I remember reading (and enjoying*) the Stephen King short story way back in the days of the first movie, but I don't remember any of the specifics. Is this movie closer to the book? The first movie had the same name and general concept, but not much more.
*Yes, kids, there was a time in the past where King could write good stories. I know he's lost that now, but he had a run of success back in the late 80's and early 90's that very few authors can match.
Honestly, it wasn’t as good as the Swarzenegger one. It was too virtue signaling with the interracial couple suffering trope. Just too brooding, too white man incel, too focused about “the kids”, not enough story for my taste. Essentially a pissed off white guy sticks it to the corporation for fucking with his life and ability to take care of his mulatto kid until the wheels fall off.
Oh, and Colman Domingo needs to just stop at this point.
Oh yeah, Ahnold's version is pure 80's Smack and Cheese with all the Red 40 and Yellow 5 your nervous system can handle. It's so gloriously camp that even every serious bit of it makes you want to giggle. Nowadays you look at the hunters cast and just look at it in surprise. Jim Brown? Jesse "Pre gov" Ventura? The guy who played Odd Job from Goldfinger??? I mean what's not to absolutely love?? And Richard Dawson doing his best Ellen DeGeneres impersonation (decades before her) and being perfectly suited for the role. People forget he was Newkirk in Hogan's Heroes long before the Family Feud and his acting chops show.
As for your point on the race mixing I saw it right away and went, well... I guess that could be one interpretation. I felt it wasn't terrible or forced wokeism, but a choice. The actress who played his wife was good for the little part she got, but I'll do a post on the ending in regards to that.
Oh yeah, the whole pissed off guy sticks it to the corporation? Shit... that was King's entire point of the Bachmann Books. Lone man pushed too far and letting them have it in pure white-man rage. And about that, it reminds me a lot of something the Cohen Brothers said about Fargo. Places and cultures with lots of repression tend to give the illusion that nothing's wrong, and the pressure builds till finally these repressed people just 'snap' with extreme violence. There's often no sign that there's a problem or tension's building until it's too late.
(coincidentally, that's what I think a lot of society needs to remember about a lot of real middle-class America. They won't boil and froth giving us ample warning. They'll go from peaceful and quiet to the one offense to many and you get Antietam or Bloody Shiloh level of violence.)
Ahnold at least was good camp. So good you couldn't even take him seriously when he was pissed off. For 80s kids it was the unofficial sequel baby of Predator and Commando, lol. Oh yeah, love the Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura fresh from Predator. Only thing that was missing was a guy like Thalmus Rasulala or Warren Oates to iron out that classic cast. Richard Dawson was the standout. He was just good in that role while doing Family Feud too. Bob Barker couldn't have pulled it off.
The race mixing bugged me because its an easy scapegoat trope and one that is unnecessary. Anytime any of these movies goes that way and then with "a baby" it's bad. It's terrible and it's the "for the kids" meme. Then to underplay the Black wife like she was pretty much on her way to go hooking to get bootleg medicine was cringe. Right up there with the stereotypical black family helping the white man hero and having the black buck sidekick help him make it to the end. It's every buddy black guy/white guy film all over, except thanks to Danny Glover, a lot of them can live now.
King's interpretation in the book we are not arguing as he lost that creative control with Ahnold. Pretty sure I read this novel and don't remember all this interracial angst kick the white man running the corporation ass to save the mulatto baby story, though King would agree given his newfound political stances. And no, this film isn't pure white man rage. It's white man having rage *for his black kid* and possibly being brought to this to save his black wife and kid. He's not lone wolfing it. He's being held captive by the "white man taking better care of his race mixed family than a white man with a same race family" trope.
The only thing I think they got right in the film is the complete ignorance of America towards anybody that isn't in their class. They also got the nerd in the basement trope right (who was stupid as hell for that stunt) but not really full in on people having an uprising for the right reasons. All they did was make dude a cult reality star, which is what the corporation wanted. So did he really win, or did he just take over his own show?
And again, Colman Domingo needs to sit the hell down. He's just doing waaay too much since his official "it's okay for me to play gay guys" roles after Four Seasons.
We are GLAD we paid to see it in the theater instead of waiting until it showed up at the library on DVD. Hollywood does (still) pay attention to money. Our buying tickets sent a tiny signal.
Brendan still has that sly, boyish charm even though his "Mummy" days are far behind, like they are for all of us!
Thank you for the review. It seems that the writer(s) carefully followed the studio cliche check list. "...down-on-his-luck laborer who can’t get employment because he keeps calling out safety violations that endanger his co-workers." Evil corporation treating workers like slaves. Yup Got that one. '...he’s got a two-year-old daughter who’s dying of the flu because they can’t afford the right kind of medicine...' Medical care denied because of not enough socialized medicine Yup. Got that one. '...his wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) go back for a third shift at the club to flirt with the high-rollers...' Woman forced to take job in which she's humiliated. Yup Got that one. Just my taste but I'll let this movie go.
