The Running Man

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura, Erland van Lidth, Richard Dawson
Directed by: Paul Michael Glaser
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
1987

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In 2019, the most popular television show is "The Running Man," a show where criminals try to survive against a group of brutal stalkers. If they survive, they are granted their freedom and the chance to live in an island paradise. When the wrongly imprisoned Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) reluctantly agrees to be a contestant, he sets out to stay alive and bring down the entire show.

Review:

Tim: The Running Man might be a movie I shouldn't like, but I just can't help it. I never thought of myself as an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, but the guy just makes so many enjoyable movies. This is a futuristic film in the vein of Death Race 2000, but on foot, instead of automobile. It is an entertaining movie because it is stripped down to its vital elements- an innocent man on a game show for criminals, trying to stay alive against overwhelming odds. How can this not be a fun thrill ride? The movie is far from perfect, but it entertains- and that is sometimes all you can ask for.

Schwarzenegger is certainly the main reason this movie succeeds. He has such an incredible screen presence that it is almost impossible to root against him. We immediately identify with him and want him to succeed. Sure, his character is completely full of cliches, but his convincing performance helps us to look past those. He is a good guy, and we want him to defeat the flamboyant Stalkers on the show. Schwarzenegger is able to give us some good action sequences, plus he delivers a number of his trademark one-liners. I admit some are horribly cheesy, others are funny, and his "I'll be back" is iconic. I really liked him in this film.

Maria Conchita Alonso (whew, that's a mouthful) is at least decent. She had a number of very good moments, which offset her poor ones. I didn't love her here, but she was convincing enough, and worked well with Schwarzenegger. I can think of better actresses for the part, but she's mostly fine. Richard Dawson was a fine choice for the charismatic host of "The Running Man." I think it is funny they got the host of Family Feud for this role, and he embraces it with relish. He certainly goes all out as the slimy, easy-to-hate villain of the film. I also liked seeing smaller performances by Jesse Ventura and Jim Brown. However, as is often the case, this movie is truly about Schwarzenegger, and it's because of him that we like it.

While many of the battles are a bit contrived, I have to admit I was entertained throughout the film. The movie wisely keeps the pace going quickly, as we jump from one battle scene to the next. The villains are all easily distinguishable, from Sub Zero to Buzzsaw, Dynamo and Fireball. It was clever ensuring each had their own element, which played into the fight scenes. I enjoyed watching Schwarzenegger battle them on the ice, with chainsaws, car chases, and flame throwers. Each presented a different challenge and kept the movie interested.

Part of me feels like I shouldn't enjoy this movies. On the one hand, you could look at this as a pretty silly movie. However, I think the film wisely balances the action while also generating a few characters we can either love or hate. The movie isn't pretentious or trying to be something that it's not. I appreciate when a film sets out to be true to itself, and this will always be an action movie (and not much more). Maybe I shouldn't like The Running Man, but I think this is a very good action movie regardless. It is entertaining, fun, and overall, quite an enjoyable experience. Not every movie needs to be Oscar worthy, and this is one that works, even if it will never compete for any awards. I had a great deal of fun with this film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Raw Deal, Death Race 2000, Predator, Red Heat, Total Recall