Paul McCartney: Man on the Run

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Paul McCartney: Man on the Run

R

Feb 2026

2h 7m

Documentary

Music

Biography

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100%

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63 Reviews

84%

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100+ Ratings

What happens when you wake up the morning after leaving the most important rock band of all time? In April 1970, Paul released his first solo album, McCartney, alongside a shocking press release that announced the beloved band had split. When asked what he'd do next, he said his only plan... was to grow up. Man on the Run captures Paul's transformative decade in the wake of The Beatles' break-up. Through stunning archival footage, Linda McCartney's exceptional photographs, and interviews with Mick Jagger, Chrissie Hynde, Sean Ono Lennon, Mary and Stella McCartney, all the living Wings members, and of course Paul himself, the film examines this time through a uniquely vulnerable lens.

Critics Consensus

Chronicling Paul McCartney's time spent in the creative wilderness through when he regrew his wings, Man on the Run is a lovely testament to the musical genius and his romantic partnership with Linda McCartney.

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David Bianculli

NPR

Mar 3

Man on the Run is more about the man than it is about his creative process. But his music runs all through the documentary, and it all adds up to an impressive, inspirational second act.

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Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

Mar 2

2.5/4

This one tells an involving story (for fans, anyway) but serves mainly as advertising and image maintenance for its star, and an investment for him and various parties that represent the star’s music, past and future.

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Peter Travers

The Travers Take

Feb 27

3.5/4

In Morgan Neville’s intimate and insightful musical doc, Paul McCartney finds his musical wings without the Beatles but with wife Linda riding shotgun and teaching him about hard to reach places in the heart.

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Sammie Purcell

Rough Draft Atlanta

Mar 30

It won’t necessarily tell any diehard Beatles or McCartney fan anything they didn’t already know, but it does provide some interesting insights into Paul’s psyche during those years ....

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Niall Browne

Movies in Focus

Mar 23

3.5/5

It’s not quite The Beatles Anthology, but in the era of multiple celebrity-produced hagiographies, then Paul McCartney: Man On The Run is definitely one of the better ones.

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Leonardo Garcia Tsao

La Jornada

Mar 16

Paul McCartney: Man on the Run isn't a groundbreaking documentary, and it basically confirms what we already know about its subject. As such, it only covers a small part of the career of an undisputed musical genius. [Full review in Spanish]

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Abigail T

@RT72198624 2d

Creative photography and some crazy editing – I loved this documentary, this masterpiece, and I adore The Wings; I really love the world I live in, hahaha

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Forrest M

@RT32281296 Apr 26

"Man On The Run" is a documentary about Billy Shears or William Shepard ...oops... Paul McCartney during his post-Beatles career specifically the formation of Wings and its music. Hence, the name "Man On The Run" was taken from the Wings signature song "Band On The Run". It tries to show the theme of how Billy Shears was able to use music as therapy after the Beatles break-up, it only reinforces the fact that the real Paul McCartney has indeed passed away in 1966. It tries to connect his musical career from the Beatles to Wings but it fails miserably as we see two different people during both periods as well as the difference in identity, personality and attitude between the real Paul McCartney who is a charismatic guitarist and Billy Shears who is actually a pianist.

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Joe W

@JoeWasik Apr 16

Well made documentary. Not too much information. Let's you listen to enough of McCartney's music. I enjoyed the watch.

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Frans B

@FransB Apr 2

Brilliant! Learned a lot with this. Linda must have been the keystone in the whole "musical building", that empire Paul constructed. Very well told story, also makes one realize that very important things when you are young, are not as important when you grow older and wiser. Great portrait of the McCartney journey through time

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T M

@RT55749265 Mar 29

As Macca gets older there's an honesty he's displaying that means he's putting his turbulent past to rights. Yes, if you're a Mac-head youve probably heard all this before. But the audio narrators are good, the film footage is fascinating and hey! I happen to like the music...so sue me!

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Alejandro E

@Alex970 Mar 28

Those who grew up listening to The Beatles’ music are the ones who will most connect with this biopic. It features Paul McCartney in his own words and covers the 10 years following the break-up of the iconic band. In some way, the narrative manages to hold the viewer’s interest throughout the two-hour runtime.

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Morgan Neville

Director

Paul McCartney

Self

Morgan Neville

Producer

Chloe Simmons

Producer

Meghan Walsh

Producer

Scott Rodger

Producer

Paul McCartney: Man on the Run: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

What happens when you wake up the morning after leaving the most important rock band of all time? In April 1970, Paul released his first solo album, McCartney, alongside a shocking press release that announced the beloved band had split. When asked what he'd do next, he said his only plan... was to grow up. Man on the Run captures Paul's transformative decade in the wake of The Beatles' break-up. Through stunning archival footage, Linda McCartney's exceptional photographs, and interviews with Mick Jagger, Chrissie Hynde, Sean Ono Lennon, Mary and Stella McCartney, all the living Wings members, and of course Paul himself, the film examines this time through a uniquely vulnerable lens.

Director: Morgan Neville
Producer: Morgan Neville, Chloe Simmons, Meghan Walsh, Scott Rodger, Ben Chappell, Michele Anthony, David Blackman
Distributor: Trafalgar Releasing
Production Co: Tremolo Productions
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Documentary, Music, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 19, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 27, 2026
Runtime: 2h 7m