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Fireball ranks worst, behind Dynamo, Sub-Zero, and Buzzsaw

Kyle Brandt: The ranking places Fireball fourth because he is never chosen, cannot catch the runners, and folds when his fuel line fails.

Kyle Brandt: The ranking places Dynamo third.

The film

The Running Man (1987)

Directed by Paul Michael Glaser · Science fiction

101 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Arnold Schwarzenegger Ben Richards
María Conchita Alonso Amber Mendez
Yaphet Kotto William Laughlin
Richard Dawson Damon Killian
Jim Brown Fireball
Jesse Ventura Captain Freedom
Marvin J. McIntyre Harold Weiss
Gus Rethwisch Buzzsaw

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

24:09

Roger Ebert's review

2.5 stars (scale not stated)
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:09Read transcript
26:02

Most Rewatchable Scene

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

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. — Bill Simmons
  • The Wilshire detention-zone escape and Chico running too early are nominated. — Kyle Brandt
  • Captain Freedom’s workout tape is nominated and called a favorite part of the movie. — Bill Simmons
  • Captain Freedom’s cheap costume and visible steroid use add to the workout-and-green-room material. — Kyle Brandt
  • Richards taking Amber through a permissive 1980s airport is nominated. — Kyle Brandt
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
  • The fight with the ice-themed stalker is fun but feels too short, and the plain-zero line reading becomes part of its appeal. — Bill Simmons
  • The Dynamo opera fight is nominated mainly for the Christmas-tree and light-bulb insults. — Kyle Brandt
  • The old woman choosing Ben Richards is a brief scene nominee. — Bill Simmons
  • The fake Captain Freedom murders are nominated as both a deepfake spectacle and a rigged-gambling scandal. — Bill Simmons
  • 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
27:10

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Chico is floated as a Dion Waiters candidate for making his roughly twelve seconds memorable.

Chico is floated as a Dion Waiters candidate for making his roughly twelve seconds memorable.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:10Read transcript
  • Chico is explicitly compared to a Dion Waiters performance because his brief appearance is so effective. — Kyle Brandt
  • His premature sprint and exploding head are compared with famous embarrassing football runs. — Kyle Brandt
43:04

What’s Aged the Best?

The future-setting graphic, invented reality shows, first ten minutes, Richard Bachman name, old-age Mick Fleetwood, ...

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. — Bill Simmons
  • Climbing for Dollars feels like a plausible modern streaming competition show despite its blunt name. — Bill Simmons
  • The unexplained Hate Boat is praised as a reality-show concept that could work now. — Bill Simmons
  • Captain Freedom is compared to a steroidal modern sideline reporter. — Bill Simmons
  • The first ten minutes move efficiently from the future graphic through the helicopter, prison, Chico, and Dawson. — Kyle Brandt
  • Stephen King publishing as Richard Bachman is praised as a pen-name power move. — Kyle Brandt
  • Mick Fleetwood’s future-age makeup is said to resemble how he looks decades later. — Bill Simmons
  • Dynamo’s vehicle is compared to a contemporary Tesla truck. — Bill Simmons
  • Arnold’s conspicuously fake early beard exemplifies an enjoyable 1980s action-movie convention. — Kyle Brandt
  • The conveniently fitted World’s Gym shirt and construction hat make Richards’s escape outfit funny. — Kyle Brandt
  • The net tasers used on the airport tarmac are praised as useful futuristic weapons. — Kyle Brandt
  • The film’s run-down future Los Angeles looks uncomfortably close to present-day Los Angeles. — Bill Simmons
  • Harold Faltermeyer’s score gives the movie weight; its similarity to cop two prompts speculation that musical ideas were reused. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
  • American Gladiators is said to have drawn direct inspiration from The Running Man. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
51:24

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

John Parr’s “Restless Heart” closing song

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. — Bill Simmons
  • The slow-motion kiss after Killian’s death makes the song feel especially awkward. — Kyle Brandt
  • The hosts compare its dated effect with a “rat song” at the end of Point Break. — Kyle Brandt
52:48

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Killian crashing through the Cadre Cola sign is the most cinematic shot.

