, or at least less derision. I know I had fun watching it.Grade: B+Rated R for strong violence, some gore, and language.•••Bradley Griffith is a local attorney and longtime film buff.