Review of The Running Man (1987) by James P — 20 Dec 2013

I had heard of this film when I was a kid but never got around to seeing it. Although I had seen many of Arnold's films this is probably one of his best. The film's plot is actually about felons allowed to compete in a gauntlet of chaos where kill or be killed is the general premise.

This is obviously depicted in a dystopian futuristic US. But one has to look deeper to see the real meaning of the film. The movie is actually a social commentary on the downfall of tv in the 1980's with a ton of forsight.

Much of the film is way ahead of its time probably about 20 years. With the creation of reality shows in the mid 1990's up until now along with extreme shows like Survivor; tv has gone down hill to say the least.

People will do anything for money including debasing themselves & making fools out of others. The movie shows how people were becoming like animals back then, & it is getting far worse now. The cruelty of society is played out on reality tv & this film is no different.

I was impressed with the performances. The film uses a simplistic plot to say a lot about where our society was going then in re to entertainment & where it is going now. There are some cameos in the film such as the main character from Friday The 13th Part 6 in the crowd.

These kinds of shows are not that far off now. A must see.