The Running Man (1987)

Director:

Paul Michael Glaser

Writers:

Stephen King (novel)
Steven E. de Souza (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 November 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The year is 2019. The finest men in America don't run for President. They run for their lives.

Plot:

A wrongly-convicted man must try to survive a public execution gauntlet staged as a TV game show.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Prison | Police State | Framed | Massacre

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Ben Richards
Maria Conchita Alonso	...	Amber Mendez
Yaphet Kotto	...	William Laughlin
Jim Brown	...	Fireball
Jesse Ventura	...	Captain Freedom
Erland van Lidth	...	Dynamo (as Erland Van Lidth)
Marvin J. McIntyre	...	Harold Weiss
Gus Rethwisch	...	Buzzsaw (as Bernard Gus Rethwisch)
Professor Toru Tanaka	...	Subzero
Mick Fleetwood	...	Mic
Dweezil Zappa	...	Stevie
Richard Dawson	...	Damon Killian
Karen Leigh Hopkins	...	Brenda
Sven-Ole Thorsen	...	Sven (as Sven Thorsen)
Edward Bunker	...	Lenny (as Eddie Bunker)
Bryan Kestner	...	Med Tech
Anthony Pena	...	Valdez (as Anthony Penya)
Kurt Fuller	...	Tony
Ken Lerner	...	Agent (as Kenneth Lerner)
Dey Young	...	Amy
Rodger Bumpass	...	Phil Hilton (voice) (as Roger Bumpass)
Donna Hardy	...	Mrs. McArdle
Lynne Marie Stewart	...	Edith Wiggins
Bill Margolin	...	Leon
Tony Brubaker	...	Soldier #1 (as Anthony Brubaker)
Joel Kramer	...	Soldier #2
Billy D. Lucas	...	Soldier #3 (as Billy Lucas)
George P. Wilbur	...	Lieutenant Saunders
Thomas Rosales Jr.	...	Chico (as Tom Rosales Jr.)
Sondra Holt	...	Suzie Checkpoint
Daniel Celario	...	Barrio Foreman #1
Mario Celario	...	Barrio Foreman #2
Sidney Chankin	...	Custodian
Kim Pawlik	...	Newscaster
Roger Kern	...	Travel Pass Guard
Barbara Lux	...	Elderly Lady
Franco Columbu	...	911 Security Officer #2
Lin Shaye	...	Propaganda Officer
Boyd Kestner	...	Yuppie Yeller (as Boyd R. Kestner)
Wayne Grace	...	911 Security Officer #1
Charlie Phillips	...	Teenage Punk
Greg Lewis	...	Manager Locker Room
John William James	...	Barrio Bettor
Jon Cutler	...	Underground Tech
Kerry Wall	...	Dancer (as Kerry Brennan)
Paula Brown	...	Dancer
Megan Gallivan	...	Dancer
Suzie Hardy	...	Dancer
Debby Harris	...	Dancer
Melissa Hurley	...	Dancer
Marlene Lange	...	Dancer
Morgan Lawley	...	Dancer
Cindy Millican	...	Dancer
Andrea Moen	...	Dancer
Mary Ann Hermansen	...	Dancer
Karen Owens	...	Dancer
Sharon Owens	...	Dancer
Pamela Rossi	...	Dancer
Mia Togo	...	Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maureen Flaherty	...	(uncredited)
Sandy Holt	...	Woman in Airport (uncredited)
Jeff Jensen	...	(uncredited)
Jon McBride	...	Locker Room Viewer (uncredited)
Mel Scott-Thomas	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Paul Michael Glaser

Writing credits
Stephen King		(novel) (as Richard Bachman)
Steven E. de Souza		(screenplay)

Produced by
Keith Barish	....	executive producer
Rob Cohen	....	executive producer
George Linder	....	producer
Tim Zinnemann	....	producer

Original Music by
Harold Faltermeyer

Cinematography by
Thomas Del Ruth		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Mark Warner		(as Mark Roy Warner)
Edward A. Warschilka
John Wright

