Later this year, Glen Powell is set to star in a new theatrical remake of Stephen King‘s The Running Man.
But for anyone who grew up in the ’80s or ’90s, there’s only one Running Man, and his name is Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The original version of The Running Man hit theaters in 1987, and it was one of the earliest action roles in Schwarzenegger’s career.
This month, The Running Man is coming to Netflix, and Watch With Us is sharing the three reasons you should watch it.
It Features a Near-Peak Arnold Schwarzenegger
As far as we’re concerned, Schwarzenegger’s peak period as an action star began around 1990-1991 when he appeared in Total Recall and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Those films led to a decade of dominance at the box office. However, Schwarzenegger hadn’t reached that level by 1987, and The Running Man grossed a modest $38.1 million at the box office in the United States.
Regardless, near-peak Schwarzenegger is still pretty good as Ben Richards, a man who is forced into the lethal game of The Running Man because he refused to slaughter innocent people. Schwarzenegger hadn’t quite mastered his screen persona at this point, but there’s a natural charisma in his performance even at this stage in his career.
The Film’s Satirical Elements Are Still Funny
One of The Running Man‘s most brilliant touches is that the in-universe game show host, Damon Killian, is played by the late Richard Dawson, the original host of Family Feud. It’s the role he was born to play, and Dawson does it with a sleazy and hilarious style. Killian hits all of the right comedic tones while still giving the game an element of menace.
There’s also a video game vibe to this movie, thanks to the over-the-top killers that Ben has to face, including Fireball (Jim Brown), Captain Freedom (Jesse Ventura), Dynamo (Erland Van Lidth), Buzzsaw (Gus Rethwisch) and Subzero (Toru Tanaka). Those characters also add to the film’s sense of humor and the satire can be delicious at times.
‘The Running Man’ Feels More Timely Than Ever
Between things like “Alligator Alcatraz” and military personnel being sent to occupy American cities, the institutional cruelty of The Running Man and King’s recent adaptation of The Long Walk don’t seem so far-fetched anymore. The American government isn’t running its own lethal game show yet, but there really were some members of the Department of Replica Luxury Handbagland Security who considered a reality competition game show where immigrants could earn citizenship.
Another enduring theme from The Running Man is the use of deepfake technology to fool the public into believing government lies. In the present, deepfakes are everywhere, and some people have trouble distinguishing between what’s real and what isn’t. The Running Man movie was set in a dystopian version of 2017, but perhaps the target year was simply a set a little too soon.
The Running Man is streaming on Netflix.