Heartily agree. This version of The Running Man remains far more faithful to the novella by Steven King (through the pseudonym Richard Bachmann). Unfortunately, as a fan of the book and a fan who looks at the 87 movie with Ahnold with a slightly jaundiced eye, The last five minutes of the movie knocked it from a 5 star from me to a 4.25. Edgar Wright, the studio execs or test screenings make it VERY clear that someone after this movie was shot had a fit about the ending and did not give us the book's version. Wright had a glorious chance to give us the same kind of unforgettable ending like with "The Mist" that was even braver than that novella.
All in all, go see The Running Man. If you're a fan of the 87 cheesefest, know that Richard Dawson was the perfect cast, and you're going to be disappointed. The two movies only share base concepts and character names. You gotta love 87 for what it was, but this version is 95% more faithful and modernized and it works and finally scratches that itch that we fans of the novella wanted back then.
You know, I ought to write a post on that one specific point.
I am an avid reader but have never read a Stephen King book. Every time I read a synopsis I struggle to associate the novel with Stephen King and his ultra Woke TDS, bluesky personality.
If you can find it, go pick up a used copy of "The Bachmann Books". All but one is worth the read IMHO. I did not like "Roadwork" but that may be because it was too "adult" and boring. The Running Man, The Long Walk and Rage are King in his prime stories.
Rage is considered too controvertial nowadays because it's inside a school shooting and hostage negotiation that many try to claim was an inspiration for the Columbine shooting, and they don't want that story "warping" more minds to do the same. As a story, it's amazing.
The Long Walk, they tried to make into a movie, but I've not gone to see it despite that was another I wanted to see adapted. Mostly because King keeps feeding quarters into the dick punching machine known as his social media account. I will see it at some point because I read that novella like 10 times.
Again, Roadwork was meh for me, because it lacks a lot of the elements I expect from a King story. The terror is mundane and very adult with a pace that creeps along. But maybe others will really enjoy it.
It's just good that Running Man got a faithful treatment it deserved.
I remember reading (and enjoying*) the Stephen King short story way back in the days of the first movie, but I don't remember any of the specifics. Is this movie closer to the book? The first movie had the same name and general concept, but not much more.
*Yes, kids, there was a time in the past where King could write good stories. I know he's lost that now, but he had a run of success back in the late 80's and early 90's that very few authors can match.
Honestly, it wasn’t as good as the Swarzenegger one. It was too virtue signaling with the interracial couple suffering trope. Just too brooding, too white man incel, too focused about “the kids”, not enough story for my taste. Essentially a pissed off white guy sticks it to the corporation for fucking with his life and ability to take care of his mulatto kid until the wheels fall off.
Oh, and Colman Domingo needs to just stop at this point.
Oh yeah, Ahnold's version is pure 80's Smack and Cheese with all the Red 40 and Yellow 5 your nervous system can handle. It's so gloriously camp that even every serious bit of it makes you want to giggle. Nowadays you look at the hunters cast and just look at it in surprise. Jim Brown? Jesse "Pre gov" Ventura? The guy who played Odd Job from Goldfinger??? I mean what's not to absolutely love?? And Richard Dawson doing his best Ellen DeGeneres impersonation (decades before her) and being perfectly suited for the role. People forget he was Newkirk in Hogan's Heroes long before the Family Feud and his acting chops show.
As for your point on the race mixing I saw it right away and went, well... I guess that could be one interpretation. I felt it wasn't terrible or forced wokeism, but a choice. The actress who played his wife was good for the little part she got, but I'll do a post on the ending in regards to that.
Oh yeah, the whole pissed off guy sticks it to the corporation? Shit... that was King's entire point of the Bachmann Books. Lone man pushed too far and letting them have it in pure white-man rage. And about that, it reminds me a lot of something the Cohen Brothers said about Fargo. Places and cultures with lots of repression tend to give the illusion that nothing's wrong, and the pressure builds till finally these repressed people just 'snap' with extreme violence. There's often no sign that there's a problem or tension's building until it's too late.
(coincidentally, that's what I think a lot of society needs to remember about a lot of real middle-class America. They won't boil and froth giving us ample warning. They'll go from peaceful and quiet to the one offense to many and you get Antietam or Bloody Shiloh level of violence.)
Ahnold at least was good camp. So good you couldn't even take him seriously when he was pissed off. For 80s kids it was the unofficial sequel baby of Predator and Commando, lol. Oh yeah, love the Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura fresh from Predator. Only thing that was missing was a guy like Thalmus Rasulala or Warren Oates to iron out that classic cast. Richard Dawson was the standout. He was just good in that role while doing Family Feud too. Bob Barker couldn't have pulled it off.
