The Running Man
Published 2025-02-08
Film info
- Title The Running Man
- Director Paul Michael Glaser
- Year 1987
- Run time 1hr 41m
- Genres Action, Thriller, Science Fiction, Crime
- Tagline It is the year 2019. The Running Man is a deadly game no one has ever survived. But... Schwarzenegger has yet to play.
- Cast Arnold Schwarzenegger
By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and U.S. society has become a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The government pacifies the populace by broadcasting a number of game shows in which convicted criminals fight for their lives, including the gladiator-style The Running Man, hosted by the ruthless Damon Killian, where 'runners' attempt to evade 'stalkers' and certain death for a chance to be pardoned and set free.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 2:05 | Quite a lot to set up in the initial text crawl. |
| 9:20 | Why does someone always run even though everyone says not to? |
| 10:16 | Bonus for reporting family members. That's so bad. |
| 20:17 | "I can get ten points for his biceps alone." |
| 29:06 | Climbing For Dollars! |
| 36:10 | Clever editing to make the innocent actions look guilty. |
| 39:39 | This TV show last for three hours or more? Oof. |
| 50:45 | This has such a Gladiators/Hunger Games/Gladiator vibe about it. |
| 1:02:41 | Their disappointment at the death. But they would cheer the other death. So weird. |
| 1:04:46 | First time he's actually done any running in this gameshow. |
| 1:15:43 | I knew the people on the beach weren't really on a beach. |
| 1:24:34 | I really like Amber. |
Thoughts
What a fever dream of a film this is. At first, I wasn't sure we'd get past the twenty minute rule - some quite poor fight sequences, and all very 80s. But then I was intrigued what was going to happen and ended up being glad I watched the whole thing. It's still a mess of a movie, cheesey and chaotic and god Arnie please stop with those post-murder quips. But it's also scarily prescient. It's supposed to be dystopian but is entirely plausible, and makes predictions such as deepfakes way before they have become a reality. Not a good film but maybe, as it turns out, a really important watch?
Rating: 3 / 5