Upon the release of his first self-titled solo album in 1970, Paul McCartney announced that The Beatles had dissolved their partnership. In the wake of the breakup of the most beloved band of all time, McCartney stated that his only plan was…to grow up. The documentary Man on the Run follows McCartney’s career trajectory following that pivotal moment through the next decade.
Following the breakup of The Beatles, McCartney found himself somewhat adrift until he hit upon the idea of forming a new band alongside his wife, Linda, and former member of The Moody Blues Denny Laine. That band – eventually credited as Paul McCartney & Wings – would prove to be one of the more popular bands of the decade, producing multiple hits, including the seminal album Band on the Run (1973), until it too dissolved at the end of the decade.
Director Morgan Neville assembles archival footage and interviews alongside audio interviews with the likes of Mick Jagger, Chrissie Hynde, Mary and Stella McCartney, as well as Sean Ono Lennon to create a wholly entertaining and often illuminating portrait of one of the most well-known artists of the last half century. Often creative and out-of-the-box editing courtesy of Alan Lowe links picture to picture to video in often seamless transitions that echo the creativity of the film’s subject.
Perhaps what is most startling about the film is how forthright it is in addressing the behemoth of a “legend” that McCarthey – and The Beatles – have become. Throughout the film, there is an earnestness and innocence that is a welcome approach not usually afforded to tales of this band. Told from McCartney’s perspective – something that for a considerable period of time seemed divisive to the members of the band themselves – the film portrays an often surprisingly objective viewpoint from which to examine the phenomenon that followed McCartney into the decade after the breakup of The Beatles.
Paul McCartney in “Man on the Run.”
Although the 1995 documentary series The Beatles Anthology may be viewed as the more definitive examine of the whole of the phenomenon of the most successful band of all time, Man on the Run does give the story a unique perspective that perhaps paints McCartney’s post-Beatle work and actions against his former bandmates in a different and more positive way than has been previously afforded.
Throughout Man on the Run, the point is made clear that the story is being told from McCartney’s point of view. Remarkably though, it retains an objectivity that allows it to transcend other tales of the band that felt far more one sided or skewed to a certain point of view. Overall, the film makes for a fitting ode to the work of the man, who, one could argue, was the driving member of the most important band of all time.
WHERE TO WATCH: (powered by JustWatch)
| Producer: | Morgan Neville, Chloe Simmons, Meghan Walsh, Scott Rodger, Ben Chappell, Michele Anthony, David Blackman |
| Release Date: | February 27, 2026 |
| Running Time: | 115 minutes |
| Starring: | Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Laine |
| MPAA Rating: | R (for language) |
| Director: | Morgan Neville |
| Distributor: | Amazon MGM Studios |
| External Info: | Official Site |
