Fri, 19 Apr 2024
00:08:26
'Running Man':
25 May 2013
22:49:37
SLBO Weekend Movie - 'The Running Man'
May 25, 2013 (SLBO) - The Running Man is a 1987 American science fiction-action film loosely based on Stephen King's 1982 novel of the same name. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser, the film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Jesse Ventura, Jim Brown, and Richard Dawson. Director Andrew Davis was fired one week into filming and replaced by Glaser. Schwarzenegger has stated this was a "terrible decision" as Glaser "shot the movie like it was a television show, losing all the deeper themes." Schwarzenegger believes this hurt the movie.Paula Abdul is credited with the choreography of the Running Man dance troupe.
The film, set in a dystopian America in the year 2017, is about a television show called The Running Man, where convicted criminal "runners" must escape death at the hands of professional killers.
Plot
By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and American society has become a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The government pacifies the populace by broadcasting a number of game shows in which convicted criminals fight for their lives, including the gladiator-style The Running Man, hosted by the ruthless Damon Killian, where "runners" attempt to evade "stalkers" and certain death for a chance to be pardoned and set free.
Eighteen months later, Ben Richards, a police pilot who was convicted of a massacre (in the process of suppressing a food riot in Bakersfield, California) in which he actually refused to participate, escapes from a labor camp with other inmates and flees to a shanty town on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Declining an offer to join a resistance movement, Richards instead seeks shelter at his brother's apartment. He finds it is now occupied by Amber Mendez, a composer for ICS, the network that broadcasts The Running Man. Richards attempts to flee to Hawaii with Amber as a hostage, but she alerts airport security and Richards is captured and taken to the ICS studios. Killian coerces him to compete in The Running Man with the threat that if he declines, his two weaker escapee friends-Laughlin and Weiss-will be put on the show instead. Richards complies, but as the show begins, Killian reveals that Laughlin and Weiss have been enrolled as runners anyway. Richards and his friends are attacked by the first stalker, "Subzero", but Richards kills him using barbed wire as a garrotte. This shocks the audience, as this is the first stalker to ever die on the show.
Laughlin and Weiss, both members of the resistance movement, seek to exploit their situation by searching for the network's uplink facilities, which they realise are in the game zone. Meanwhile, Amber begins to question the media's veracity after watching a falsified news report on Richards' capture. Amber discovers the truth about the massacre, but she is captured and sent into the game zone, with Richards and the others. The runners split up, each pair pursued by a different stalker. Laughlin is wounded by the stalker "Buzzsaw", whom Richards kills with his own chainsaw. Weiss and Amber locate the uplink and learn the access codes, but Weiss is electrocuted by the stalker "Dynamo". Amber's screams lead Richards to her, and as the two evade the stalker, Dynamo's buggy flips, trapping him inside. Richards then stuns the audience by pinning Dynamo in the vehicle, proclaiming that he will not kill a helpless man.
Amber and Richards return to Laughlin, who reveals that the resistance has a hideout within the game zone before dying. Back at the ICS studio, Killian sees Richards' popularity growing, with viewers betting on Richards to win instead of the stalkers. Off-camera, Killian offers Richards a job as a stalker, which Richards declines. As the next stalker, "Fireball", pursues Amber and Richards into an abandoned factory, where Amber finds the charred bodies of the previous season's "winners." Fireball tries to kill Amber, but Richards rescues her and kills Fireball with his own weaponry. Running out of options, a frustrated Killian uses computer-generated imagery to fake the deaths of Richards and Amber in the final match of the episode, a faked battle against retired stalker "Captain Freedom", who has refused to go into battle against Richards.
In the game zone, Richards and Amber are captured by the resistance and taken to their hideout, where they learn of their "deaths" on the show. Using the access codes provided by Amber, the resistance takes over the ICS satellite. Richards leads the rebels to the ICS studios where they seize the control room, allowing the resistance to broadcast unedited footage of Richards' part in the Bakersfield massacre, as well as footage revealing that past alleged "victors" of The Running Man were in fact killed anyway. Richards then heads to the main studio floor, shocking the audience and home viewers who had watched him supposedly die. Amber encounters Dynamo, but she kills him when an errant gunshot sets off the sprinkler system, killing him when the water hits his electrical suit. Richards confronts Killian, who desperately attempts to defend himself by explaining that he created the show to appease America's love of television and violence. Ignoring the excuse, Richards sends Killian to the game zone aboard a rocket sled, which impacts a billboard and explodes, much to the delight of the television audience. The film ends with Richards and Amber sharing a kiss as they walk out of the studio.
