The Running Man (1987)

Plot Outline: A man wrongfully convicted of murder has to survive a public execution gauntlet TV game show. The show is real and no one has survived it before. Soon various super-hero stalkers, armed with chainsaw and flamethrowers are sent to kill him, all the while their antics are being watched on national TV with a slimy game show host more worried about his ratings than anyone's lives.

The Review: The Running Man, quite simply put, is a cheap thrill ride of action but it's as entertaining as you're ever going to see and has a completely different feel to it than any other 80s action flick. It's like a futuristic video game full of bright lights, explosions and brutal action - and it's got Arnie's trademarks written all over it. Grunting dialogue, massive explosions, plenty of muscle-flexing action and of course it's got plenty of his witty one-liners, which he spouts off after dispatching each of the stalkers sent after him. Arnie even gets to say "I'll Be Back" in this as well!. Don't be fooled by the quite silly opening when the game show starts off. It soon settles with a decent pace and plenty to keep us entertained. The cheesy way in which the stalkers are presented looks more like WWE wrestling than it does anything else. Each one has their own entrance music, fancy strobe lighting and campy outfits, not to mention a 'gimmick' which is based around their weapon of choice. If I said to you the names Subzero, Buzzsaw, Dynamo and Fireball then you can probably guess what they will turn out to be like. Casting the likes of Jesse Ventura, Jim Brown and Bernard Gus Rethwisch as these stalkers just adds to their nature. They're all big guys you wouldn't want to mess with. Arnie can do these sort of films without any real strain - and he does just that. Arnie is, well Arnie. If you don't know what to expect from him in his action films then you haven't lived. His performance isn't great but he delivers one-liners like no one else and he doesn't shirk away from the fighting scenes.

Final Verdict: The Running Man has a total 80s feel to it and like many films of that age it tries to give us a glimpse of what the future may hold. While that glimpse may be a little far fetched and generic, the film is still silly and mindless fun. And of course it's got Arnie in his prime so that can't be a bad thing at all.

Rating: