The Running Man Movie Review

If the 80s were the golden age of overbuilt action heroes, neon lighting and movies that were somehow both stupid and brilliant at the same time, then The Running Man sits proudly in the middle of that cinematic buffet. In this week's Born to Watch breakdown, Whitey and Dan revisit this underrated 1987 gem and ask the question: Was this film more accurate about the future than any of us gave it credit for? Because let's be real. We're living in a world that feels like it's only one network executive away from climbing for dollars, becoming a legit TV show. So settle in for The Running Man Movie Review, Born to Watch style.

Arnie's Back, Baby

Arnold Schwarzenegger has become the unofficial mascot of Born to Watch. In fact, this is the sixth Arnie flick we've tackled, and it will not be the last. If you were a kid growing up in Australia in the 80s and 90s, Arnie wasn't just a movie star. He was an entire genre.

Here he plays Ben Richards, a helicopter pilot framed for murdering 1500 civilians. He breaks out of prison, becomes a fugitive, grows a beard, and then shaves it off, only to be quickly thrown into a futuristic televised bloodsport where convicted criminals fight themed assassins known as Stalkers. The prize is your freedom. The punishment is usually decapitation.

It is peak Arnie, and not the walnut-skinned, veiny, Predator-era Arnie either. In The Running Man, he is leaner, meaner and genuinely handsome. Dan describes him as the perfect middle ground between Conan's brawn and True Lies' suave. Even the close-ups in this movie do him favours.

And yes, he delivers the line. Not the iconic version. The other one. The one that proves not every quip can be a winner:

"Here is Subzero. Now plain zero."

So awful, you have to laugh.

A Villain Who Steals the Show

One thing everyone can agree on: Richard Dawson as Damon Killian is outstanding.

Dawson, already famous in the US for hosting Family Feud, essentially plays an exaggerated version of himself. Charismatic. Smarmy. Likable in public. Horrifying in private. The kind of bloke who kisses all the contestants and gets away with it because it is the 80s and no one knows what HR is.

In many ways, Dawson is the glue that keeps the film together. While Arnie delivers iconic one-liners and throws steel beams through walls, Dawson is the one selling the central idea of the movie: that the audience is just as guilty as the killers. He is that perfect blend of charming and gross. It is a performance that lands harder in 2025 than it did in 1987.

Nostalgia With a Side of Lycra

This The Running Man Movie Review would not be complete without mentioning the suits. Whitey calls them Eurovision rehearsal gear. Dan compares them to Starlight Express. Both are correct.

The stalkers truly are a sight to behold:

Buzzsaw

A chainsaw-wielding maniac who rides a motorbike and ultimately gets chainsawed in the nuts. Even Arnie's daughter pointed out that it was absolutely penis blood on the screen.

Subzero

Played by the legendary Professor Toru Tanaka, the ice hockey-themed killer who uses his sport as a murder weapon. Dan genuinely believes he could have played this role thanks to his Canadian roller hockey days. History disagrees.

Fireball

Jim Brown in a flame-proof silver jumpsuit that looks like an unused Shark Shield prototype.

Dynamo

A singing, opera-loving, electric-powered menace in a vehicle shaped like a disco bumper car. It is impossible to take him seriously.

Captain Freedom

Jesse Ventura, appearing in two Arnie movies in the same year, gave a surprisingly good performance as a washed-up, frustrated TV villain who hates where the show has gone.

It is all ridiculous. It is all perfect.

A Future Too Real For Comfort

One of the strongest talking points in the episode is how much The Running Man accidentally predicted the world we live in.

Fake news. Sensationalised TV. Deepfake footage. Entertainment is designed to distract people from the realities of poverty. Audiences are cheering for suffering. Governments are abusing the media to maintain control.

Back in 1987, it felt like science fiction. Today, Netflix could greenlight the Running Man competition tomorrow, and half the world would apply.

Whitey and Dan also discuss the dystopian universe of the film. While the script spoon-feeds some plot points, the world-building is strong. The cityscape has Blade Runner energy. The rebels feel like a Mad Max side quest. The concept of an entertainment-obsessed society is so accurate that it is borderline depressing.

Film School for F-Wits: A Deep Dive into Dystopia

In one of the episode's best segments, Dan runs through his top ten dystopian films. It is a cracking list and complete of movies that owe some DNA to The Running Man.

From Gattaca to Children of Men, The Matrix to 1984, and of course, the Arnie double act of Predator and Terminator 2. It serves as a reminder that dystopian cinema has consistently reflected society's anxieties. In The Running Man's case, it was more accurate than anyone expected.

The Verdict

The Running Man is not peak Arnie. It is not Terminator 2 or Predator. However, it is absolutely top-tier fun. It is precisely the kind of movie Born to Watch was created for. Nostalgic. Silly. Violent. Iconic. And absolutely worth revisiting.

If you want a film that sums up everything great about 80s action cinema, this is it.