Another great book-to-movie adaptation from Stephen King, The Running Man (1987), has become a cult favorite in cinematic history. It received mixed reviews at the time, but it had enough of a hold to get the green light for a remake, released just recently. If you’re a fan of either the book, the original film, or the latest version and are looking for your next watch, here are our picks for the best movies like The Running Man.
What are the best movies like The Running Man?
While we’d consider The Running Man part of the post-apocalyptic genre, it still has enough action to not fit purely into the dystopian genre like A Clockwork Orange. For our picks, we focused on movies that walk the line between the action and dystopia genres.
The Long Walk (2025)
Released earlier this year, The Long Walk offers a similar setup to The Running Man. While The Running Man has the premise of a race while being tracked by assassins, The Long Walk is much quieter in its approach, though potentially more grim because of it. Set in a dystopian world, fifty boys, one from each state, are chosen to participate in a nationally televised competition known as the “Long Walk”. This competition is a walking marathon, in which the boys must continue walking at a set speed limit of 3 mph. If they fall below, they’re given a warning. After three warnings, they’re killed. The winner takes home a cash prize and the fulfillment of one request.
The movie was directed by Francis Lawrence (known for his work on The Hunger Games franchise) and written by J.T. Mollner, adapted from Stephen King’s novel, which was initially published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman.
Battle Royale (2000)
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku and adapted from Koushun Takami’s novel, this Japanese film is often seen as a precursor to The Hunger Games. Whether it directly inspired Suzanne Collins’ series is debatable, but the similarities are there. Unlike The Hunger Games, this movie was not aimed at teenagers as its primary audience, so the violence is far more intense. Set in a totalitarian Japanese society, teenagers are taken to a remote island where they must fight to the death. They are given weapons, a map, and rations, and they wear explosive collars that activate if they disobey the rules or refuse to participate. It’s an even more terrifying depiction of a battle royale than The Hunger Games.
Minority Report (2002)
We couldn’t have a dystopian sci‑fi action list without Minority Report. This early‑aughts classic, directed by Steven Spielberg, takes place in Washington in 2054, where a specialized police force monitors potential criminals. Their information comes from three psychics known as “Pre-Cogs,” who help police stop crimes before they occur. Would-be killers are captured and placed in an electrically induced coma before the crime happens, raising the central ethical dilemma of the film. Crime is generally low, except for acts of passion that can’t be predicted. The movie picks up speed when the department’s head, played by Tom Cruise, is flagged as a future criminal.
This quick synopsis doesn’t really do the film justice, nor does it speak to Spielberg’sSpielberg’s ability to work with emerging CGI technology. The film was a huge commercial and critical success upon release. Even Roger Ebert didn’t hesitate to name it the film of the year, and if you know anything about Roger Ebert — who had no problem with blunt criticism — this is a statement. From his review, Ebert wrote, “At a time when movies think they have to choose between action and ideas, Steven Spielberg’sSpielberg’s Minority Report is a triumph—a film that works on our minds and our emotions.” And we’d have to agree.
The Hunt (2020)
Scheduled for release in 2020, The Hunt was one of those controversial movies intended as a satirical take on the divide between the left and the right, and it ultimately came out at a time when real-life tensions were already rising. The studio pulled the film from release due to its controversial takes. “We stand by our filmmakers and will continue to distribute films in partnership with bold and visionary creators, like those associated with this satirical social thriller, but we understand that now is not the right time to release this film”, the studio said in a statement. The film was later released on streaming platforms.
Interestingly, critics on both sides of the political aisle seemed inflamed, viewing it as both anti-liberal and anti-conservative. In its ambiguity, the movie had a strong premise and was expected to do really well. Unfortunately, the timing of its release somewhat worked against it. In some ways, it also missed the marks it was aiming for, but the same can be said of The Running Man. It’s unlikely any of us are here only for critic darlings with perfect execution.
Directed by Craig Zobel with a screenplay by Damon Lindelof, Nick Cuse, and Richard Connell, The Hunt follows a group of strangers who wake up in a remote location, only to discover they’ve been chosen as part of a deadly game where wealthy elites hunt humans for sport.
Strange Days (1995)
Strange Days certainly fulfills the requirements to be included in the action-thriller-dystopia category alongside The Running Man. Yet, it does something incredibly different with its premise, leaning more heavily into the dark side of sci-fi technology. It explores some of the most disturbing conceptual ideas, but it was largely overlooked in the late 90s, overshadowed by movies like The Matrix.
The general plot takes us to Los Angeles during the last days of the 20th century, right before Y2K. The city is overrun by crime and violence, and the best way to escape this reality is to plug into a head-jack that lets you see through others’ eyes in a distorted-reality VR. The software can record others’ lives for playback later. Early on, we see a live recording of a robbery, which is then shared. If it sounds like a precursor to Facebook Live or other social media platforms that allow live video, you’d be right.
In terms of character, the movie centers on former policeman Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes), who deals in the lucrative trade of selling these VR recordings. But when Lenny stumbles upon a recording of a murder, he uncovers a larger conspiracy involving the very police force he once served.
How we picked the best movies like The Running Man
To narrow down our choices for movies like The Running Man, we tried to define the crossover of genre styles. Our movie picks reflected similar genres — action, dystopia, and thriller. While none of our picks matches the full-throttle experience of The Running Man, they’re great films that explore similar themes with an approximate (if not better) level of entertainment value.
Honorable mentions not included on this list that lean more toward action or sci-fi are Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Blade Runner (1982), and The Matrix (1999).
