Schwarzenegger Week: The Running Man

Day 3 of Schwarzenegger Week is here!  Are you folks tired of over-the-top acting and ridiculous violence??!!  No?  Well then it is time we look to the future of law enforcement, crime and punishment.  With overpopulation, a lack of jobs and healthcare how do we give the people what they want?  How about an old Roman classic with a gladiatorial fight to the death?  This is The Running Man.

Survey says, " LET'S PLAY THE RUNNING MAN!"

Ben Richards: I told Killian I would be back.  I don't want to be a spoiler.








The year is 2017 and the global economy has completely collapsed leaving countries to fend for themselves as America as you knew it is now a police state censoring all forms of media and activity.  To keep the populace pacified a series of TV shows are at the ready to remove convicts from our gene pool in daily game shows.   The most popular is The Running Man hosted by Damon Killian (Richard Dawson of The Devil's Brigade, Hogan's Heroes, Love, American Style, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and Hong Kong Phooey) and boy has he handed a whopper of a contestant.  Former police pilot Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger of  The Streets of San Francisco, Scavenger Hunt, Conan the Destroyer, Commando, Predator and Total Recall) flew overhead of a food riot in Bakersfield, his superior instructs him to mow them down and he refuses. His own men jump and bind him while cutting civilians down.

Yeesh, Sub-Zero really let himself go.

Framed for their deaths and stuck in a labor camp he makes a jail break with his inmate friends tough guy Laughlin (Yaphet Kotto of Live and Let Die, Roots, Alien, Othello, For Love and Honor and Homicide: Life on the Street) and tech geek Weiss (Marvin J. McIntyre of Short Circuit, Project X, The Presido, Twins and Back to the Future Part III).  The three part ways when Richards says he just wants to live the quiet life and hang out with his brother.  He discovers his brother's apartment has been re-leased to another tenant Amber Mendez (Maria Conchita Alonso of Moscow on the Hudson, Fear City, Blood Ties, Colors, Vampire's Kiss, Predator 2 and Roosters) and she knows him to be a mad dog killer of women and children. Amber alerts (tee hee) the police and security to capture Richards and Killian gets our boy for the show.  Will Richards race to the finish or will he just be dead meat on the side of the road?

Some fun trivia about the film at this time.  The novel, The Running Man written by novelist Stephen King of which the movie is very loosely based on was written in about 72 hours.  

Arnold's campaign bus was titled running man for Governor.  Supporting character of the Resistance consisted of Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac and Rocker Frank Zappa's son Dweezil both wanting to check out Arnold and be in an action flick.

It is said that the inspiration for American Gladiators came from this movie and not a history book.  Hell at least they didn't channel either concept's lethal obstacles.  

Need a painful pun?