The Running Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

The Running Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 13, 2020

Paul Michael Glaser's "The Running Man" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. There are no bonus features on the release. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

In the late ‘80s, a lot of the red flags that this film raised looked quite ridiculous, and most still do. But the technology that is needed to create the fake news that transforms its main protagonist into a blood-thirsty criminal is already here, and there have been multiple examples where once well-respected networks were caught using doctored footage that twisted reality pretty much exactly as depicted in the film.

The year is 2019 and America has undergone a profound transformation. The government has established big socio-economic zones that accommodate different groups of underprivileged citizens, and each zone is carefully monitored by special forces serving the elites. Because living conditions inside the zones are awful there are daily protests, from time to time even violent riots.

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Ben Richards, a soldier who is imprisoned after he refuses to open fire at unarmed demonstrators. At a maximum security institution, Richards teams up with a group of prisoners and during a big riot manages to get away with a few of them. However, getting out of the country turns out to be a much trickier business, and thanks to a brainwashed reporter (Maria Conchita Alonso ) he is quickly detained by government agents and transferred to another maximum security institution. While waiting to find out what his punishment would be, Richards then pops up on the radar of the country’s biggest showman, Damon Killian (Richard Dawson), who has made millions from the popular program “The Running Man”. Convinced that the ex-soldier would make a great participant in his program, Killian immediately uses his government contacts, and over a few hours tech wizards transform his target into the ‘Butcher of Bakersfield”. Soon after, Richards and a couple of his rebel buddies are dumped into a big industrial area where a gang of hunters begins tracking them down. However, much to everyone’s surprise the runners decide to fight back and one after another the show’s most popular hunters get a dose of their own medicine. Director Paul Michael Glaser worked with a script by Steven E. de Souza which handles Stephen King’s original material in the only possible way an action film with Schwarzenegger right in the middle of it could have -- by making the most of the high-octane action. Unsurprisingly, the characterizations are very basic and then there is just a whole lot of color lighting and fake explosions.

The drama that is supposed to complement the action just about sinks the film because so much of it is so exaggerated that from time to time the whole thing begins to look like a parody. Then again, Schwarzenegger was impossible to take as a serious dramatic actor, so perhaps this was an inevitable flaw.

There are a couple of curious cameos. Jim Brown plays one of the show’s prominent killers, Fireball, and has a hilarious hair/wig. Jesse Ventura was cast to play an angry Captain Freedom that refuses to fight Schwarzenegger while wearing some high-tech uniform. He looks really goofy. Yaphet Kotto is one of the inmates that escapes with Schwarzenegger. A young Dweezil Zappa somehow managed to land a small role in this film as well.

The Running Man is not a bad film, but with a more serious attitude, it could have been a lot more intriguing. As it is, it just feels like a very transparent '80s relative of Rollerball.

The Running Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Running Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same older master that Paramount Pictures has offered to other boutique labels. There is nothing seriously wrong with it, but its limitations tend to show rather easily. The main reason why is the fact that the bulk of the film is quite dark, with plenty of colored and filtered light, so shadow definition and smaller nuances are not always optimal. Predictably, this is something that impacts depth and overall clarity. The film also looks slightly softer than it should, but then again because it is darker it is often difficult to tell that the native sharpness should be better. (A brand new 4K remaster will quite easily offer some very meaningful improvements in this specific area). The color grading is very nice, but some nuances can be expanded and also appear healthier. Image stability is good. There are no large distracting debris or damage marks, but random small dark spots and a few specks can be spotted. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Running Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are no provided for the main feature.

On my system the the 5.1 tracks sounded very strong. Obviously, this film has a ton of footage where a good 5.1 track can do a variety of different things to impress, but I thought that separation and dynamic intensity were really terrific. When it was prepared, someone was clearly paying attention to various details because it easily shows. Well done. However, Umbrella Entertainment should have included optional English SDH subtitles.

The Running Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no bonus features to be found on this Blu-ray release.

The Running Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Without Arnold Schwarzenegger The Running Man would have been a very different film, and I honestly think that it probably would have been a better film. In its current form, it certainly does not disappoint, but from time to time it gets kitschy in ways that I don't particularly enjoy. A more consistently darker, even sinister script would have made this film rather special and eventually guaranteed its cult status. I could be wrong, but right now this is how I feel about it. Umbrella Entertainment's release is sourced from an older but pretty decent master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. It is Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.