Killian crashing through the Cadre Cola sign is the most cinematic shot.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:48Read transcript
  • The sign impact looks great even though the explosion and absent safety net make little sense. — Bill Simmons
53:04

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

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

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. — Kyle Brandt
  • Killian assumes Sven can stop Richards despite Richards already defeating the other stalkers. — Kyle Brandt
  • Sven delivers an unintelligible only line and then walks away instead of fighting Richards. — Kyle Brandt
54:35

The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?

Dynamo

Dynamo

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:35Read transcript
  • Dynamo cannot run, is out of shape, and becomes helpless when his electrical equipment fails. — Bill Simmons
  • His vehicle tips on a slight incline and his weapon fails to kill Amber. — Kyle Brandt
  • He panics and demands a commercial break once trapped. — Kyle Brandt
55:35

What’s Aged the Worst?

Outdated graphics, Dawson stunt-casting context, weak future guns, Dynamo’s assault, Arnold’s reduced physique, poor ...

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. — Bill Simmons
  • Richard Dawson’s casting is harder to appreciate without knowing his former game-show stature. — Bill Simmons
  • The futuristic machine guns sound less intimidating than ordinary contemporary weapons. — Bill Simmons
  • Dynamo’s abrupt sexual assault on Amber makes the movie turn needlessly dark. — Bill Simmons
  • Arnold’s reduced biceps and lack of a shirtless scene reflect a back injury rather than character preparation. — Kyle Brandt
  • The dialogue repeatedly undercuts the movie’s visuals and cast. — Kyle Brandt
  • Yafakoto gives a committed death performance but receives a weak final line. — Kyle Brandt
57:30

What’s Aged the Best?

Schwarzenegger’s metal-beam entrance echoing Commando

Schwarzenegger’s metal-beam entrance echoing Commando

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:30Read transcript
  • The metal-beam entrance is singled out as an Aged the Best answer because it mirrors Arnold carrying a tree in Commando. — Kyle Brandt
58:30

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Jesse Ventura

Jesse Ventura

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:30Read transcript
  • Dawson and Captain Freedom’s argument raises the scene’s energy sharply. — Bill Simmons
  • Arnold threatening Killian with the contract is another forceful nominee. — Kyle Brandt
  • Buzzsaw’s declarations of love for his saw receive a smaller nomination. — Kyle Brandt
59:39

Is There a Better Title for This Movie?

No; keep The Running Man

No; keep The Running Man

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:39Read transcript
  • The category is answered immediately with no alternative title. — Kyle Brandt
59:54

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

Laughlin’s “I don’t want to be the only asshole in heaven”

Laughlin’s “I don’t want to be the only asshole in heaven”

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:54Read transcript
  • Laughlin’s plea that Richards not leave him as the only asshole in heaven is called one of the best-written lines of the 1980s. — Bill Simmons
1:00:12

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Fireball ranks worst, behind Dynamo, Sub-Zero, and Buzzsaw; a separate argument says the premise should have produced...

Fireball ranks worst, behind Dynamo, Sub-Zero, and Buzzsaw; a separate argument says the premise should have produced a great video game.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:00:12Read transcript
  • The ranking places Fireball fourth because he is never chosen, cannot catch the runners, and folds when his fuel line fails. — Kyle Brandt
  • The ranking places Dynamo third. — Kyle Brandt
  • The ranking places the ice-themed stalker second because he hurts and briefly knocks out Richards but never gets the kill. — Kyle Brandt
  • The ranking places Buzzsaw first because he records a kill and challenges Richards longest. — Kyle Brandt
  • A separate argument is that The Running Man should have become a level-based action video game with distinct stalkers and a final Killian objective. — Bill Simmons
  • Fortnite and GoldenEye are cited as later games showing why the premise could work. — Kyle Brandt
1:05:08

Casting What-Ifs

Christopher Reeve was attached to play Ben Richards in a darker, book-faithful version; Andrew Davis began as directo...

