Review of The Running Man (1987) by Joey E — 27 Mar 2012

Before "The Hunger Games," there was......"The Running Man"!

Can you imagine if one of the filmmakers behind Arnold's bona fide classics - Milius (Conan), Cameron (Terminator 1 & 2), McTiernan (Predator) or Verhoven (Total Recall) - had made this? 'Cause with higher production value and a more accomplished director, this movie could've ended up being much more than just reasonably smart, yet cheesy entertainment. A couple of script re-writes and better supporting actors probably wouldn't have hurt, either.

But the satirical elements (reminiscent of "Robocop") were well done and, dare I say, ahead of their time. The various gladiators and the action scenes centered around them are pretty decent, too. But Arnold, at his charismatic best, is of course the main draw here. I'd even venture so far as to say that this movie features what might be his best one-liners ever.