Casting by
Jackie Burch

Production Design by
Jack T. Collis

Set Decoration by
Jim Duffy

Costume Design by
Robert Blackman

Makeup Department
Frankie Bergman	....	hair stylist
Jeff Dawn	....	makeup department head (as Jefferson Dawn)
Nina Kent	....	makeup artist
Steve LaPorte	....	makeup artist
James Lee McCoy	....	makeup artist (as Jim McCoy)
Richard Miranda	....	special makeup effects artist
Bunny Parker	....	hair stylist
Richard Snell	....	makeup artist
Peter Tothpal	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Gary Daigler	....	unit production manager (as Gary D. Daigler)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bennie E. Dobbins	....	second unit director
Brian Fong	....	dga trainee
Richard Peter Schroer	....	first assistant director
Barry K. Thomas	....	second assistant director
Robert Grasmere	....	additional second unit director (uncredited)
Robert S. Mills	....	second second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Richard Berger	....	set designer
Ken John Borland	....	construction grip (as Kenneth Borland)
Max E. Brehme	....	set dresser
Robert L. Clark	....	paint foreman
Tom Cranham	....	storyboard artist (as Thomas Cranham)
Mike Cunningham	....	assistant property master
Dennis DeWaay	....	construction coordinator (as Dennis DeWay)
Joseph E. Hubbard	....	assistant art director
Eric A. Hulett	....	lead man
Petko D. Kadiev	....	storyboard artist
Frank Leasure	....	propmaker
Nick Navarro	....	set designer
Gene Nollman	....	assistant art director
Joe Olsen	....	assistant property master
Nancy Patton	....	set designer
Mark Rappaport	....	sculptor
Michael Ross	....	property master
John Cassel	....	propmaker (uncredited)

Sound Department
Paul Timothy Carden	....	co-supervising sound editor
Larry Carow	....	sound editor
James Cavarretta	....	sound recordist
John S. Coffey	....	boom operator
David DeGeus	....	assistant adr editor
Mike Dobie	....	sound editor
Dean Drabin	....	foley mixer
Louis L. Edemann	....	sound editor
Carl Fischer	....	boom operator
Richard C. Franklin	....	supervising sound editor (as Richard C. Franklin Jr.)
Richard Bryce Goodman	....	production sound mixer
Gary A. Hecker	....	foley artist (as Gary Hecker)
Timothy A. Hoggatt	....	adr mixer
Spike Allison Hooper	....	assistant sound editor
Alan Howarth	....	sound processing
Jack Keller	....	sound recordist
David Kern	....	sound editor (as David J. Kern)
Rick Kline	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bobbe Kurtz	....	adr editor
Donald O. Mitchell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chuck Neely	....	sound editor
Mel Neiman	....	sound processing
Alan L. Nineberg	....	supervising adr editor
Bob O'Brien	....	apprentice sound editor
Kevin O'Connell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Thomas J. O'Connell	....	adr recordist
Charleen Richards	....	adr mixer
Bruce Richardson	....	sound editor (as Paul Bruce Richardson)
Rod Rogers	....	assistant adr editor
Larry Singer	....	supervising adr editor
Stephanie D. Singer	....	assistant sound editor (as Stephanie Dawn Singer)
Alicia Stevenson	....	foley artist
Andrew Torres	....	adr editor
Claus Wedemann	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (as Claus Wiedemann)
Bill Wilner	....	assistant adr editor
Samuel C. Crutcher	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Nils C. Jensen	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Michael Arbogast	....	special effects
Lawrence J. Cavanaugh	....	special effects coordinator (as Larry Cavanaugh)
Kenneth C. Clark	....	special effects
David Domeyer	....	special effects
Manuel S. Epstein	....	special effects (as Manuel Stuart Epstein)
David Fletcher	....	special effects technician
William Lee	....	special effects
George Paine	....	special effects
Kevin Quibell	....	special effects
R. Bruce Steinheimer	....	special effects supervisor (as Bruce Steinheimer)
Ken Tarallo	....	special effects crew
Dick Wood	....	special effects (as Dick Woods)

Visual Effects by
Syd Dutton	....	matte shots
Robert Grasmere	....	video effects supervisor
Gary Gutierrez	....	visual effects supervisor
Sam Nicholson	....	additional photography
Bill Taylor	....	matte shots
James Valentine	....	rotoscope

