Morgan Neville turns his lens on Paul McCartney in Man on the Run, a new documentary exploring the post-Beatles years and the formation of Wings. The film arrives a few months after companion book Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run was released in November.

Man on the Run offers an intimate look at Paul McCartney’s life after The Beatles, focusing on his work with Wings alongside his wife, Linda. The documentary traces his solo career, highlighting the challenges he faced while crafting music that would define a new era. Featuring rare archival footage and previously unseen material, the film presents McCartney’s post-Beatles journey with remarkable openness and depth.

I saw Man on the Run back in November, just days before getting the chance to check out The Beatles Anthology when press screeners were made available. Suffice it to say, I was in a Beatles state of mind—complete with my Paul McCartney shirt from the On the Run tour stop in Cincinnati. Did I learn anything I didn’t already know? Quite possibly. But that largely didn’t matter; the real joy was experiencing the film on the big screen with a remastered soundtrack packed with McCartney classics.

Outside of select theatrical screenings, the film was only available for two nights before its Prime Video launch. I don’t know how large the theaters were, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they sold out. Die-hard McCartney fans likely already caught it. I would have done the same if I hadn’t seen it back in November. Now, though, everyone else has a chance to watch Man on the Run. One advantage of home viewing is that fans can fully rock out during the songs.

Paul’s longtime studio engineer, Steve Orchard, who worked on the many Archive Collection McCartney reissues as well as the recent Wings Blu-ray, provided Dolby Atmos mixes of Wings classics. For this documentary, Orchard created new Atmos mixes for every featured track—both completed songs and session recordings—using a 7.1.4 mixing system. The results are absolutely stunning.

Despite what you may have heard, there’s a persistent idea that Paul McCartney caused The Beatles’ breakup. Man on the Run puts that notion to rest. Yes, Paul did sue the rest of the band—but that was a matter of business and partnership. What other choice did he have? Two weeks before Abbey Road was released, John Lennon unexpectedly announced at a group meeting on September 16, 1969, that he was leaving to perform with the Plastic Ono Band. You can’t blame Paul for feeling left out; The Beatles had been his life for over a decade.

After releasing his first solo album, Paul and John engaged in a post-Beatles feud through the press. Thankfully, they reconciled before Lennon’s tragic murder in December 1980. I’ve seen Paul’s clipped reaction to the news (“Yeah, it’s a drag, isn’t it”) but in Man on the Run, it’s accompanied by Sean Ono Lennon’s reflections, giving the moment real emotional weight. Remember, McCartney was in shock, and the press demanded immediate reactions before he had time to mourn a friend of more than twenty years.

But let’s back up: Paul married Linda Eastman in March 1969. Following The Beatles’ breakup, they retreated to their farm in Campbeltown, Scotland, while Paul worked on his solo album, McCartney. Ironically, that album arrived just a month before Let It Be. By the end of 1970, he was working with Linda and session musicians on Ram. After that, he decided to form another band: Wings. Their early years were rough, playing university gigs before eventually hitting America for the Wings Over America tour. The band ultimately disbanded in 1981 while the film concludes shortly after Lennon’s death.

What makes Morgan Neville the ideal director for Man on the Run isn’t just his experience telling the stories of Fred Rogers or Steve Martin—it’s his musical sensibility. He even won an Oscar for 20 Feet From Stardom. I love Neville’s approach here: rather than relying on talking heads, present-day interviews often play as voiceovers against archival footage or photographs. In fact, all six of his interview sessions with Paul were strictly audio. Not a single interview was recorded with a camera rolling. And there’s a wealth of archival material on display.

At this point in McCartney’s life, we see his reinvention after The Beatles’ breakup and his love story with Linda. Keeping the focus contained to 1969–1980 works in the film’s favor. Would I love to see something extending into the 1980s? Absolutely. But that’s unlikely—at least in documentary form.

Thanks to Morgan Neville’s direction and the wealth of archival material, this period of Paul McCartney’s life finally gets its due in Man on the Run. At 115 minutes, it’s too short to cover his entire life, but what it does cover is compelling, intimate, and beautifully presented. If you can’t watch a multi-part documentary, this one is more than enough—picking up right where The Beatles: Get Back left off, it’s a must-see for McCartney and Beatles fans alike.

DIRECTOR: Morgan Neville
FEATURING: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison, Linda McCartney, Mary McCartney, Stella McCartney, Mike McCartney, Denny Laine, Denny Seiwell, Henny McCullough, Geoff Britton, Joe English, Laurence Juber, Steve Holly, Sean Ono Lennon, Mick Jagger, Chrissy Hynde, Aubrey Powell, John Hammel, Peter Doggett

Man on the Run streams globally on Prime Video beginning February 27, 2026. Grade: 5/5

Please subscribe to The Solzy Report and visit Dugout Dirt.