The Running Man

Set in a near future where economic collapse has left the United States under a ruthless security apparatus, The Running Man follows Ben Richards, a former cop framed and thrown into a televised manhunt to placate a distracted population. The government airs brutal game shows that promise freedom to convicted participants who survive lethal broadcasts. Richards enters The Running Man, a gladiatorial program hosted by the charismatic Damon Killian, and faces a lineup of deadly "stalkers" while the nation watches. The movie tracks his efforts to outsmart the showrunners and expose the program's corruption, mixing action set pieces with satire of media power, without giving away how the story ends.

Released in 1987, the film was directed by Paul Michael Glaser and adapted by Steven E. de Souza, drawing on Stephen King's novel The Running Man. Arnold Schwarzenegger leads a cast that also includes Richard Dawson and María Conchita Alonso.

The Running Man performed solidly at the box office, helping further establish Arnold Schwarzenegger as a bankable action star. Its commercial success, domestic and overseas, notably kept momentum for similar high-concept action pictures aimed at audiences in the late 1980s.

Richard Dawson's turn as the smirking television host became one of the movie's most talked-about elements, partly because he was a real game show presenter. The Running Man is often cited in conversations about early on-screen critiques of reality television and the ethics of entertainment that rewards violence and satire.

Critical reaction was mixed, reflected by a moderate audience rating of 6.541/10 across 2,689 votes. Reviewers tended to praise the film's action sequences and Schwarzenegger's presence while noting a thin script and significant departures from Stephen King's original novel. The movie raises questions about media manipulation, spectacle, and authoritarian control.