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THE RUNNING MAN

Of course, if THE RUNNING MAN is the new and improved SURVIVOR, then CBS clearly had to make some changes in order to keep the show viable. You see, the contestants of the new show aren't just eating bugs and psyching one another out; rather, the challenges faced by these new players are much more high stakes. In fact, the players are convicts who can win pardonsrather than a million dollarsby evading the murderous henchmen of the show known as "stalkers." It's a violent, horrendous showand the audience loves it. However, it's not too fun for the contestants, as there is rarely a survivor among them, let alone a "Colleen Haskell" who goes on to a movie deal after appearing on the show.

Which brings us to Mr. Schwarzenegger, who stars as good guy Ben Richards. When Richards, in the service of the totalitarian regime that rules America, refuses to massacre a mass of innocent civilians, he is deemed a criminal and sent to jail. Richards escapes from jail with the hopes of proving his innocence, but he is soon apprehended again and brought into appear on THE RUNNING MAN. There, he must face a rogues gallery of various nastys, all to the futuristic backdrop of an apocalyptic Los Angeles.

The film is based on a story by Stephen King (though he had written it under the penname Richard Bachman), and like most King adaptations, it's ultimately a disappointing venture. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser (formerly Starsky of STARSKY AND HUTCH), THE RUNNING MAN is more of an attempt at satire than anything else, poking fun at modern television and sports, and the American public's dependency on both. Of course, the film was made in 1987 so it actually seems slightly prescient at times with its embrace of "reality TV" and WRESTLEMANIA overtones.

The action sequences are decent in terms of basic "fight scenes," but there are not really any big setpieces in the film. In fact, with villains like Fireball, Dynamo, Buzzsaw and Subzero continuously being sent out after our hero, THE RUNNING MAN devolves during its middle section into little more than an episode of WWF SMACKDOWN!. Appropriately enough, actual wrestling stars of the time fill out the supporting ranks of the cast (including future Governor Jess Ventura). The relative cheapness of the production only serves to add to the B movie feel of the proceedings.

But where the picture does succeed is in its humor. Arnold's non-acting works well for a picture like this, as do his standard issue one-liners. But it's Richard Dawson, as host Damon Killian, who takes the cake. Dawson, himself a veteran of game show fare like MATCH GAME and FAMILY FEUD, basically plays himself in THE RUNNING MAN. The result is the highlight of the picture, as Killian introduces each aspect of the game with a zeal and showmanship that real game shows could learn a thing or two from. In fact, the Dawson scenes are the most memorable aspect of THE RUNNING MAN, so much so that one would rather watch the show THE RUNNING MAN rather than the film.