Stunts
Tony Brubaker	....	stunts: Fireball (as Anthony Brubaker)
Al Cleland	....	stunts: Subzero
Erik Cord	....	stunts: Killian
Bennie E. Dobbins	....	stunt coordinator
Jeff Jensen	....	stunts: Buzzsaw/Dynamo
Joel Kramer	....	stunts: Ben Richards
Shawn Lane	....	stunts: Weiss (as Shawn Patrick Lane)
Karen Price	....	stunts: Amber
Mel Scott-Thomas	....	stunts: Laughlin (as Mel Scott Thomas)
Bruce Paul Barbour	....	stunt driver (uncredited)
Bruce Paul Barbour	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Kenny Bates	....	stunts (uncredited)
Art Camacho	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Phil Chong	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom Elliott	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gene Hartline	....	stunts (uncredited)
Larry Holt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Peter Kent	....	stunt double: Arnold Schwarzenegger (uncredited)
Joel Kramer	....	assistant stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Paul M. Lane	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Lane Leavitt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gene LeBell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Roberto Martín Márquez	....	stunt player (uncredited)
Debra Mazotti	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Robert Mazotti	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Branscombe Richmond	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joseph Michael Roth	....	stunts (uncredited)
John-Clay Scott	....	stunts (uncredited)
Michael M. Vendrell	....	fight choreographer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jamie Anderson	....	camera operator
Michael J. Bailey	....	lamp operator
Douglas E. Beal	....	second assistant camera
Marc Brickman	....	theatrical lighting designer
Doug Byers	....	electrician
Billy Clevenger	....	first assistant camera (as William B. Clevenger Jr.)
James M. Cox	....	lamp operator
Gary R. Dodd	....	key grip
George Dunagan	....	lamp operator
Walt Fraser	....	second assistant camera (as Walter B. Fraser)
Dave Friedman	....	still photographer
Steve Hastings	....	electrician
Ronald E. High	....	first assistant camera (as Ron High)
James Keys	....	lamp operator (as James J. Keys)
Jan Koshay	....	dolly grip (as Jan S. Koshay)
Kevin J. Lang	....	rigging gaffer
Michael Maley	....	gaffer
Jerry L. Mandley	....	lighting technician
Steven C. McGee	....	best boy electric (as Steve McGee)
Monte Swann	....	video playback operator
Gary Tandrow	....	gaffer
Dave Turpin	....	best boy grip
Reynaldo Villalobos	....	director of photography: additional photography
Kenneth Zunder	....	camera operator
Albert Hood	....	lighting technician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Billy DaMota	....	casting assistant
Robert Lansing Parker	....	extras casting (as Lansing Parker)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Henry Baghdassarian	....	Dynamos costume engineer: Propmakers Inc.
Dan Bronson	....	men's costumer
Francine Jamison-Tanchuck	....	costume department supervisor
Michael J. Long	....	men's key costumer
Frank Perry Rose	....	men's costumer (as Frank Rose)
Buck Skelton	....	costumer: men
Betty Jean Slater	....	women's costumer

Editorial Department
John A. Amicarella	....	assistant editor
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Destiny Borden	....	assistant editor
Vaune Kirby Frechette	....	assistant editor (as Vaune Kirby)
David Jansen	....	assistant editor
Bob Noland	....	color timer
Steven Ramirez	....	first assistant editor
Yôko Seto	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Bob Badami	....	music editor
Bill Bernstein	....	assistant music editor
Brian Reeves	....	music scoring mixer

Transportation Department
Lyle Christensen	....	shotmaker driver
Robert K. Johnson	....	picture car mechanic
Tim Roslan	....	transportation captain
Kenny Searle	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Paula Abdul	....	choreographer
Michael Grasso	....	firearms advisor
Michael Grasso	....	law enforcement
Alison Howard-Smith	....	production secretary
Jerry Irvine	....	propulsion specialist
Merle L. Jackson	....	production office coordinator
Carlton Jones	....	assistant choreographer
Luca Kouimelis	....	script supervisor
Greg Lazzaro	....	key location manager
Solomon J. LeFlore	....	production financing
Andrew Lipschultz	....	publicity coordinator
George G. Miller	....	first aid
Margaret Mitchell	....	production accountant
Mark Rappaport	....	puppeteer
Mike Revell	....	assistant production accountant
Ken H. Rosen	....	location manager
Robert Schroer	....	production assistant
Marina Simpson	....	stand-in
Pam Trzaska	....	first aid (as Pamela Trzaska)
John R. Woodward	....	location manager
Jack E. Herman	....	extras set coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Braveworld Productions
• Home Box Office (HBO)
• Keith Barish Productions
• TAFT Entertainment Pictures

