SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
After the Beatles split up in 1970, there was immense pressure on Paul McCartney to figure out what was next. After all, he’s played music with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr since he was a teenager. Now he was over 30, newly married, and had to go it alone. Would he form another band? Would he go solo? Regardless, how would he fare because it could never live up to the Beatles, right? Through archival footage, the Liverpool native narrates how he navigated a new family, living in Scotland, making music without his “mates,” touring with a rotating cast of musicians and, eventually, the death of his estranged best friend Lennon.
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
McCartney may be the star that’s profiled but director Morgan Neville is the star of the show. The Penn alum finds a way to tell an intriguing story without using a current day talking head. Neville uses the voices of McCartney, his late wife Linda, various former Wings band members, Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger and Lennon’s son Sean (among others) to give the audience a peak into an era of McCartney’s life and career that’s often overlooked.
Already having crushed it with the 2018 Mister Rogers documentary WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? and the 2024 Pharrell Williams doc PIECE BY PIECE, Neville levels up yet again by making something out of (almost) nothing thanks to his creative flair. Whether it’s a billboard peeling to reveal dialogue or young girls’ heads being popped out of photos to illustrate their excitement or animated newspaper clippings, there’s no denying Neville pulls out all the stops to make MAN ON THE RUN what it is.
With a two hour runtime, it does feel a little long in the back half. Even the incredibly touching recounting of Lennon’s murder fades because the film seems about 15 minutes longer than it needs to be. But, if that’s the only complaint, it’s damn good.
If you’re a music fan in the slightest, MAN ON THE RUN is not to be missed. Neville brings dated, grainy photos and videos to life in an effort to tell the story of McCartney trying to step out of the Beatles’ shadow. Not many documentaries get a theatrical release so, when Amazon Prime drops this in 2026, make time to see it.
JKG SCORE: 7.5
Untitled Film Project 