Movie Review – The Running Man (1987)
Imagine a totalitarian world where a police state has control of the media and censors most of society include cultural activities.
Yet in this bleak world exists a horrific yet highly entertaining game show. The television show pits society’s criminals against enforcers (known as “stalkers”) in a gladiator-style arena, complete with fighting to the death for fame and fortune.
Enter the world of 1987′s sci-fi action movie, The Running Man.
Based loosely on the novel by Stephen King (a.k.a. Richard Bachman), in The Running Man, Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Ben Richards, a military pilot who was imprisoned for his failure to take part in a civilian massacre in Bakersfield, California. After a few years in a prison labor camp, Ben Richards and his friends take place in a jailbreak, killing several armed guards in the process.
Instead of joining a resistance movement, Richards flees into Los Angeles to seek refuge with his brother. He later discovers that his brother was also imprisoned, and a new person, Amber Mendez, is now living in his residence. Richards uses Amber in an attempt to flee to Hawaii. While in the airport, Amber yells for the police and Ben Richards is once again captured. This time his destination is to the ICS television network and The Running Man TV show. The show’s host, Damon Killian (played by Richard Dawson), blackmails Richards into competing on the show.
And why does Killian want Ben Richards, a military warrior, to compete on his top-rated television show? For the ratings, of course. He knows that people love blood and violence, and a criminal such as Ben Richards will help the show dominate its time slot and make Killian a fortune.
After the airport incident, Amber Mendez is at home working on a project when the local news captures her attention. Sure enough the news reporters talk about the capture of Ben Richards, but as she sees, the story isn’t quite as accurate as the reporters claim. In fact, it’s intentionally wrong. The reporters portrayed Richards as a violent criminal who critically injured several people during his arrest, when in fact the opposite occurred. This news story motivates Amber to return to ICS to try to find the truth about Ben Richards.
The Running Man (1987) – (c) TriStar Pictures
Meanwhile, The Running Man TV show begins and the live studio audience sees edited news footage detailing Ben Richards’s alleged crimes. Just like the news media, the TV network has Richards portrayed as a bloodthirsty killer who massacred unarmed civilians despite his superiors ordering him against the attack. After that Ben Richards takes the stage, and with the command of Killian, he’s launched on a rocket sled into the world of The Running Man.
The Running Man (1987) – (c) TriStar Pictures
Ben Richards isn’t alone for his journey into the sadistic game. It turns out that Killian went back on his word, and Richards’s two friends from the prison labor camp are also sent into the game with him. Together, the three men have to work together to battle the stalkers hot on their trail.
The Running Man (1987) – (c) TriStar Pictures
While Richards and his colleagues are fighting the first stalker, Amber Mendez has sneaked her way into a secure area of ICS and discovered the correct tapes of the Bakersfield Massacre, the incident surrounding Ben Richards. She’s quickly caught by security, and before the crowd knows it, Amber is also launched into The Running Man as another contestant.
The Running Man (1987) – (c) TriStar Pictures
One by one, the live studio audience and people outside betting on the show are shocked as Ben Richards kills the stalkers. It’s never happened in the history of the blockbuster show. People are speechless. The people begin to place doubt on his abilities, and near the end they’re betting on him to make the next kill and not any of the stalkers.
The Running Man (1987) – (c) TriStar Pictures
But how long can Ben Richards last? Can he clear his name and prove that he’s innocent in the Bakersfield Massacre?
Will the resistance movement succeed in battling ICS and broadcasting the truth behind the country’s state of censorship?
The Running Man (1987) – (c) TriStar Pictures
As a whole, The Running Man is a solid 1980′s science-fiction / action film.
The Running Man isn’t a scary movie. Some of the death scenes may frighten some younger viewers, but as a whole the movie is quite tame for today’s audience. Perhaps the scariest part of the movie is its totalitarian atmosphere and deliberate censoring and altering of news stories. When looking at news reporters and the general state of the so-called “impartial” media today, perhaps we’re not so far off from such a society.
While the general “future tech” lacks a bit for a movie that takes a semi-realistic look into the near future, the general thirst for live action reality shows is right on the money. Considering that the movie takes place only a five years from now, take a look at our biggest television shows, and see just how many of them are reality shows. Sure, the shows are missing the violence of The Running Man, but the obsession with watching other people in “realistic” environments and scenarios still captivates many people. Perhaps I’d start watching Survivor if it was more like The Running Man.
The Running Man works best when you turn off the lights, eliminate the distractions, and just enjoy the movie with a big bowl of popcorn. It’s not a perfect movie and some of the special effects are downright cheesy, but it’s still a fun movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers plenty of action as he nears the peak of his Hollywood career.
The Running Man (1987) – movie trailer
Ben Richards (about to be launched into the arena) – “Killian! I’ll be back!”
Damon Killian – “Only in a rerun.”