Review of The Running Man (1987) by Jamey D — 25 Apr 2016

I love the look of the future back in 80s movies, and The Running Man has to be the most 80s-looking future I've ever seen. There's some serious camp in this film and I imagine people who didn't grow up in my generation would find it too silly to enjoy.

I actually have fun with the over-the-top nature of the movie, and think it just adds to the story. The world they created in this film is one that might be a little off in its prediction of the future, but not as much as the writers probably expected.

We might not be watching people actually being killed on reality TV, but consistent public humiliation of people is featured on TV every single night for our entertainment. Schwarzenegger is great in the lead role, and he is definitely convincing as a man who could easily fight back against the game.

My only problem with him is that he can't really pull off the sadness you'd expect when he loses his companions. He moves on too quick and easily. But when we look at the cast, I honestly struggle to think of someone who was better casting than Richard Dawson.

His experience on actual game shows makes him an ideal person for the role. And what surprised me was how perfectly he captured the behind-the-scenes persona who cares more about ratings than human life.

He is the perfect characterization of someone who we can hate, but believe that the home audience would love. The story of The Running Man is more fun than it has any right to be, and somehow I can overlook a lot of the logical inconsistencies in it.

This is a movie that was perfect for my generation, and even though I'm seeing it for the first time nearly 30 years after its original release, I still enjoyed it a lot.