Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Picture this. Ben Richards (Schwarzenegger) is on chopper patrol when an order comes through to fire into an area where inoccent citizens stand. The order of course is obsured, and Richards declines, aborting the mission when his superior passes on orders to Richards' co-pilots to take control of the craft and resume the mission. In a struggle to do what is right, Richards attempts to to keep his co-pilots away from the controls, but fails in doing so as he is simply outmaned. About a year or two later, enter the game show "The Running Man." On the screen in front of a large live audience, we see the events that night of Richards aboard the chopper. The order comes through to not fire, as there are simply too many innocents in the area. Richards defies orders and proceeds to shoot down a number of innocents and destroy that particular area of town. This is just one of the twisted setups for the most famous form of televised entertainment in the year 2017, hosted by David Killian (Richard Dawson).

Running Man was released in 1987, taking place in 2017. It's pretty much an established fact that any 80's film taking place in the future usually looks like an even more 80's future. No different here, Running Man is filled with cheesy costumes, lots of neon flashly lights, and a dowtown Los Angeles that looks nothing like the city today. And like many movies set in the future, it's not a happy place. The economy is bust, and the living conditions we see are pretty downright nasty. Unless you are Richard Killian, who's gameshow has probably made him the most famous (and a very rich) man in America. Little does the majority know that "He is lying to you". Killian's choice of contestants are whoever he can get his hands on, however, his audience thinks these are scumbag criminals who deserve to die at the hands of the "Stalkers" - the guys who chase those contestants down and do the killing, in style of course. Richards catches Killian's eye, and he has no difficulty getting ahold of him. Along with his two buddies and a girl he meets along the way (Maria Conchita Alonso), Richards is caught in the deadly game show dueling it out with all types of Stalkers.

The story is almost non-existent, but the idea behind the film is rather entertaining. The game show scenes are packed with excitement and screaming fans, and Richard Dawson given his real life experience makes an excellent host (though he's a bit more evil in the movie's role). The dialouge and acting, as expected, is well below par, but the Arnie one-liners just keep on coming. "Hey Christmas Tree. Follow me light bulb." I mean, only Arnold could say something like that. The action scenes are fun too, with Stalkers dressed up in ridiculous costumes (the guy really does look like a Christmas tree) they also each have their own abilities, such as being armed with a chainsaw, a deadly hockey stick, or even the ability to shoot electricity (huh?) Yes you heard right, but I'm telling you, it's fun. Especially when we get to see the battle of the govenors. Though it's not an actual fight (you'll see what I mean) Arnold takes on Jesse Ventura aka Captain Freedom...."No pain, no gain!"

It's a downright guilty pleasure. Arnold fans must add to their collection. It has all the weaknesses of a B-movie, but carries all the positives as well. As silly as it is, Running Man is a good hour and half of mindless fun.

Acting - 2.5
Action - 4
Characters - 3.5
Story - 3
Overall - 3.5

i have been wanting to get hold of the this copy of the DVD starring Arnold Schwarzenegger since i was a young boy.However, where I am staying I cant find this dvd at all and I have been searching for this movie for years.Finally,i came across this website and I found what I was looking for.I purchased it immediately.I eventually arrived at my doorstep.
The only issue was the dvd case had cracks on it,must be due to the ship handling but the 2 disc edition dvds were perfectly fine.

I watched the movie and I was amazed at it special features,extras.So i decided to purchase for 2 other movies from amazon.I am now waiting for them to arrive and I am a happy customer wanting to buy more from amazon again.The one stop place for the huge database of movies.The Running Man (Special Edition)