Captain Marvel star Gemma Chan would ... so she created the ultimate Crazy Rich Asians crossover.
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Title: The Running Man (1987)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| 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 | |
| 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) | |
In the year 2017, the world economy has collapsed. The great freedoms of the United States are no longer, as the once great nation has sealed off its borders and become a militarized police state, censoring all film, art, literature, and communications. Even so, a small resistance force led by two revolutionaries manages to fight the oppression. With full control over the media, the government attempts to quell the nation's yearning for freedom by broadcasting a number of game shows on which convicted criminals fight for their lives. The most popular and sadistic of these programs is "The Running Man," hosted by Damon Killian. When a peaceful protest of starving citizens gathers in Bakersfield, California, a police officer named Ben Richards is ordered to fire on the crowd, which he refuses to do. Subdued by the other officers, the attack is carried out, and Richards is framed for the murder of almost a hundred unarmed civilians. Following a daring jail break months later, Richards is... Written by Curly Q. Link
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Released just as Arnold Schwarzenegger was achieving megastar status, this film about stardom is a wry pun on his career and the media business around him. Films like these are not meant to be analysed, they are meant to be enjoyed, and THE RUNNING MAN certainly manages to do that.
After a shaky start involving the worst title sequence in the history of cinema (although it's good to see the Sinclair Spectrum finally get global use!), director Paul Michael Glaser presents an eye-popping glimpse at the television of tomorrow. This witty slice of sociological irony would have admittedly been slicker in the hands of regular Paul Verhoeven, but Glaser keeps the action flowing throughout, and presents us with some bizarrely fascinating villains as well as the usual action frolics. One query, though, is over the level of violence. Oddly enough there doesn't really seem to be enough. In a program where the broad concept is horrifically barbaric, Glaser seems reluctant to horrify us beyond the disappointing "see the blood spattering from the violence that's just off camera" and those awful rubber corpses! I do not wish to appear to be encouraging unnecessary violence, but in a comic-book film where 'gore is its core', not including it almost makes you feel that it is trying to take itself too seriously, and therefore makes it even more horrific. Perhaps this delicate subject is better explained by Paul Verhoeven in his excellent commentary to ROBOCOP (DVD Criterion Collection).
But the performances in THE RUNNING MAN are suitably solid, from the powerful Schwarzenegger to the sleazy game show host. Any fan of the 80s action genre will love this, so sit back and prepare for SHOWTIME!!!!!!