The Running Man

Today's movie will be familiar to anyone who has read/seen the recent cultural phenomenal 'The Hunger Games', in that it's core concepts are practically identical. The penultimate film in our celebration of the former Californian Governator, The Running Man.

Released in 1987, under the direction of Paul Michael Glaser (originally Andrew David) and starring Arnold along-side Maria Alonso, Richard Dawson, Yaphet Kotto and Marvin McIntyre; it features, as I hinted before, a group of people fighting for survival in a brutal contest that is broadcast to the nation. It's another classic Arnold 'Kill and quip' thriller, and another one released from the golden age of action flicks. What does it have in store for you? Allow me to fill you in.

The film is set in the far future (2017). The world, would you believe it, has become a dystopia, in which the Government placates the hoi polloi by broadcasting a number of ultra-violent TV shows. One of the most popular of these is The Running Man, in which convicted criminals are placed in a gladiatorial arena, and forced to battle trained warriors. The winners receive a full pardon and are set free, the losers get exactly what they deserve. What you expect, sorry.

Enter Ben Richards (Schwarzenegger) a military pilot who, after refusing to fire on a group of starving civilians, gets himself arrested, and the entire incident is doctored to look like he not only fired upon the civilians, but did so out of disobedience and malice. Thus, Richards is imprisoned, and eventually blackmailed into competing in the show by it's charismatic host Killian (Dawson). Also forced to take part as 'runners' are 2 of Arnold's friends Laughlin & Weiss (Kotto and McIntyre respectively), and Amber (Alonso), who grassed him up and got him in this mess in the first place.

Our 4 main characters are forced to defend themselves against a host of choleric, bloodthirsty baddies who wield weapons such as chainsaws, flamethrowers and razor-sharp hockey sticks. To defeat them and bring down the smug, suit-wearing villain, Arnold is forced to summon all his bulging muscles and facetious one-liners, resulting in all of his trademarks coming out in full bloom.

The 80s and early 90s were rife with movies of this nature, and Schwarzenegger was most definitely in his element. Not being famed for his acting prowess, the filmmakers very wisely allowed Arnold's actions do the talking. As a result, many of the films were pretty samey, but if you liked the concept, you always got a kick out of them, and that's what we have with The Running Man. Anyone familiar The Hunger Games and the Japanese Battle Royal film series will be familiar with the set up. Unlike Total Recall, which had a very unique concept, The Running Man doesn't. Other criticisms include an uninteresting villain who's only real motivation is money and recognition, and a very bland female lead who's only job is to look pretty and be rescued from peril.

If you are looking for a run-of-the-mill Schwarzenegger film, this is a fair choice. If you are looking for more depth and substance, I would skip it. It's not the best movie he's ever made; far from it. But don't worry, we'll cover that film next week.