The Running Man (1987)
Run run run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the Butcher of Bakersfield!
Brief Backstory
Stephen King, one of the most revered novelists in modern history, wrote The Running Man some time in the 1980s. Shortly afterwards, Arnold Schwarzenegger starred as Ben Richards, and would once again like in most of his appearances nail the role.
Story
Despite the truth, Ben Richards is convicted of mass murder and is put on a lethal game show hosted by Damon Killian where he is hunted by multiple stalkers.
Random Facts
Stephen King doesn’t like this movie. Fair enough, I hate Cujo.
Richard Dawson, the original host of Family Feud, is Killian.
Squidward Tentacles (Rodger Bumpass) is the announcer of The Running Man.
Ratchet Deadlocked on the PlayStation 2 appears to have taken some inspiration from The Running Man. Same with the battle arenas in Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal.
Random Opinions
I wonder if Subzero in this movie’s related to the Mortal Kombat character.
Well it’s past the year that this movie takes place in and thankfully none of that’s happened. Though the economy’s got some problems in the last 15 years or so.
If Bob Barker was the host of The Running Man that would be funny.
Pros
- Like most Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, this movie has classic one-liners, notably when Richards kills Subzero.
- Great gunfight near the end of the movie.
- Dynamo singing opera makes him probably the best of the stalkers.
- The fake out at the end where it looks like Ben’s about to fight a guard was funny.
- Good CGI for when this movie came out.
- Great fight scenes.
Cons
- Violence can be over-the-top and may not sit well with some viewers.
- Bad guy with the chainsaw seems little stock.
Rating: 7.5/10 – Good
Another fun Arnold Schwarzenegger adventure, which is the case for the majority of his movies. I think the movie could’ve had some better scenes but for the most part it’s one of the better action movies of the late 80s. Not as good as Die Hard or Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but a fun one nonetheless.
One response to “The Running Man”
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Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver) is working on a remake of The Running Man. A much faithful adaptation of the book. I see you don’t have any Sci-Fi related movie reviews. Allow me to give you a ton of requests. They’ll help you earn more followers, views and likes. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
Picks – Interstellar, Blade Runner, Dredd 2012, Total Recall 1990, RoboCop, Starship Troopers, The Terminator 1-2, Alien, Aliens, Minority Report, Rise of the Planet of the Apes Trilogy, Edge of Tomorrow, Dark City, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Predator, District 9, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Trilogy, Sunshine 2007, Ex Machina, Annihilation & The Matrix Trilogy.
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