The Running Man (1987) Blu-ray Review
The first and still best film adaptation of “The Running Man.”
Based on the novel by Richard Bachman (AKA Stephen King), 1987’s “The Running Man” is a dystopian sci-fi action film adapted by Steven E. de Souza. The 2017 police state set story revolves around a cop named Ben Richards who disobeys orders and is sent to a detention zone. He escapes but is eventually brought in to be a contestant on the most popular TV show- The Running Man. This is no ordinary show, however, but rather a deadly game show hosted by Damon Killian in which contestants are pursued by Stalkers who are out to kill them. The Stalkers (who are celebrities) are comprised of Subzero, Fireball, Buzzsaw and Dynamo. Ben isn’t the only contestant though as his 2 underground resistance friends (Harold and William) and a former ICS employee (Amber) whom Ben has a complicated dynamic with are also in the mix. Will anyone make it out alive?
After the lousy and overstuffed 2025 “The Running Man,” it was interesting to go back and rewatch the original “The Running Man.” Sure, it’s a bit campy (see Subzero), clunky and semi-transforms into a traditional 80’s R-rated action flick with explosions and one-liners, but if you look past that, you’ll find that director Paul Michael Glaser’s take still holds up. For starters, the movie is infinitely more entertaining and better paced than the recent adaptation. The story never slows down as there’s a real sense of urgency to the whole proceedings. There’s a great deal of world building here and the juxtaposition of the grim dystopian real world and the colorful and flashy TV world (complete with ahead of their time deep fakes) is effective. Some may argue the show resembles more of a wrestling event (especially with the casting of wrestlers like Jesse Ventura and Professor Toru Tanaka), but that was certainly intentional. Not only does it make sense for the time the film was made, but it fits the TV angle as well.
Arnold Schwarzenegger may be the lead star (and he does a credible job), but the supporting cast is quite stacked. “Match Game” host Richard Dawson is inspired casting as Damon and he steals the movie as the slimy show host. Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura, Yaphet Kotto, Maria Conchita Alonso, and yes, even Mick Fleetwood are all memorable in their respective roles as well.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? This is an entirely respectable hi-def restoration that maintains the look of the original print. This title is also now available on 4K.
Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The loud music and sound effects overshadow the dialogue at times, but that is likely a choice of the original sound design. Whatever the case may be, this is a stellar 5.1 track to be sure.
The lone extra is a Digital copy.
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