By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and U.S. society has become a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The government pacifies the populace by broadcasting a number of game shows in which convicted criminals fight for their lives, including the gladiator-style The Running Man, hosted by the ruthless Damon Killian, where “runners” attempt to evade “stalkers” and certain death for a chance to be pardoned and set free.
Directed by Paul Michael Glaser
based on novel or book
dystopia
game show
on the run
totalitarian
prison break
paranoid
dark future
wrongly accused
death game
not too distant future
fight for life
authoritarian
stalkers
alternate future
crowd mentality
Rank
#48 in 1987·#4576 overall
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Ben Richards
Richard Dawson
Damon Killian
María Conchita Alonso
Amber Mendez
Yaphet Kotto
William Laughlin
Jim Brown
Fireball
Jesse Ventura
Captain Freedom
Erland van Lidth
Dynamo
Professor Toru Tanaka
Subzero
Mick Fleetwood
Mic
Dweezil Zappa
Stevie
Karen Leigh Hopkins
Brenda
Sven-Ole Thorsen
Sven
Crew
Paul Michael Glaser
Director
Steven E. de Souza
Screenplay
Harold Faltermeyer
Original Music Composer
Rob Cohen
Executive Producer
John Parr
Theme Song Performance
Erik Cord
Stunts
Gene LeBell
Stunts
Tony Brubaker
Stunts
Stephen King
Novel
Kevin O'Connell
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Jeff Dawn
Key Makeup Artist
Mike Cunningham
Assistant Property Master
Popular Reviews
1038 reviews
Vincent Von
8.0★ · 07/07/26
2017 was way better than this
2017 was way better than this
Andrea Vee
3.0★ · 07/04/26
It’s funny how this seemed so far fetched 40 years ago
It’s funny how this seemed so far fetched 40 years ago
Rachel
7.0★ · 06/19/26
Fun movie, nothing too crazy
Fun movie, nothing too crazy
Matteo Carradore
5.0★ · 05/08/26
Soirée cinéma avec le padre, que demander de plus
Soirée cinéma avec le padre, que demander de plus
Mary
8.0★ · 05/05/26
I saw first the Glen Powell version of this movie, and even tho the plot of the newest one is more interesting, this one is perfect in the sense of action dystopic movie.
I saw first the Glen Powell version of this movie, and even tho the plot of the newest one is more interesting, this one is perfect in the sense of action dystopic movie.