Arnold Schwarzenegger is probably most known for his role in The Terminator series, and that will likely be his legacy.
However, I’d argue that Ben Richards from the 1987 movie, The Running Man (which has a remake on the latter part of the 2025 movie schedule) is a better character than the T-800.
And yes, while I’m excited for the remake of The Running Man starring Glen Powell, can we please talk about how awesome the original movie is before the new one arrives?
Arnold Schwarzenegger Is In Top Form As A Wise-Cracking Badass
Not too long ago, my colleague, Jason Wiese, wrote about how he wasn’t a fan of the original movie, and I totally get it. Like a lot of action films of that era, Schwarzenegger seems somewhat miscast. What I mean is, the former Mr. Olympia actually appears too big to be a convincing protagonist. It’s like, even from the beginning you know these other guys don’t stand a chance.
However, that’s part of The Running Man’s biggest appeal for me. The story of a wrongly convicted man who is forced to fight in a deadly game show if he ever wants to see freedom again, Schwarzenegger plays Ben Richards, a wise-cracking, seemingly indestructible badass.
Which is super cheesy, but awesome. In a lot of ways, this feels like a video game, and I mean that in the best sort of way. In fact, the arcade classic, Smash TV, was heavily inspired by this movie. In the film, it’s not enough for Arnie to just kill an ice skating warrior. No, he also has to quip, “Here’s Sub-Zero, now…Plain Zero!”
Or, what about when he faces off against the chainsaw-wielding Buzzsaw, who says he loves his saw since it’s a part of him, and that he’s going to make it a part of Schwarzenegger, too. But, Arnie uses the weapon against him, and then says, “Keep it.” I mean, the whole movie is like this, and it’s wonderful.
This Is How People Thought 2019 Was Going To Look In 1987, And It’s Kind Of Cool
I love watching “futuristic” movies from the past, because what they presumed the future might look like is rarely how it actually looked. On one end of the spectrum, you have movies like Back to the Future Part II, which predicted things like auto-lacing shoes, fingerprint scanners, and drones.
On the other side, you have movies like Zardoz, which features a floating, talking head and Sean Connery in a red loincloth and thigh-high boots. The Running Man, which takes place in 2019, is somewhere in the middle.
It’s decidedly dystopian (but not, like, Mad Max dystopian), and what makes it futuristic is not so much the technology, but rather, the concepts. For example, due to an economic collapse, the United States has become a police state, where propaganda reigns supreme. Criminals are given “a chance” to live if they participate in a deadly game show where they have to fight to survive.
In a lot of ways, it’s is like if Mega City One from Dredd (my favorite comic book movie) was combined with The Hunger Games…and then given a pinch of Gladiator. I mean, 2019 wasn’t like that, but the idea is kind of cool. From a movie standpoint, that is.
The Villains In This Movie Are Awesome
Oh, man. The villains, or “stalkers” in this movie are so cool. Nothing beats Arnie facing off against the Predator, but when it comes to antagonists that Schwarzenegger has faced on screen, you’d be hard pressed to find one cooler than Captain Freedom (played by Jesse Ventura), who killed runners like Richards “ten years ago” with his bare hands.
Or, what about Fireball, played by Jim Brown? The flamethrower-wielding baddie gets blown to smithereens, but not before Arnie quips, “How about a light?” when he tosses a flare on him. Sub-Zero is another cool enemy, as he hits explosive pucks, and is the deadliest hockey player you’ve ever seen.
The creme de la creme though is Dynamo, the opera-singing, electrocutionist. He’s so cool, that even Schwarzenegger’s character can’t kill him, which shocks the crowd, but shouldn’t shock the viewer as he’s just too priceless to receive the death penalty.
All of these villains feel like bosses in a video game, with each one being tougher than the last. With each victory, the crowd starts cheering for our protagonist. One of my favorite things about this movie, though, is that it’s nothing like the book, which I’ll get into next.
Like The Shining, It’s Nothing Like The Stephen King Book It’s Based On, But I Like That About It
This movie was a staple of my youth, and I’ve seen it several times (I mean, not as many times as Big Trouble in Little China, but a lot). So, when somebody lent me the actual book later in life, I was shocked to find that it was literally nothing like the movie that I grew up with.
As with The Shining, I’m going to say something controversial – I think the movie is better than the book. Now, it’s not that the book is bad. It’s just different. In the novel, Ben needs money, so he decides to enter the Running Man competition, which isn’t formatted like your traditional game show. Instead, like the new movie, the “runner” is actually being chased by stalkers around the world, and has to find ways to survive.
The runner is on a timer, and the longer he stays alive, the more money he’ll make…which is a really cool concept. I’m definitely looking forward to the new movie. However, I just really love the game show vibe of the original film, and how the fights are more self-contained in an arena.
Perhaps this new movie will make me appreciate the book more. I don’t know. It very well could. That said, I don’t think it could possibly make me dislike the original movie, because I have such a fondness for everything about it, which brings me to my last point.
And Can We Just Give A Hand To Richard Dawson As The Game Show Host?
Lastly, can we just give a hand to Richard Dawson, who plays Damon Killian, the game show host in The Running Man? I honestly don’t think this movie would be nearly as good if he wasn’t sensational in the role.
Dawson, who was the OG host of Family Feud, is smarmy, energetic, sinister, creepy, and engaging, sometimes all in the same scene. Because even though there are all of these warriors who fight Ben to the death, the ultimate antagonist is Killian, who is doing everything within his power to make sure Ben loses.
That includes even trying to enlist him as a stalker once he starts winning matches. Dawson is both unlikeable, but also extremely likeable. He plays Killian as a man who thinks he’s doing his civic duty by hosting the show, and he’ll do anything to get better ratings. Even if it means siding with the enemy.
In the end, while the new movie looks cool, I’m still utterly in love with the original. What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts.