Archive for the ‘Edgar Wright’ Category

The Running Man

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Glen Powell, Lee Pace, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin, Jayme Lawson, William H. Macy, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones

Running time: 2 hours and 13 minutes.

Film Rating: 7 out of 10

Baby Driver director Edgar Wright tackles with freneticism a remake of the 1987 action film The Running Man which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso and Yaphet Kotto.

This time Top Gun Maverick and Twisters star Glen Powell takes the lead role as a poor man Ben Richards with anger issues that has to enter a reality TV show about how to survive without getting murdered in a Dystopian America set in a hyper contemporary future which strangely reflects the 2020’s.

The production design by Marcus Rowland is amazing in The Running Man as the story, with a screenplay by Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall based on the novel by horror writer Steven King, tracks the bizarre adventure of Richards as he enters The Running Man reality TV show in a vibrant and often violent game of hide and seek. As Richards travels from Co-op city to New York then Boston and onto Maine, he meets an assortment of fascinating characters. The most notable is forger Molie played by Oscar nominee William H. Macy (Sideways) and Elton Perrakis as the conspiracy theory weird dude who lives in a rambling house in Maine with his mother, brilliantly played by Michael Cera (Juno, Barbie).

The reality TV show is a dystopian colosseum as hordes of viewers eagerly watch the hunt of Ben Richards with bloodlust as the host of the show Bobby T whips up the crowd in a frenzy. Bobby T is flamboyantly played by Oscar nominee Colman Domingo (Rustin, Sing Sing) as he answers to the shady corporate TV network producer Dan Killian played by Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (Milk).

The Running Man is absolutely crazy and frenetic. Unfortunately Edgar Wright over directs this dystopian thriller but what saves this film is the charisma of Glen Powell whose good looks and gusto will make the film audience want Ben Richards to stay alive and save his wife and child and beat the show at its own murderous game all skilfully orchestrated by TV ratings and audience participation.

Some superb scenes in the film include a fight scene between Ben Richards and ruthless hunter Evan McCone played by Lee Pace (Captain Marvel) on a jetliner while a horrified captive Amelia Williams played by rising British star Emilia Jones looks on.

The Running Man is The Hunger Games on steroids, a fantastically crazy action film which is loud, brash and over directed by Edgar Wright who often gets the pacing of the film wrong. It is thoroughly entertaining especially watching the hunk Glen Powell outwit the crazy hunters and take revenge on the evil TV producer Killian.

Despite bad editing and a lack of pacing, The Running Man gets a film rating of 7 out of 10 and is an entertaining action film with outlandish characters and a leading man in which everyone will be cheering for as he goes up against an oppressive social system in which the rich willingly crush the poor purely for entertainment value.

The Running Man is certainly dystopian but very familiar in the current media climate. Recommended viewing for those that love high adrenalin action films set in a bizarre futuristic world.

Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Lily James, Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal

While the trailer is cool and the cast is hip, Baby Driver delivers some cool stunts as a sequential car chase film with its sweet looking leads Baby played by Ansel Elgort and Debora played by rising British star Lily James.

With a fabulous soundtrack, Edgar Wright’s crime caper Baby Driver, clearly inspired by Pulp Fiction is thrilling to watch, with a great fast-paced narrative, transplanting the action from Los Angeles to Atlanta, Georgia it does get weigh down by its own super-cool importance and could have been edited by at least 20 minutes.

Oscar winner Kevin Spacey (The Usual Suspects, American Beauty) plays crime boss Doc who hires Baby played by Ansel Elgort as a bank robbery get a way driver because of his fast skills behind the wheel. That and the fact that Baby doesn’t get fazed by the traffic, the cops or his fellow henchman. Baby starts re-evaluating his crime driving does when he meets the sweet Southern diner waitress Debora played by Lily James (Cinderella, Wrath of the Titans).

Soon Baby wants out but has to contend with a new and vicious crew headed by the psychopathic Bats wonderfully played by Oscar winner Jamie Foxx (Ray) and equally threatened by the crazy gun-wielding Buddy played by Mad Men star Jon Hamm (The Town, Million Dollar Arm).

Audiences should expect lots of car chases, a really cool soundtrack and a crime caper with as many twists and turns as a Southern freeway. Despite the hype surrounding Baby Driver and its ode to all things Americana – The Cars, The Diner, the Freeway, director Edgar Wright places too much emphasis on trying to encode the narrative with a moral undertone which doesn’t quite work especially towards the end of the film.

Basically, despite all the violence, money grabbing and loads of action, the end result is crime doesn’t pay – which is ultimately a bizarre sentiment to portray in a film such as Baby Driver which glorifies crime, violence and greed, making all three look hip, cool and attainable especially in a fast car.

Baby Driver is a stylish and entertaining ride, but don’t expect the cinematic journey to live up to the hype. Nevertheless its still a fun way to spend an afternoon at the movies.

For the young and the fast, Baby Driver gets a film rating of 7.5 out of 10 and recommended for audiences that enjoyed Pulp Fiction and all sorts of sleazy, pulpy crime thrillers which the Americans are so fond of making. The irony is that director Edgar Wright is British…

The music is the best thing in this action flick!