The Running Man is based on an original 1982 novel by Stephen King, whose plot takes place in 2025, a year when the world economy is collapsing, class differences are significant, and street violence is increasing.
In 1987, a fairly campy film adaptation was made starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, presenting a colorful, sci-fi version far from today’s reality. In the current movie, which takes place in a reality much closer to ours, one can easily imagine a game show where people risk their lives and escape from flying cameras chasing them, as well as skilled assassins hunting them.
Ben Richards, a hard-working man risking his life in dangerous factory jobs, is fired after fighting for better conditions.
His baby is sick, and he and his wife struggle to get medicine.
Angry and desperate, Richards decides to join a TV game show to try and win a cash prize.
He does not know that the game he is chosen to participate in by the network will be The Running Man.
Now he must survive 30 days on the run and make it to the end to win the grand prize that could change his fate.
Despite the length of The Running Man, two hours and 13 minutes, it is a fast-paced movie with no dull moments.
It is expansive cinema building a unique world that combines futuristic cityscapes with old technology.
VHS tapes, vintage televisions, and outdated video cameras populate the world in which the characters live.
The café and supermarket look like they could exist today.
There is a retro-futuristic approach that also reminds us of the present, and it serves a purpose: the reality projected to the audience from the screen feels close to the reality they know.
Most people in the world consume reality competitions and reality shows, while media corporations meddle in politics, control influential politicians, and shape the daily lives of people for better and mostly for worse.
The visual aesthetic of The Running Man and its 80s-style charm, combining cheeky, rebellious satire, recalls films like RoboCop, Total Recall, and Spaceballs.
There are even various traps reminiscent of Home Alone. This makes the viewing experience funny and full of suspense, while also mercilessly critiquing American pop culture and the greedy capitalism of media networks.
The lead actor delivers his role with great passion.
His character is the emotional heart of the movie, a man with serious anger management issues, but who can also be kind, pleasant, and admirable.
He carries the large production on his shoulders.
Despite suffering greatly throughout the film, moments of his famous charm appear, helping turn the movie into not only a spectacular action and entertainment experience but also a human story with which the audience can empathize.
The director has proven capable of handling large scale productions without losing his artistic integrity, delivering a high quality blockbuster and one of the best action comedies of recent years.
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