In the year 2019, America is a totalitarian state where the favorite television program is “The Running Man” — a game show in which prisoners must run to freedom to avoid a brutal death. Having been made a scapegoat by the government, an imprisoned Ben Richards (Schwarzenegger) has the opportunity to make it back to the outside again by being a contestant on the deadly show, although the twisted host, Damon Killian (Dawson), has no intention of letting him escape.
- Based on the novella The Running Man by Stephen King.
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Gee…Arnold had some action classics, didn’t he? Back in his heyday, he kept coming out with films like Predator, Commando, The Terminator, Total Recall… and The Running Man. Based on a novel by Richard Bachman, this action flick (despite not doing well at the box office) made an impact – the popular show American Gladiators (TV) was inspired by this film. And all without the filmmakers knowing that Richard Bachman was actually Stephen King when they optioned the rights. But, would this odd collaboration of Stephen King and Arnold Schwarzenegger still work today, or had time raced past another one?
Arnold Schwarzenegger is busting heads and tossing wisecracks – in other words, his norm – in The Running Man. He works well in his role as Ben Richards, as viewers can believe he’s overpowering these big muscle guys, yet he manages to be personable and deliver his one-liners with a grin. That’s where he has always excelled, and it’s no different here.
The rest of the cast is decent as well. Maria Conchita Alonso’s accent battles with Ah-nold, and the two make an interesting pairing. Jim Brown and Jesse Ventura pop up in entertaining roles, and Richard Dawson (of Family Feud (TV)) is perfect as the sleazy game show host. He takes his real-life experience as game show host and turns it into a performance so slimy, he’s easy to hate – great for a villain role.
While it takes a few things from King’s novella, The Running Man definitely goes off on its own path. While there is an underlying theme of people desensitized to violence, and one man’s journey on a violent game show of the future, that’s about where the similarities end. And in this case, that’s probably a good thing. King’s novella is a much more taut thriller than action pic, and Arnold just wouldn’t have fit well in that vision. In this one, however, there’s still that theme running through, but the picture is different enough the viewer can actually enjoy both the film and the novella as two separate entities.
The special effects are pretty good, even without considering how old they are. Probably the only one sreally affected by the passage of time are those of Dynamo, whose blue lightning is very similar to the crappy lighting effects 80’s flicks are known for. It’s not nearly as bad in The Running Man, but some of his scenes still look a bit dated.
With classic Arnold spewing one-liners as he takes down his foes, a decent cast and a perfect choice for a villain, The Running Man delivers all the over-the-top action and humor fans of Arnold’s classic movies could want. Sure, there’s some flaws (that soundtrack is so late 80’s – and not the popular stuff either), but all in all it’s a fun, violent, action pic with a theme that’s still relevant today. Sure, it’s over-the-top, but that’s just part of the fun.
