The Running Man

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The Running Man

R

1987

1h 41m

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

128 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In the year 2019, America is a totalitarian state where the favorite television program is "The Running Man" -- a game show in which prisoners must run to freedom to avoid a brutal death. Having been made a scapegoat by the government, an imprisoned Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has the opportunity to make it back to the outside again by being a contestant on the deadly show, although the twisted host, Damon Killian (Richard Dawson), has no intention of letting him escape.

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Critics Consensus

Combining slick production values and a strong cast with predictable thrills and a surprisingly muted Schwarzenegger, The Running Man is an uneven albeit occasionally rousing sci-fi action satire.

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David Edelstein

Village Voice

Nov 7, 2025

As an actor, Schwarzenegger makes Stallone look profound. He's pretty hilarious cast as someone called "the running man"; he's so muscle-bound he can hardly walk.

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Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

Nov 7, 2025

This movie may barely escape the exploitation category, but not the garbage classification.

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Joe Kane

New York Daily News

Nov 6, 2025

The Running Man is an often sophomoric but generally fun dystopian slaughterfest.

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Bill Brownstein

Montreal Gazette

Jun 9, 2026

As a cutting satire of American TV, this ultra-violent affairs works -- for about two minutes.

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Jack E. Wilkinson

United Press International

Jun 8, 2026

The "come-on-down" sendup of TV game shows is both brutal and funny.

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

Apr 10, 2026

At 39 years old, the notions of the film remain strangely timely, even if the specifics within the script didn’t age as well.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 12, 2026

The Running Man = a *3* star Movie!

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Ryan T

@RT91888008 Sep 10, 2026

The terminator could have done better!

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 6, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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Jana N

@Janosch Aug 26, 2026

The idea and execution of it where pretty spot on, but Arnies acting was pretty bad and the film coulnd't decide if it was funny or not. Richard Dawson killed it as the shows host. Ultimately a great idea but the wrong cast for the main character.

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Chris S

@Janomi Jun 10, 2026

This is exactly the kind of action movie that made Arnold Schwarzenegger the biggest star in the world during the 1980s. The premise is ridiculous, the villains are over-the-top, and the action is nonstop, but Arnold's larger-than-life screen presence makes it all work. The story isn't especially deep, but it moves quickly and delivers plenty of memorable action sequences and one-liners along the way. What could have been a forgettable sci-fi action film becomes an entertaining ride because Schwarzenegger carries it from beginning to end. It's cheesy, loud, and unmistakably a product of its era, but that's part of its charm. The Running Man remains one of the more enjoyable action films from Arnold's peak years.

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Justin M.

@RT41656336 Jun 4, 2026

Haven’t seen this since I was in elementary school and it still rocks. Social commentary is deep - and still tracks.

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Paul Michael Glaser

Director

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Ben Richards

Maria Conchita Alonso

Amber Mendez

Richard Dawson

Damon Killian

Yaphet Kotto

William Laughlin

Jim Brown

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Synopsis

In the year 2019, America is a totalitarian state where the favorite television program is "The Running Man" -- a game show in which prisoners must run to freedom to avoid a brutal death. Having been made a scapegoat by the government, an imprisoned Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has the opportunity to make it back to the outside again by being a contestant on the deadly show, although the twisted host, Damon Killian (Richard Dawson), has no intention of letting him escape.

Director: Paul Michael Glaser
Producer: George Linder, Tim Zinnemann
Screenwriter: Steven E. de Souza
Distributor: TriStar Pictures
Production Co: TAFT Entertainment, Home Box Office (HBO)
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 13, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 6, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $38.0M
Runtime: 1h 41m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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