The Running Man

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!