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The Running Man

The Running Man

Action · Thriller · Science Fiction · 1987

By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and U.S. 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.

Movie details

The Running Man

“It is the year 2019. "The Running Man" is a deadly game no one has ever survived. But... Schwarzenegger has yet to play.”

1987 Action · Thriller · Science Fiction 1h 41m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.6 / 10

189.6K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

59 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

45 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and U.S. 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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Running Man?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Death Race 2

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In the world's most dangerous prison, a new game is born: Death Race. The rules of this adrenaline-fueled blood sport are simple, drive or die. When repentant convict Carl Lucas discovers there's a price on his head, his only hope is to survive a twisted race against an army of hardened criminals and tricked-out cars.

Where it lives

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Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Paul Michael Glaser

Written by

Steven E. de Souza

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Ben Richards

Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson

Damon Killian

María Conchita Alonso

María Conchita Alonso

Amber Mendez

Yaphet Kotto

Yaphet Kotto

William Laughlin

Jim Brown

Jim Brown

Fireball

Jesse Ventura

Jesse Ventura

Captain Freedom

Erland van Lidth

Erland van Lidth

Dynamo

Court is in session

Put The Running Man on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.