Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Ben Richards, a cop in the totalitarian America of 2019, framed for massacring rioting civilians during a famine and fighting for his life on reality TV.
After escaping from jail, Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) tries to prove his innocence, but his efforts are thwarted at every turn by an authoritarian regime in need of a scapegoat. Richards is captured along with an innocent civilian, Amber Mendez (Maria Conchita Alonso), and they are forced to participate in a violent game show called The Running Man, hosted by the unctuous Damon Killian (Richard Dawson). The object of the game for Richards and Mendez: obtain freedom by staying alive against a gauntlet of skillful assassins, each armed with unique weapons like razor-sharp hockey sticks and chainsaws. With the help of some fellow "contestants," Richards is able to tap into government computers and prove his innocence. A prescient story first told by King in his 1982 dystopian thriller novel of the same name. [101 min; action, sci-fi, thriller; English, Japanese, Italian, and Spanish with English subtitles]
"An action-packed, rocket-paced, caustically sarcastic and highly entertaining mix of mayhem and mirth." — Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"The visceral action, the gory-but-funny violence, and the campy one-liners make this a wonderfully entertaining comic book-in-motion." — Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
"It may not be as clever as The Terminator, or as legendary as the first Predator, but as a sort of satire of humanity's obsession with violence, and of course, of autocratic and aggressive police states, it works quite well." — Sebastian Zavala Kahn, Me gusta el cine
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