The race mixing bugged me because its an easy scapegoat trope and one that is unnecessary. Anytime any of these movies goes that way and then with "a baby" it's bad. It's terrible and it's the "for the kids" meme. Then to underplay the Black wife like she was pretty much on her way to go hooking to get bootleg medicine was cringe. Right up there with the stereotypical black family helping the white man hero and having the black buck sidekick help him make it to the end. It's every buddy black guy/white guy film all over, except thanks to Danny Glover, a lot of them can live now.
King's interpretation in the book we are not arguing as he lost that creative control with Ahnold. Pretty sure I read this novel and don't remember all this interracial angst kick the white man running the corporation ass to save the mulatto baby story, though King would agree given his newfound political stances. And no, this film isn't pure white man rage. It's white man having rage *for his black kid* and possibly being brought to this to save his black wife and kid. He's not lone wolfing it. He's being held captive by the "white man taking better care of his race mixed family than a white man with a same race family" trope.
The only thing I think they got right in the film is the complete ignorance of America towards anybody that isn't in their class. They also got the nerd in the basement trope right (who was stupid as hell for that stunt) but not really full in on people having an uprising for the right reasons. All they did was make dude a cult reality star, which is what the corporation wanted. So did he really win, or did he just take over his own show?
And again, Colman Domingo needs to sit the hell down. He's just doing waaay too much since his official "it's okay for me to play gay guys" roles after Four Seasons.
I'll add this to our list. We could do a double feature! Arnold's version and this one.
Have you seen Brendan Fraser in "Rental Family?" We paid to see it in the theater and loved it.
It is intensely Japanese, including much of the dialog (which is subtitled.) It was wonderful.
Haven't seen "Rental Family" yet but I hear good things about it. Brendan is long due a comeback. It's nice to see him getting steady work now.
We are GLAD we paid to see it in the theater instead of waiting until it showed up at the library on DVD. Hollywood does (still) pay attention to money. Our buying tickets sent a tiny signal.
Brendan still has that sly, boyish charm even though his "Mummy" days are far behind, like they are for all of us!
Thank you for the review. It seems that the writer(s) carefully followed the studio cliche check list. "...down-on-his-luck laborer who can’t get employment because he keeps calling out safety violations that endanger his co-workers." Evil corporation treating workers like slaves. Yup Got that one. '...he’s got a two-year-old daughter who’s dying of the flu because they can’t afford the right kind of medicine...' Medical care denied because of not enough socialized medicine Yup. Got that one. '...his wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) go back for a third shift at the club to flirt with the high-rollers...' Woman forced to take job in which she's humiliated. Yup Got that one. Just my taste but I'll let this movie go.
Heartily agree. This version of The Running Man remains far more faithful to the novella by Steven King (through the pseudonym Richard Bachmann). Unfortunately, as a fan of the book and a fan who looks at the 87 movie with Ahnold with a slightly jaundiced eye, The last five minutes of the movie knocked it from a 5 star from me to a 4.25. Edgar Wright, the studio execs or test screenings make it VERY clear that someone after this movie was shot had a fit about the ending and did not give us the book's version. Wright had a glorious chance to give us the same kind of unforgettable ending like with "The Mist" that was even braver than that novella.
All in all, go see The Running Man. If you're a fan of the 87 cheesefest, know that Richard Dawson was the perfect cast, and you're going to be disappointed. The two movies only share base concepts and character names. You gotta love 87 for what it was, but this version is 95% more faithful and modernized and it works and finally scratches that itch that we fans of the novella wanted back then.
You know, I ought to write a post on that one specific point.
I am an avid reader but have never read a Stephen King book. Every time I read a synopsis I struggle to associate the novel with Stephen King and his ultra Woke TDS, bluesky personality.
If you can find it, go pick up a used copy of "The Bachmann Books". All but one is worth the read IMHO. I did not like "Roadwork" but that may be because it was too "adult" and boring. The Running Man, The Long Walk and Rage are King in his prime stories.
Rage is considered too controvertial nowadays because it's inside a school shooting and hostage negotiation that many try to claim was an inspiration for the Columbine shooting, and they don't want that story "warping" more minds to do the same. As a story, it's amazing.
The Long Walk, they tried to make into a movie, but I've not gone to see it despite that was another I wanted to see adapted. Mostly because King keeps feeding quarters into the dick punching machine known as his social media account. I will see it at some point because I read that novella like 10 times.
Again, Roadwork was meh for me, because it lacks a lot of the elements I expect from a King story. The terror is mundane and very adult with a pace that creeps along. But maybe others will really enjoy it.
It's just good that Running Man got a faithful treatment it deserved.