There are few, if any, musicians more known worldwide than Paul McCartney. From redefining music with The Beatles, to his years creating and leading Wings, and his decades of solo work – McCartney has been a household name for 50+ years. Amazon Prime’s newest documentary Man On The Run takes a deeper dive into several formative years of McCartney’s life. Years that span the end of The Beatles until Lennon’s untimely death in the early 80s.
Morgan Neville directed the film. Neville has a long history of directing acclaimed documentaries, across different areas of culture. Neville’s prior documentaries cover subjects ranging from music legends like Keith Richards to world-renowned chef Anthony Bourdain. Neville had taken a hiatus from musical documentaries, but the opportunity to tell McCartney’s story was not one he wanted to pass up.
Neville brought a unique style to Man On The Run. He focused on real life footage and strayed from the usual documentary format of filming a person telling a story or describing events. Neville used only audio for all the interviews conducted for the film. The audio then overlayed archival footage, including never before seen clips. He wanted to truly capture the subjects and felt that avoiding filming allowed the interviewee to be more of themselves. Neville believes that “a camera makes things more performative, with people in general. It creates another layer of artificiality that you have to overcome.” The technique pays dividends and adds intrigue and rawness to the film.
In addition to the footage, the film has no shortage of graphics created by animator Winston Hacking. Hacking avoids using computer graphics and instead employs stop motion animation. These animations blend in seamlessly and are incredibly well done. They flawlessly capture the spirit of the era.
A powerful aspect of Man On The Run is the McCartney’s home videos and photos that Paul and his wife Linda meticulously kept. Family and Paul’s relationship with Linda is a central aspect to the film. Man On The Run focuses on the transitions occurring in McCartney’s life. Not only musically, but individually. In a way it is a coming of age story, a story of growth. All the aspects of the film come together beautifully. Neville & co are able to present an engaging look at one of music’s biggest icons. The film is absolutely worth a watch for more than just fans of The Beatles.
Paul McCartney: Man On the Run is streaming now on Prime Video.
