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The Running Man

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The Running Man | Review [ENG-ESP]@davidpena21192d
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  1. The Running Man@cinetv879d

    It's time to staaaaart RUNNING!

    Ah. If you can't tell writing on here has been a serious blast from the past. I mean wow, I had forgotten that Running Man even existed, but funnily enough it was one of my favourite movies of all time back in the 80's.

    I was only 7 years old when this was released and I can remember watching it. An 18 rated film. Parents just didn't care as much as they do now. And I was no isolated case, all my friends had seen it right up to the really good kids that would finish all their work and get 100% on everything.

    It shocks me sometimes that I watched this; I mean there's blood and guts and more blood and people being killed indiscriminately, it's crazy. But us Gen Xers were no naive bunch when it came to violence that's for sure.

    And everyone loves a hero.

    And that's what Arnie was, in most of his films, the hero. It may not seem like it at first when he's taken up in front of the public as someone that massacred lots of people. They call him the butcher who was the instigator of a massive public massacre, similar to Tiananmen Square (which happened after this film, I state it for reference).

    But the twist in this (and as we learn at the beginning, so I'm really not spoiling anything for you) is that good old Arnie defied his orders and refuses to fire hot weaponry on the public, which he was override by his superior and framed and sent down for the deed. Guess they needed a fall guy and he was the perfect match since he refused to do anything.

    So Ben Richards (Arnie) finds himself holed up in a prison for life after that. But as luck would have it, him and a few others are plotting an escape out of the prison, to which they are successful. They would have gotten away too if it wasn't for Damon Killian, the host of "The Running Man" which is a game show broadcast to the whole of America.

    The Running Man is a show where lifetime criminals are given a second chance at freedom at the expense of potential death. They are put up against men with advantages (like one has a flamethrower) and if they can get through the levels against all odds and escape death then they will win their freedom. Kind of like Gladiators in Ancient Rome.

    It seems good on the surface this whole idea of what is happening on the TV, but the game is actually rigged. The chances for people to survive are very very low, and if they actually win the running man then they are killed off under the pretence they have been jetted off to a sunshine island to start a new life. Plus Killian is Lying, and a horrible man.

    This is quite the cult film. The dance the Running Man was even invented by the same person that choreographed this film!

    And like any great idea, this film was made after Steven Kings novel, and is based on it. Quite the dystopian nightmare, although thinking of many of the dystopian films that were made in the 80's and 90's we are somewhat living in their version of it now.

    But all in all, an awesome film, and like all of my recommendations this one is a chart topper!

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  2. Film Review: The Running Man (1987)@drax1518d

    (source: tmdb.org)

    One of the saddest recurring jokes on today’s social media is the claim that Orwell’s 1984 was misinterpreted as instruction manual for our world rather than warning about dystopian future. While many tend to find similarities between today’s reality and Orwell’s dystopian vision, there are other works of dystopian fiction that turned out to be more prophetic. One of those is The Running Man, 1987 science fiction action film directed by Paul Michael Glaser.

    The film is (rather loosely) based on the eponymous novel by Stephen King, originally published under pen name “Richard Bachman”. The plot begins in 2017, a year when USA is suffering from economic collapse and the government tries to keep impoverished masses in check with combination of brutal repression and spectacular television game shows that feature gladiatorial combat. Protagonist, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is Ben Richards, police helicopter pilot who refuses to fire into the crowd of innocent civilians. For his trouble gets arrested, found guilty for actual massacre and sent to penal labour colony. He manages to escape, but is ultimately re-arrested thanks to Amber Mendez (played by Maria Conchita Alonso), television company employee who had been given his brother’s apartment. His escape, however, left a huge impression on Damon Killian (played by Richard Dawson), television company executive and host of “Running Man”, enormously popular game show in which convicts or “runners” have a chance to win freedom if they survive merciless hunt by armed killers known as “stalkers”. Richards very reluctantly agrees to participate only to find out that the game was rigged and he is not supposed to win the contest. He nevertheless proves to be quite resourceful and manages to take out “stalkers” one by one, gradually winning the favour by the audience. At the same time, William Laughlin (played by Yaphet Kotto) and Harold Weiss (played by Marvin J. McIntyre), two of his friends and fellow inmates who belong to resistance movement, want to use the ordeal as an opportunity to sabotage network’s satellite links and bring down government propaganda.

    In 2017 many commentators were finding disturbing similarities between the real world and its fictional depiction in The Running Man. Those details included economic woes that ruined entire generations; governments brutally crushing dissent; tasteless reality shows becoming most popular form of entertainment; media cynically manipulating public with censorship, “fake news” and widespread use of technologies nowadays known as Deepfake. Even the beginning of the film has some unpleasant similarities with 2007 event in Baghdad that would ultimately put Julian Assange in so much trouble. For the audience in 1987, depiction of future world was, however, less important than what they really expected of the film – another opportunity to see their favourite action star Arnold Schwarzenegger take out villains in spectacular fashion followed by obligatory humorous one-liners. Scriptwriter Steven E. de Souza dutifully followed such priorities; most of the content in King’s, rather dark and disturbing novel, is replaced with cliches and tropes, including those of Hollywood dystopian films. So, the protagonist gets aid from resistance movement, which is represented by British musician Mick Fleetwood playing a character very much like himself. There is also an obligatory romantic subplot with character of Maria Conchita Alonzo starting as corporate regime supporter only to see the error of her ways and try to do the right thing, falling in love with the protagonist during the process.

    The Running Man was obviously not intended to be taken too seriously, but it still leaves something to be desired even as a campy science fiction. Reason for that can be found in poor direction by Paul Michael Glaser. Former actor and star of Starsky and Hutch TV series, had most of his directorial experience on television and he was brought to the set as late replacement. As a result, his work couldn’t have improved much on the film which, despite bloated budget, looked relatively cheap, almost like television production. Glaser maintained good pace and, during the mid-section, there are some serious attempts to give more character to various flamboyant “stalkers” sent to kill the protagonists. They are played mostly by professional wrestlers, but the way they are taken out doesn’t look particularly original. Relatively large amount of time and attention are given to show’s female dancers whose work was choreographed by Paula Abdul. Schwarzenegger is adequate in his underwritten role, while the best role belongs to Richard Dawson, actor and television game show host who in many ways played character very much like his real life television persona. Musical score by Harold Faltermeyer is adequate, although not too memorable. Same thing, at the end of the day, can be said for the film in general. Thanks to Schwarzenegger’s stellar status, it had more than decent box office results and is still appreciated by Schwarzenegger’s fans who will enjoy it whether they take film’s prophetic qualities seriously or not.

    RATING: 5/10 (++)

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