Christopher Reeve was attached to play Ben Richards in a darker, book-faithful version; Andrew Davis began as director; Chuck Woolery was wanted for Killian before Richard Dawson.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:08Read transcript
1:08:08

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Kurt Fuller (machine transcript: “Kurt Fowler”)

Kurt Fuller (machine transcript: “Kurt Fowler”)

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:08Read transcript
  • Killian’s right-hand man is identified in the transcript as “Kurt Fowler,” the observed machine-transcript form for Kurt Fuller. — Bill Simmons
  • His similar television-executive roles in No Holds Barred and Wayne’s World make him instantly recognizable. — Kyle Brandt
  • Ghostbusters II is cited as another role in which he plays an abrasive authority figure. — Kyle Brandt
1:08:54

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

The old woman who selects Ben Richards

The old woman who selects Ben Richards

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:54Read transcript
  • Dynamo is rejected and Sven is ruled out because he cannot deliver his only line clearly. — Bill Simmons
  • Sub-Zero and Buzzsaw receive brief consideration. — Bill Simmons
  • The old woman wins for choosing Ben Richards and delivering the line that cable broadcasts censor. — Kyle Brandt
  • The bettor shouting that he wants $200 on Richards is an alternate for the energy of his single line. — Kyle Brandt
1:10:05

Recasting Couch

Andrew Davis is preferred as director, and Robert Downey Jr. or Anthony Michael Hall are proposed for Marvin J. Weiss.

Andrew Davis is preferred as director, and Robert Downey Jr. or Anthony Michael Hall are proposed for Marvin J. Weiss.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:05Read transcript
1:11:05

What Would Tony Romo’s Director’s Commentary for This Movie Sound Like?

Tony Romo is preferred to Chris Collinsworth because the fights would give him action and upsets to narrate.

Tony Romo is preferred to Chris Collinsworth because the fights would give him action and upsets to narrate.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:05Read transcript
  • The imagined commentary has Romo calling Buzzsaw’s attack and Richards’s return to the set. — Kyle Brandt
1:11:24

Half-Assed Internet Research

The screenwriter completed fifteen drafts, Arnold named his campaign bus The Running Man, Paula Abdul choreographed t...

The screenwriter completed fifteen drafts, Arnold named his campaign bus The Running Man, Paula Abdul choreographed the dancers, American Gladiators drew inspiration from the film, and the body count is thirty-two.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:24Read transcript
  • Screenwriter Stephen E. DeSuzza reportedly wrote fifteen drafts. — Bill Simmons
  • Arnold named his campaign bus The Running Man while running for governor. — Bill Simmons
  • Paula Abdul choreographed the game-show dancers during her rise from Laker Girl to pop star. — Bill Simmons
  • American Gladiators is said to have been inspired by the movie’s game-show premise. — Bill Simmons
  • The episode gives the movie a body count of thirty-two. — Bill Simmons
1:12:03

Apex Mountain

Predictive fake reality shows, the Maserati limo, and Dynamo’s opera performance: yes

Predictive fake reality shows, the Maserati limo, and Dynamo’s opera performance: yes

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:03Read transcript
  • Arnold’s apex is placed later around Total Recall or Terminator 2. — Bill Simmons
  • Dawson’s apex is placed when Match Game and Family Feud overlapped, rather than this final film role. — Bill Simmons
  • Ventura’s Running Man, Predator, and WrestleMania 3 year is debated against his later governorship. — Bill Simmons
  • One answer points to Homicide or another cop show, while the movie answer is Midnight Run. — Bill Simmons
  • Terminator 2, Total Recall, and RoboCop outrank this film as futuristic action peaks. — Bill Simmons
  • The film’s unusual Maserati stretch limousine is praised as an emblematic 1980s movie vehicle. — Bill Simmons
  • The fake reality shows that predicted the future receive an Apex answer. — Bill Simmons
  • Dynamo singing “The Marriage of Figaro” is offered as an Apex performance that may never have been done better. — Bill Simmons
1:14:35

Cruise or Hanks?

