The Running Man

release year: 1987
genre: action/adventure
viewing setting: home Bluray 5/13/22 and home DVD 3/18/12 and home laserdisc 5/23/97 and a couple of times before that

synopsis: In the near future, society has changed for the worse, and almost everything is illegal. TV controls the masses, mainly through a show wherein criminals must run and fight for their lives. A soldier defies orders and gets framed, then sent into this brutal game.

impressions: This is a highly entertaining movie. It's really a mix of parody and action; the commercials and advertisements run on TV are satirical. The movie's got fights against all kinds of bad guys, ranging from one with razor-sharp hockey sticks to one with chainsaws. There is, of course, the usual quota of one-liners by Arnold. All in all, this is an enjoyable movie.

something this movie has that no other movie has: xxxxxx

acting: Arnold does okay, but it's Richard Dawson who really steals the show here. He's hilarious, a villain who never really gets his hands dirty and spends a lot of time hamming it up. Yaphet Kotto, Dweezil Zappa, and Maria Conchita Alonso are all fellow victims who must fight to survive alongside Arnold.

final word: Good mix of serious action and parody - worth watching.

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