Distributors

• TriStar Pictures (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (1988) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Vestron Video (1988) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Finnkino (1989) (Finland) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1990) (USA) (TV)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1990) (Finland) (VHS)
• TV3 (1991) (Finland) (TV)
• Live Home Video (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Astro Distribution (1997) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Live Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Artisan Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Future Film (2000) (Finland) (DVD)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2004) (Canada) (DVD)
• Artisan Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Atlantic Film (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Nelonen (2004) (Finland) (TV) (2005)
• IDA films (2009) (Spain) (video)
• Lionsgate Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Columbia Pictures of Canada (1987) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Film Distributors (1987) (Australia) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Flashback Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Flashstar Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1989) (Greece) (VHS)
• J&M Entertainment (1987) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Olive Films (2012) (Canada) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• Olive Films (2012) (USA) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• VIDEO 2000 (19??) (Hungary) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Burman Studio, The (special effects makeup)
• Colossal Pictures (special visual effects)
• Illusion Arts (matte shots)
• USFX (special visual effects)

Other Companies

• Mi Casa Multimedia  new restoration 5.1 and 7.1 DVD/BD
• Atmosphere Agency  extras casting
• For Stars Catering  catering
• Oasis Recording Studios  music post-production
• Pacific Title  end titles
• Pacific Title  opticals
• Propmasters Inc.  Dynamo's costume engineered by
• Video Image  main titles
• Video Image  video and graphics design
• Warner Hollywood Studios  post-production facilities

Also Known As:

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Ireland:18 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (f) | West Germany:18 | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA (Cable Rating, cut) | Singapore:M18 | Brazil:12 | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Belmont Tunnel - 1304 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Braveworld Productions

Trivia:

Don Johnson was in talks to star as "Ben", but passed on the project to remain with "Miami Vice" (1984).

Goofs:

Continuity: During the battle with Buzzsaw and Dynamo the camera changes to the stalker locker room and shows Fireball sitting with a woman in silver and a woman in blue and Capt. Freedom in the background. Later in the scene it shows Capt. Freedom where Fireball was sitting with the two women. But the third time, it shows Fireball back with the two women and Capt. Freedom back in the same position in the background he was in the first shot.

Quotes:

Amber:I'm warning you, I get sick. Air sick, car sick. I'm gonna throw up all over you.
Richards:Go ahead. Won't show on this shirt.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Malevolence (2004)

Soundtrack:

The Death March

"What a hot-head!"

Mild Spoilers

In the near future, Arnold stars as Ben Richards, a wrongly convicted man coerced into playing 'The Running Man', a deadly TV game show where people have to keep moving to try and escape brutal deaths at the hands of the 'Stalkers'. Of course, people are expected to die eventually and its up to Arnold to prove the system wrong.

I haven't read the Stephen King book, but this is a great film regardless, one of Arnold's best. He does what he does best in the action man role, delivering death with unforgettable one-liners. Classics are probably the 'He was a real pain in the neck' after strangling a guy with barb wire, and 'He had to split!', referring to whereabouts he just chain sawed someone vertically. Dawson is perfectly irritating as the TV presenter, and all the 'Stalkers' are suitably camp. The action is violent, but its an action film. That's the point. The film is fast paced, and at 90 minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome.

With Starsky and Hutch's Paul Michael Glaser at the helm, and made in the wake of the success of The Terminator, previously this film was probably seen as just another mindless action vehicle for Arnold, and very far fetched. But today, anyone who watches a lot of TV could see how the film is getting closer to reality. I wouldn't be surprised if I turn on the TV in the 'near future' and see a show not to far from this.

On that depressing note, I must however recommend 'The Running Man' to anyone who likes the 80s, Arnold, ridiculous acts or violence or just a good action film. 9. 5 / 10