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:35Read transcript
  • Cruise is imagined in the jumpsuit, racing across the tarmac, and reacting to the false massacre charge. — Bill Simmons
1:15:17

Best Race Horse Name from This Movie

Last Season’s Losers

Last Season’s Losers

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:17Read transcript
  • Sub-Zero, Dynamo, the Bakersfield Butchers, Captain Freedom’s Workout, and Whitman, Price, and Haddad are proposed. — Kyle Brandt
  • Last Season’s Losers is the final selection. — Kyle Brandt
1:15:51

Picking Nits

Ben Richards’s generic name and sentence, the stalkers’ past dominance, the deepfake quality, the easy return to the ...

Ben Richards’s generic name and sentence, the stalkers’ past dominance, the deepfake quality, the easy return to the studio, betting odds, Amber’s sudden transformation, and the impossible camera angles and labeling of the raw massacre footage

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:51Read transcript
  • Ben Richards is called an implausibly generic name for Arnold. — Kyle Brandt
  • A man accused of murdering sixty people receives detention rather than a death sentence. — Bill Simmons
  • The show’s previously dominant stalkers all lose to Richards in one episode. — Bill Simmons
  • The fabricated Amber-and-Richards murder footage exceeds even current deepfake capability. — Bill Simmons
  • Richards returns from the underground game zone to the television studio implausibly fast. — Bill Simmons
  • Richards receives 100-to-1 odds even after defeating multiple stalkers. — Kyle Brandt
  • Amber transforms from terrified captive into an armed action hero and romantic partner within the last minutes. — Kyle Brandt
  • The supposed raw helicopter footage includes impossible exterior and point-of-view camera angles. — Bill Simmons
  • The archive labels the evidence Bakersfield Raw Massacres with implausible bluntness. — Bill Simmons
  • A speculative response is that Captain Freedom began as a runner, killed stalkers, and accepted Killian’s offer to become one himself. — Bill Simmons
1:19:40

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

A sequel; a Killian-rise prequel with young Captain Freedom; Richards’s re-educated brother as a stalker

A sequel; a Killian-rise prequel with young Captain Freedom; Richards’s re-educated brother as a stalker

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:40Read transcript
  • A sequel could update the premise for deepfakes and modern reality television. — Kyle Brandt
  • A prequel could follow Killian taking over the show and feature a young Captain Freedom. — Kyle Brandt
  • Richards’s disappeared brother could have been re-educated into a stalker he must fight. — Kyle Brandt
  • Asked to choose between a sequel movie and an eight-episode series, the hosts choose the movie. — Kyle Brandt
1:21:18

Is This Movie Better With…?

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:18Read transcript
1:21:43

Just One Oscar

Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:43Read transcript
1:22:34

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Whether a deadly show could exist, remake casting for Fireball, the game-show set, Amber’s hiding place for the raw f...

Whether a deadly show could exist, remake casting for Fireball, the game-show set, Amber’s hiding place for the raw footage, a speculative actor relationship, and whether Ben and Amber went to Hawaii

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:34Read transcript
  • The earlier question of whether a show like this could ever happen is revisited. — Bill Simmons
  • Marshawn Lynch, Ray Lewis, and Aaron Donald are proposed for Fireball in a remake, with Lynch preferred and Donald also suggested for Richards. — Bill Simmons
  • The game-show set is guessed to be downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, or CBS Radford. — Bill Simmons
  • Amber’s hiding place for the raw massacre video is treated as an intentionally crude mystery. — Bill Simmons
  • They ask whether Arnold and Maria Conchita became intimate during filming but say they do not know. — Kyle Brandt
  • Whether Ben and Amber actually went to Hawaii is answered no, though a beach epilogue is imagined. — Bill Simmons
1:24:38

Best Double Feature

Predator 2
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:38Read transcript
1:25:36

The Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo Award for What Happens the Next Day?

