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The Running Man The Rewatchables
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The Running Man

Most Rewatchable Scene

Split: the six-minute cheerleader-to-launch stretch; every studio cutaway with Richard Dawson

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:02Read transcript
  • The original Bakersfield footage is praised as setup rather than selected as a rewatchable scene.
  • The Wilshire detention-zone escape and Chico running too early are nominated.
  • Captain Freedom’s workout tape is nominated and called a favorite part of the movie.
  • Captain Freedom’s cheap costume and visible steroid use add to the workout-and-green-room material.
  • Richards taking Amber through a permissive 1980s airport is nominated.
  • Killian asking Richards to volunteer and receiving a blunt refusal is a favorite exchange.
  • The aerobics cheerleaders, Buzzsaw and Killian entrances, doctored massacre, and pod launch are selected as a favorite six-minute stretch.
  • The fight with the ice-themed stalker is fun but feels too short, and the plain-zero line reading becomes part of its appeal.
  • The Dynamo opera fight is nominated mainly for the Christmas-tree and light-bulb insults.
  • The old woman choosing Ben Richards is a brief scene nominee.
  • The fake Captain Freedom murders are nominated as both a deepfake spectacle and a rigged-gambling scandal.
  • The restored Bakersfield footage, Killian’s television speech, and his final exchange with Richards are praised as the ending.
  • Craig Horlbeck chooses any studio sequence in which Richard Dawson hosts the game show. — Craig Horlbeck
The Running Man The Rewatchables
The Running Man poster
The Running Man

What’s Aged the Best?

The future-setting graphic, invented reality shows, first ten minutes, Richard Bachman name, old-age Mick Fleetwood, Captain Freedom, net tasers, dystopian Los Angeles, and Faltermeyer’s score (some qualified)

In the discussion (16)
Approx. transcript time · 00:43:04Read transcript
  • The opening graphic that declares society collapsed by 2017 immediately sells the premise.
  • Climbing for Dollars feels like a plausible modern streaming competition show despite its blunt name.
  • The unexplained Hate Boat is praised as a reality-show concept that could work now.
  • Captain Freedom is compared to a steroidal modern sideline reporter.
  • The first ten minutes move efficiently from the future graphic through the helicopter, prison, Chico, and Dawson.
  • Stephen King publishing as Richard Bachman is praised as a pen-name power move.
  • Mick Fleetwood’s future-age makeup is said to resemble how he looks decades later.
  • Dynamo’s vehicle is compared to a contemporary Tesla truck.
  • Arnold’s conspicuously fake early beard exemplifies an enjoyable 1980s action-movie convention.
  • The conveniently fitted World’s Gym shirt and construction hat make Richards’s escape outfit funny.
  • The net tasers used on the airport tarmac are praised as useful futuristic weapons.
  • The film’s run-down future Los Angeles looks uncomfortably close to present-day Los Angeles.
  • Harold Faltermeyer’s score gives the movie weight; its similarity to cop two prompts speculation that musical ideas were reused.
  • The podcast says the actor it names as “Erlin Van Liff” was a real baritone, performed Dynamo’s singing, and died in the film’s release year.
  • American Gladiators is said to have drawn direct inspiration from The Running Man.
  • Possible Hate Boat formats include people who already hate each other, loving couples breaking apart, and separated couples forced to get along with their children at sea.
The Running Man The Rewatchables
The Running Man poster
The Running Man

The Slow Ride / Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness Award for Best Needle Drop

John Parr’s “Restless Heart” closing song

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:24Read transcript
  • The closing credits introduce the film’s only prominent 1980s song after an otherwise song-free movie.
  • The slow-motion kiss after Killian’s death makes the song feel especially awkward.
  • The hosts compare its dated effect with a “rat song” at the end of Point Break.
The Running Man The Rewatchables
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The Running Man

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

The underdeveloped stalker fights, especially the missing Richards–Sven fight

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:04Read transcript
  • The stalker fights feel brief and thin compared with later action choreography.
  • Killian assumes Sven can stop Richards despite Richards already defeating the other stalkers.
  • Sven delivers an unintelligible only line and then walks away instead of fighting Richards.
The Running Man The Rewatchables
The Running Man poster
The Running Man

What’s Aged the Worst?

Outdated graphics, Dawson stunt-casting context, weak future guns, Dynamo’s assault, Arnold’s reduced physique, poor dialogue, and Yaphet Kotto’s written death

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:35Read transcript
  • The opening graphics look unmistakably cheap and mid-1980s.
  • Richard Dawson’s casting is harder to appreciate without knowing his former game-show stature.
  • The futuristic machine guns sound less intimidating than ordinary contemporary weapons.
  • Dynamo’s abrupt sexual assault on Amber makes the movie turn needlessly dark.
  • Arnold’s reduced biceps and lack of a shirtless scene reflect a back injury rather than character preparation.
  • The dialogue repeatedly undercuts the movie’s visuals and cast.
  • Yafakoto gives a committed death performance but receives a weak final line.
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