Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Running Man’

Written by Scott Edwards

Growing up in the 80’s, I was privy to many things that kids these days will never understand, but one thing that they might know about is one of the biggest action stars in history; Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not being able to watch most of his movies when they came out, since they were rated R, I have had to make up for lost time. With action movies being the biggest thing in the 80’s that I can remember, it seems a bit unfair that they all had to be so gory or have naughty language thus keeping the youth from that generation from being able to watch them, but alas, hindsight is 20/20 and most movie companies now understand the importance of having a lesser rating to draw more people in to see their films.

After the world economy has collapsed, police forces are forced to stay on high alert and Ben Richards is leading his team into battle. After disobeying a direct command to kill civilians in a food riot, Ben is relieved of duty and is framed for the actions that took place. Being locked up, Richards and his band of freedom fighters are looking for a way to escape and have finally found one when the guards get too relaxed in doing their jobs. With Harold and William by his side, the team is able to bring down the gates and escape scot free. Not truly understanding their cause, Richards goes his own way and has a plan to disappear once and for all.
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Arriving at his brother’s apartment, Richards is surprised to see a pretty young woman named Amber living there instead. Finding out that his brother has been taken away, it is time for him to find a way to leave as well. Trying to leave the state with Amber’s travel card, Richards is caught at the airport with nothing to show for it. Being taken to the offices of the biggest television show producer in the world, Richards is asked about his future and if he would like to try and battle for his freedom. Not agreeing to anything right away, he is conned into going onto the show to try and keep his fellow escapees from facing certain death.

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The Running Man is run by Damon Killian and has been a huge success over the years, bringing criminals to justice in a gladiator match while featuring some of the most recognizable faces on television. But Killian is not without problems of his own when his ratings are not high enough and he needs someone to come on the show to make a stir and Richards is his man. With an agreement in place, Killian goes against his word and sends Harold and William into the four hundred block area to fight alongside him.  Sending in the first Stalker, Killian sees that Richards and his friends will not go down without a fight. After the first Stalker death, Richards discovers what the mysterious organization known as The Underground is really up to and why Harold and William are there in the first place. Wanting to give the voice back to the people, the Underground is focused on taking down the network and trying to get the world back to normal. With Richards on their side, they might be able to achieve their goal, but with more Stalkers on the way to kill Richards and his friends, it will not be an easy task.

What a ride, full of action and one liners, I wish that action movies could capture the imagination like this one did almost thirty years ago. With some big names and ex wrestlers being featured in the movie, it is one heck of story that is being told in the background. With the promise of freedom if they survive their time on the show, only three people have made it all the way through and are supposedly living the life of leisure and that is what everyone wants. Richards never really changes his ideas in the movie about what he wants to do but does develop a soft spot for the Underground and wants to lead them to glory. 

​But the best part about this movie is the Stalkers who all have their own way of making a kill on the show and they do it in style. Even though he was not involved in the fighting, Damon Killian is one of my favorite villains of all time, with his ability to manipulate the crowd and make sure that they are always on his side when all is said and done. I was upset when the movie ended and if a sequel was ever commissioned, it would need to be tied directly this story since there is so much more of this world that needs to be seen, especially after Killian bites the big one.