One Change To The Running Man Would Have Made It Way Better

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The movie The Running Man has a strong satirical message about how the media can be used to control people, and how governments might abuse that power. However, the film’s pacing could have been improved with a simple adjustment. This critique of the media is a key part of the film’s world and overall themes.

The film’s central message becomes a little unclear in the second half, as the focus shifts to Ben Richards trying to evade his pursuers. It’s a shame, because a character introduced later on perfectly represents those initial themes and could have strengthened the story if she’d had a bigger role.

Amelia Williams Is More Important To The Running Man Than She Appears

Amelia appears more than halfway through The Running Man, and while she’s not a villain, she plays a surprisingly important part in the story and its themes. Giving her character more focus could have made Edgar Wright’s film even stronger. She’s a wealthy resident of the film’s bleak, futuristic world.

Amelia represents the average person who has come to rely on the Network and accept its control. We first meet her having a normal conversation with a friend about a TV show. But when Ben Richards kidnaps her, she slowly realizes he isn’t the killer everyone believes him to be.

Amelia represents a key idea in the film: how easily people accept small evils if it makes their lives more comfortable, which allows powerful forces like the Network to thrive. Her story is powerfully symbolized by her silk scarf. Ben rightly points out that the money spent on the scarf could have instead been used to buy medicine for children, highlighting this troubling trade-off.

Amelia discovers the Network has been deceiving the public by changing videos and spreading false information. She also realizes she’s unintentionally contributed to the harm done to others, making her partly responsible for the suffering of people like Ben and his family. Ultimately, she helps an injured Ben by giving him her scarf.

The issue is that this part of the film doesn’t really become important until later on. The movie initially hints at how readily everyone accepts the “Running Man” show, but the story quickly shifts focus to Ben simply trying to escape McCone and the Hunters, overshadowing that initial idea.

While still fun to watch thanks to Edgar Wright’s direction and Glen Powell’s performance, this part of the movie doesn’t have the same emotional impact as the beginning and end. It struggles to effectively combine the exciting action with the movie’s central message, often switching between historical explanations and slapstick comedy reminiscent of Home Alone.

Amelia had the potential to resolve a major issue with the film. By offering a different perspective from Ben and acting as a stand-in for the audience’s values, she could have created a more focused storyline. Unfortunately, her absence leads to a noticeable shift in tone, slowing the movie down more than any other film by this director.

How The Running Man Could Have Used Amelia Better

In The Running Man, Amelia is a strong character who effectively highlights Ben’s personality. Introducing her earlier in the film could have created a more dynamic interaction between them, particularly if the story had focused on their shared traits and contrasting viewpoints instead of a romantic relationship, as seen in the earlier adaptation.

Ben and Amelia could have met much earlier in the movie, perhaps right after Ben fled Boston. If Ben had captured her then, while people still believed the false information spread by the Agency, it would have sharply contrasted with the beliefs of Elton, the revolutionary. This contrast could have then inspired Amelia to change and grow.

Allowing more screen time would have let Amelia and Ben share their perspectives in greater detail, especially showing how Amelia unintentionally contributed to the world that allowed a show like “The Running Man” to exist. It also would have allowed for more in-depth character development for Amelia, making her progress feel more natural and relatable.

It would have been vital for the film’s ending to show Amelia fully transform into a revolutionary figure, helping to uncover the truth about Richard by recovering the plane’s black box and exposing the Network’s deceit. Giving Amelia a more substantial role would have made her change of heart more impactful and highlighted her personal development.

Giving Amelia a more significant part in the film would have really emphasized its central theme, connecting with both the viewers within the movie’s game show world and the real-life audience watching The Running Man. Her transformation – going from a carefree, sheltered life to someone fighting for freedom – would have powerfully demonstrated Ben’s beliefs.

Amelia represents Ben’s greatest triumph – a symbol of defiance against the established order. While she’s appealing in her current role, she had the potential to significantly improve the film. Had Amelia been featured more prominently in The Running Man, it would have been a much stronger movie.

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2025-11-19 03:19