The Running Man Parents Guide (2025)

I was able to screen The Running Man in order to write this The Running Man Parents Guide. All opinions are my own.

Get ready for a rollercoaster of action, fun, and adventure as The Running Man hits theaters on 11/14/2025! The cast is beyond perfect. Glen Powell shines as Ben Richards. You can feel his emotions, his character and his role in the movie clearly as he goes from worried dad to hunted to hero. The Running Man starts out with Ben and his daugther, as she is sick and he is looking for a way to earn money to get her medication. Through a series of events he find himself trying out for a game show and ends up on The Running Man.

I will be honest, I haven’t seen the original movie and I haven’t read the book, thought both are on my list and will updated this after that happens, but as a first time inductee of The Running Man, I think the movie was fantastic. It was the perfect balance of action, story and humor. It doesn’t drag with slow backstory – or try and add too much of anything that really is irrelevant. It stays focused on Ben and his adventures over the two and something weeks. I also loved the different characters that were introduced into the story and how each one ended up changing the storyline in a direction that I didn’t expect. My daughter said you would see something coming, and expect it to happen a certain way and then all of sudden out of nowhere it was totally different that what you expected. I agree. They did a great job of keeping you on your toes.

I feel like if you go in looking to be entertained by this great action flick – you will 100% be entertained and leave the theaters having enjoyed a really good movie. So just sit back and relax and enjoy.

On another note – my only real complaint (besides the nudity and language) was that I wish they had left the end a little more open. WIth that said, I hope they make a second one. It would be a lot of fun to see. Read our The Running Man Parents Guide below for all the details about what to expect.

The Running Man opens in theaters on 11/14/2025

Josh Brolin stars in Paramount Pictures’ “THE RUNNING MAN.”

The Running Man Parents Guide

The Running Man is rated R for strong violence, some gore, and language. It runs for 2hr 13m.

There are no end-credit scenes for The Running Man.

Sex & Nudity – 3/5

A Man in an apartment is climbing down a wall, and his towel falls off. Shows his bare backside multiple times, and as he climbs through the window, he is blurred, but from the side.
In a video, a guy is surrounded by naked girls in an orgy type setting. The girls are mostly blurred, but it still doesn’t cover everything.
There are a few shots of a character in a strip club environment, and it shows girls dancing (especially a pole dancer), but they all have string/thong-type outfits.
A guy lies on his bed in just his underwear. It shows his backside, him slapping his butt, and then flipping the camera off.

Violence & Gore – 4/5

A character being tortured
Multiple gunshot wounds that show blood, etc.
Close-up of characters that have been killed
A character was burned to death
Acheliesis’ tendon sliced and shown
Broken glass pulled from skin
Character strangled and stabbed

Profanity & Blasphemy – 4/5

hell (7+ uses)
ass (13+ uses)
bitch – SOB (3+ uses)
Jesus – God – GD (12+ uses)
F*** (35+ uses)
damn (4+ uses)
shit (25+)
Uses of the words nuts, balls, pussy, and shake your dick. Also, people flipping each other off.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking – 2/5

Shows drinking, smoking, drugs, and smokes throughout.

Frightening & Intense Scenes – 2/5

Shows a character being tortured.
Character being burned alive.
Characters being trapped and covered in chemicals and burned
Characters electrocuted
Intense fight scenes and graphic killings
A building explosion
Characters dying execution style

The Running Man is full of all kinds of crazy stuff, from nudity to graphic violence and a fair amount of language. For the most part, the nudity isn’t sexual. The violence is pretty constant, and so is the language. I would recommend this for 18+.

The Running Man opens in theaters 11/14/25

Watch The Running Man in Theaters

About The Running Man:

In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.

Starring	Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Emilia Jones, Michael Cera, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson with Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin
Produced By	Simon Kinberg, Nira Park, Edgar Wright
Executive Produced By	George Linder, James Biddle, Rachael Prior, Audrey Chon, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, Andrew Lary