Movie-A-Day #231: The Running Man (1987)

nathan

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Title: The Running Man
Year: 1987
Director: Paul Michael Glaser
Writer: Steven E. de Souza (based on Stephen King novel)
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura, Richard Dawson
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Taglines:
1) A game nobody survives. But Schwarzenegger has yet to play.
2) It is the year 2017. "The Running Man" is a deadly game no one has ever survived. But..... Schwarzenegger has yet to play.
3) 2019. A game nobody survives. This year might be the exception.

Summary (stolen from imdb.com):
Set in a totalitarian society. Ben Richards is a cop who was blamed for a massacre which wasn't his fault. He would be sent to prison and breaks out with some other inmates. He tries to escape but the woman whom he dragged into his plan turns him over to the authorities. Damon Killian, who is the host of THE RUNNING MAN a game show wherein convicted felons are given the chance to run to freedom but have to elude the stalkers; men who hunt them down and kill them in gruesome manners. When he learns that Richards has been caught, he wants him to be the show's next contestant. After being brought to Killian, Richards turns him down, Killian then reveals to Richards that his two friends who were in prison with him and who broke out with him have been caught, so unless Richards does the show they will. But on the night of the show, Richards is set to go but Killian also reveals that Richards two friends are going with him. Richards tells Killian that he will be back. But first !

Quotes:
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Ben Richards: Killian! I'll be back!
Damon Killian: Only in a rerun.
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Damon Killian: You bastard! Drop dead!
Ben Richards: I don't do requests.
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Ben Richards: Killian, here's your Subzero, now plain zero.
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Ben Richards: Uplink underground, uplink underground. If you say that one more time, I'll uplink your uplink your ass, and you'll be underground!
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Ben Richards: [after strangling Sub-Zero with barbed wire)] What a pain in the neck.
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Amber: [after Richards cut Buzzsaw in half with a chain saw] What happened to Buzzsaw?
Ben Richards: He had to split.
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Ben Richards: I live to see you eat that contract, but I hope you leave enough room for my fist because I'm going to ram it into your stomach and break your god-damn spine!
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Ben Richards: Uplinks on the ground. Uplinks underground. You guys don't shut up, I'm going to uplink your ass... you'll be on the ground!
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Ben Richards: If you're not ready to act, give me a break and shut up!
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Damon Killian: Hi, cutie pie. You know one of us is in deep trouble. You know who I am?
Ben Richards: I've seen you before. You're the cornholio on TV.
Damon Killian: That's funny. I was going to say the same thing about you.
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Ben Richards: [to a trapped Dynamo] No. I won't kill a helpless human being. Not even sadistic scum... like you.




This movie was taylor made for the talents of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The action is pretty good and the dialogue is full of lines (such as "I live to see you eat that contract, but I hope you leave enough room for my fist because I'm going to ram it into your stomach and break your god-damn spine!") that are so bad that you can't help but laugh.
 

Chaplin

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The movie is what it is--a turn-your-brain-off gore-o-rama. And it's very effective. I love those 80s Schwarzenegger movies!
 

Yuma

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Renz said:
I liked the Stephen King novella. Wasn't too crazy about the movie.
Agreed! If they stayed with the book more, it would have been cool! :thumbup: I like Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, and I like Stephen King books. However, this wasn't a case where two great things make something even better when combined. :(
 

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