The film, set in a dystopian America in the year 2017, is about a television show called The Running Man, where convicted criminal "runners" must escape death at the hands of professional killers.
Plot
By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and American society has become a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The government pacifies the populace by broadcasting a number of game shows in which convicted criminals fight for their lives, including the gladiator-style The Running Man, hosted by the ruthless Damon Killian, where "runners" attempt to evade "stalkers" and certain death for a chance to be pardoned and set free.
Eighteen months later, Ben Richards, a police pilot who was convicted of a massacre (in the process of suppressing a food riot in Bakersfield, California) in which he actually refused to participate, escapes from a labor camp with other inmates and flees to a shanty town on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Declining an offer to join a resistance movement, Richards instead seeks shelter at his brother's apartment. He finds it is now occupied by Amber Mendez, a composer for ICS, the network that broadcasts The Running Man. Richards attempts to flee to Hawaii with Amber as a hostage, but she alerts airport security and Richards is captured and taken to the ICS studios. Killian coerces him to compete in The Running Man with the threat that if he declines, his two weaker escapee friends-Laughlin and Weiss-will be put on the show instead. Richards complies, but as the show begins, Killian reveals that Laughlin and Weiss have been enrolled as runners anyway. Richards and his friends are attacked by the first stalker, "Subzero", but Richards kills him using barbed wire as a garrotte. This shocks the audience, as this is the first stalker to ever die on the show.
Laughlin and Weiss, both members of the resistance movement, seek to exploit their situation by searching for the network's uplink facilities, which they realise are in the game zone. Meanwhile, Amber begins to question the media's veracity after watching a falsified news report on Richards' capture. Amber discovers the truth about the massacre, but she is captured and sent into the game zone, with Richards and the others. The runners split up, each pair pursued by a different stalker. Laughlin is wounded by the stalker "Buzzsaw", whom Richards kills with his own chainsaw. Weiss and Amber locate the uplink and learn the access codes, but Weiss is electrocuted by the stalker "Dynamo". Amber's screams lead Richards to her, and as the two evade the stalker, Dynamo's buggy flips, trapping him inside. Richards then stuns the audience by pinning Dynamo in the vehicle, proclaiming that he will not kill a helpless man.
Amber and Richards return to Laughlin, who reveals that the resistance has a hideout within the game zone before dying. Back at the ICS studio, Killian sees Richards' popularity growing, with viewers betting on Richards to win instead of the stalkers. Off-camera, Killian offers Richards a job as a stalker, which Richards declines. As the next stalker, "Fireball", pursues Amber and Richards into an abandoned factory, where Amber finds the charred bodies of the previous season's "winners." Fireball tries to kill Amber, but Richards rescues her and kills Fireball with his own weaponry. Running out of options, a frustrated Killian uses computer-generated imagery to fake the deaths of Richards and Amber in the final match of the episode, a faked battle against retired stalker "Captain Freedom", who has refused to go into battle against Richards.
In the game zone, Richards and Amber are captured by the resistance and taken to their hideout, where they learn of their "deaths" on the show. Using the access codes provided by Amber, the resistance takes over the ICS satellite. Richards leads the rebels to the ICS studios where they seize the control room, allowing the resistance to broadcast unedited footage of Richards' part in the Bakersfield massacre, as well as footage revealing that past alleged "victors" of The Running Man were in fact killed anyway. Richards then heads to the main studio floor, shocking the audience and home viewers who had watched him supposedly die. Amber encounters Dynamo, but she kills him when an errant gunshot sets off the sprinkler system, killing him when the water hits his electrical suit. Richards confronts Killian, who desperately attempts to defend himself by explaining that he created the show to appease America's love of television and violence. Ignoring the excuse, Richards sends Killian to the game zone aboard a rocket sled, which impacts a billboard and explodes, much to the delight of the television audience. The film ends with Richards and Amber sharing a kiss as they walk out of the studio.
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