DVD
Review | The Running Man (Special Edition)
Written by: Kage
Alan
Here was a story people never expected to come
out of the mind of Stephen King. A Schwarzenegger horror movie?
Well, not quite. We’d have to wait until “End of Days” for that
one…or at least “The Last Action Hero.” Still, the rights to this film
were bought before King’s name ever came out as Richard Bachman. I
remember reading the original story and hoping that there would be a
better ending than the one in the book. The last thing I wanted to
see was a downer and, as I recall, most (if not all) of the Bachman
books had a depressing ending. I blame my youth for my love of
Hollywood happy endings.
Ben Richards (Arnold) is a Police officer who,
while out on patrol, is ordered to fire upon an unarmed group of
civilians during a food riot. He’s Arnold…I mean Richards…I mean the
future Governor, so he can’t do that. Consequently, his men knock him
out and do as they’re ordered. Oops. Who takes the fall and is labeled
“the Butcher of Bakersfield?” Yep, you guessed it. So, sometime later,
Richards assists in a jailbreak and sets out for a new life. It’s short
lived, however, when game show host, Damon Killian (Richard Dawson,
“Family Feud”), will stop at nothing to apprehend the fugitive for “The
Running Man.”
“The Running Man?” The show is as close to reality
TV as we get today, only goes one step further. Contestants are
transported to a burnt out area of town that constitutes a game zone and
are then hunted by various stalkers equipped with flame throwers,
exploding hockey pucks etc. Audience members get to pick which stalker
goes out at any given time and receive prizes when the stalker strikes
or wins. Simple, right? Well, they’ve never dealt with someone like
Arnold…I mean Richards. With the help of the likes of actors Yaphet
Kotto (“Alien”) and Maria Conchita Alonso (“McBain”), our hero takes on
the system and attempts to give the public (as well as moviegoers) what
he thinks they want to see.
Okay, Arnold was typical Arnold considering the
decade the film was made. He had all the right little quips and
one-liners we’ve come to expect and there are just enough futuristic
touches and bits of action to keep viewers interested, but the real
standout is real life game show host Richard Dawson. Those of us who
watched him on television remember him as being kindhearted and sweet
whereas this character is the complete opposite. Dawson hams it up and
plays it perfectly! It’s interesting to note that nobody would believe
the amount of problems this production encountered, which actually
explains why there are separate commentaries on the discs. You’ll need
to listen to them to understand why I say that, however.
Artisan has released their second version of “The
Running Man” in a brand new Special Edition 2-disc set. Both discs
contain a solid looking transfer of the film, but Disc 1 has the
preferred Widescreen version while Disc 2 contains the dreaded waste of
space Full Screen version. Video and audio quality are pretty darn good
for an 80s film of this budget and nature. Okay, I’m also partial to
the song by John Parr that plays over the end credits. Parr is still
one of the coolest! Okay, extras start off with 2 audio commentaries;
the first with Director Paul Michael Glaser and Producer Tim Zinnemann
and the second with Executive Producer Rob Cohen. Cohen’s is the better
of the two. Glaser and Zinnemann will put you to sleep. These two
admit to not having watched the movie since it came out and it shows.
Cohen, on the other hand, does his best to contribute even though he’s
by himself. A little prep work next time, gentlemen. It’s obvious the
first two weren’t prepared for it.
Other extras include “Lockdown on Main Street” (24
½ min), an in-depth look at security in the US since 9/11 that doesn’t
really seem to fit here, but is interesting nonetheless. “Game Theory”
(20 ¼ min) provides some insight into reality TV shows today and “Meet
the Stalkers” provides some info on the villains of the film. Oddly
enough, though, there aren’t any featurettes on the film itself, making
what is here feel a bit out of place. The trailer is a nice touch,
though.
Revisiting “The Running Man” was fun…and not just
for the John Parr song, though it does sound DAMN good! Ah, Arnold.
Arnold…Arnold…Arnold… Your movies used to be so much fun. We went to
see you for escapism, not necessarily for intelligence…but did you have
to make “Terminator 3?” Fortunately for us, we have the lovely little
DVD format that allows us to watch what made you so popular in the first
place.
Film Rating:
B
DVD Special Features: C+
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