Synopsis
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.
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Cast
- Arnold SchwarzeneggerBen Richards
- Richard DawsonDamon Killian
- María Conchita AlonsoAmber Mendez
- Yaphet KottoWilliam Laughlin
- Jim BrownFireball
- Jesse VenturaCaptain Freedom
- Erland van LidthDynamo
- Marvin J. McIntyreHarold Weiss
- Gus RethwischBuzzsaw
- Professor Toru TanakaSubzero
Recommendations
- 80
Empire
Never managing to look more hi-tech or further on from 1987 than, well, Hi-tech trainers, this Arnie vehicle still runs it's bloody course without dropping many gears. A brainless, breathless thrill. - 70
The New York Times
Has the manners and the gadgetry of a sci-fi adventure film but is, at heart, an engagingly mean, cruel, nasty, funny send-up of television. It's not quite Network, but then it also doesn't take itself too seriously. - 63
Chicago Sun-Times
The one element in the movie that is not standard and that does have some energy is the TV show itself, with Dawson's performance as the egotistical, sleaze-bag host. - 60
Los Angeles Times
For the right audience, it'll be fun. It's for action movie fans with a taste for something off the beaten track -- but not too far. And for people who like to rail and spew against the vulgarity and stupidity of TV -- but keep watching it all anyway. - 50
The A.V. Club
Once things get going, The Running Man just turns into a silly chase movie populated by baddies who look like B-level pro-wrestling villains. - 50
Chicago Tribune
Dawson, though, burrows into his role with all the zeal of a perennial second banana recognizing the opportunity of a lifetime. It's the one naturalistic performance in this cartoonish film, carrying with it the implicit authority of years of firsthand experience shaped, perhaps, by some late-night introspection. [13 Nov 1987, p.B] - 40
TV Guide Magazine
With a wholly derivative concept, confused scripting, and incredibly sloppy direction, THE RUNNING MAN is a frustrating experience. - 40
Variety
Format works only on a pure action level, with some exciting, but overly repetitious, roller-coaster style sequences of runners hurtling into the game through tunnels on futuristic sleds. Schwarzenegger sadistically dispatches the baddies, enunciating typical wisecrack remarks (many repeated from his previous films), but it’s all too easy, despite the casting of such powerful presences as Jim Brown and former wrestlers Jesse Ventura and Prof. Toru Tanaka.