Split: the resistance is killed; Ben Richards gets a television show or podcast

Split: the resistance is killed; Ben Richards gets a television show or podcast

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:36Read transcript
  • The pessimistic answer is immediate arrest and execution of the resistance. — Bill Simmons
  • The lighter alternative gives Richards a topical one-liner show modeled on late-night television. — Bill Simmons
1:26:19

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

A VHS of Captain Freedom’s workout

A VHS of Captain Freedom’s workout

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:19Read transcript
  • A Cadre Cola bottle, Running Man home game, and set-used Hate Boat poster are offered. — Kyle Brandt
  • A game-worn yellow suit and modified Dynamo applause sign are alternatives. — Kyle Brandt
  • A VHS of Captain Freedom’s workout is selected for sincere use at home. — Kyle Brandt
1:27:03

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Deepfakes are dangerous because they can falsely implicate someone in a mass killing.

Deepfakes are dangerous because they can falsely implicate someone in a mass killing.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:27:03Read transcript
  • The lesson warns that manipulated footage can create a false sixty-person murder accusation. — Bill Simmons
1:27:03

Who Won the Movie?

Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:27:03Read transcript
  • Richard Dawson is chosen because audiences would have left the theater surprised by his performance. — Kyle Brandt
  • A separate argument favors Dawson’s stronger performance and the importance of Killian to his screen legacy. — Bill Simmons
  • The hosts explicitly agree to give the movie to Dawson. — Bill Simmons
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Richard Dawson
Speaker not identified
Richard Dawson

More from the conversation

Kyle Brandt places The Running Man fifth in his Arnold Schwarzenegger ranking, behind Predator, Terminator 2, Commando, and The Terminator, and ahead of Total Recall for fun.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:37Read transcript
The episode frames 1987 as the point when Arnold’s movie-star standing overtook Sylvester Stallone’s.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:24Read transcript
The announced remake is discussed as a promising Glen Powell vehicle directed by Edgar Wright.
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:43Read transcript
The podcast reports that Stanley Kubrick wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger for a Full Metal Jacket role, but Schwarzenegger chose his Predator and Running Man action slate.
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:22Read transcript
The hosts say the story anticipated reality competition, fake news, deepfakes, voice assistants, in-game gambling, and a television host becoming politically powerful.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:07Read transcript
Richard Dawson’s Match Game and Family Feud persona is presented as crucial stunt-casting context for Killian.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:24Read transcript
The dense one-liners prompt a theory that McTiernan resisted them on Predator, allowing only “stick around,” and the unused jokes were carried over.
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:12Read transcript
Arnold’s recurring “I’ll be back” line is discussed as a familiar audience expectation beyond the Terminator films.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:06Read transcript
The stunt-cast ensemble is described through Jesse Ventura, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, Dweezil Zappa, and Mick Fleetwood.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:34Read transcript
The podcast identifies Paul Michael Glaser as director and cites the Miami Vice pilot and The Cutting Edge among his other directing work.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:17Read transcript
The episode reports a $32 million budget and $38.1 million theatrical gross.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:32Read transcript
The hosts suggest the football-season release and a crowded 1987 movie calendar limited the initial theatrical result.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:32Read transcript
They describe the film’s later rental and long TNT, TBS, and cable life as the route by which it became familiar.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:50Read transcript
A proposed new category asks which character from another movie would improve this one; Bull Hurley and Total Recall’s three-breasted woman are the two answers.
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:51Read transcript
Craig Horlbeck says the movie feels like an 1980s mad lib and calls it the most rewatchable Arnold movie outside The Terminator.
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:06Read transcript
The closing discussion speculates about the popularity of 1980s dystopian films, citing improved special effects, cultural contrast and science-fiction imagination.
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:49Read transcript
A proposed category would collect top unnecessary producer choices; Amber doing sit-ups in lingerie is the episode’s example. The category is explicitly described as never added, so it remains private.
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:29Read transcript
The hosts argue cheesy action one-liners faded because modern audiences and performers are more self-aware, then compare recent action and franchise examples.
Approx. transcript time · 01:30:37Read transcript