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True Lies
True Lies
True Lies
The Running Man
The Running Man
The Running Man
The Running Man
The Running Man
The Running Man
The Running Man
Film credit
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Also referred to as Schwarzenegger, Arnold
Stats
- Episodes featuring their films
- 8
- Movies in this archive
- 8
Rewatchables episodes featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger’s films
Displaying all 8 episodes
Mentioned in discussions
What’s Aged the Best?
Juno Skinner; Omega Sector; truth serum; Corvette price; Paxton; Landau; camcorder gag; shared billing
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:00:05Read transcript
- Juno Skinner’s name is selected. — Bill Simmons
- Omega Sector’s name is selected. — Bill Simmons
- Truth serum is selected and inspires a hypothetical interview show; the drug’s real effectiveness remains uncertain.
- Simon’s 1959 Corvette price is selected for aged best, though the exact figure is disputed after a freeze-frame recollection.
- Paxton’s comic performance is selected for aged best, especially Simon begging for his life and wetting himself at the dam and again in the ending. A Paxton theme month is expressly not established.
- Cameron’s partnership with Jon Landau is selected, alongside appreciation after Landau’s death. — Bill Simmons
- The camcorder battery failing during the terrorist announcement is selected. — Bill Simmons
- The weapons incapacitating Harry and Helen are initially called tasers, then corrected to tranquilizer darts. — Bill Simmons
- The discussion claims an actual disused bridge was destroyed and partly rebuilt, while an objection recalls miniature bridge work; the relationship between those accounts is not resolved here. — Bill Simmons
- Cameron reportedly asked Schwarzenegger to share above-title billing with Curtis after recognizing the film as a husband-and-wife story, and Schwarzenegger agreed. — Bill Simmons
Most Rewatchable Scene
Horse-versus-motorcycle chase
In the discussion (17)
Approx. transcript time · 00:36:01Read transcript
- The Bond-style opening is nominated, highlighting Juno Skinner’s introduction, the tango, Harry headbutting dogs, and the skiing gunmen. The chalet exterior reportedly combines footage from several locations. — Bill Simmons
- The skiing gunmen inspire jokes about the training and management investment required for enemies who are immediately defeated. — Bill Simmons
- The Georgetown Mall bathroom fight is nominated. Its cigarette-pack/sunglasses gadget seems confusing, later bathroom fights are compared with it, and dunking an actor’s face in a toilet is considered disgusting regardless of cleaning. — Bill Simmons
- The horse-versus-motorcycle chase is nominated as an exceptional action sequence that establishes Harry’s mastery of nearly every mode of transport and combat.
- The motorcycle’s rooftop pool jump is praised as astonishing in 1994, while later Fast & Furious escalation has reduced its novelty. A horse and motorcycle racing upward in elevators makes the sequence especially absurd.
- A proposed video outing would revisit famous movie locations, beginning with the hotel elevator. Harry dangling from the roof and persuading the horse to back up are also praised. — Bill Simmons
- Harry telling Gib that Helen is having an affair is nominated for Tom Arnold’s reaction and the missing ice-trays line. The ice-tray detail reportedly came from Arnold’s real divorce. — Chris Ryan
- The Corvette test drive with Simon unknowingly describing Harry’s wife is nominated for Paxton’s extravagant dirty talk and the cut from refusing to share his secret to freely explaining it over food.
- Helen’s hotel seduction is nominated as the clear personal most-rewatchable choice, praising Curtis’s transformation of her dress and appearance and the scene’s sexual impact. — Van Lathan
- Curtis in Perfect is compared with her True Lies appearance; Perfect is criticized as having little story beyond the attractiveness of its stars. — Bill Simmons
- Harry disguising his voice to direct his wife’s striptease is singled out as creepy. — Chris Ryan
- The truth-serum interrogation and escape are nominated for Schwarzenegger’s calmly predicting the killings, the handcuff reveal, and the gun kicked into his hands while Helen watches. — Bill Simmons
- The Florida Keys finale is nominated, including falling trucks, Helen and Juno fighting in the limousine, and the helicopter rescue. Miniature bridge work combined with real Harriers is praised, and Curtis and Cameron reportedly participated in the helicopter stunt. — Chris Ryan
- The dangerous rescue stunt prompts a hypothetical about how a fatal accident would have changed Cameron’s career. — Bill Simmons
- The Harrier rescue of Dana and the missile fired through a building are nominated despite doubts about her ability to hold on. Helen and Dana’s rapid adjustment to espionage is questioned; the final tango is praised.
- The motorcycle-and-horse chase through the hotel and over the rooftops receives two final scene choices. — Van Lathan
- Helen’s dance remains another final scene choice, with a recollection of keeping the sequence alone on a compilation videotape. Gib’s nonstop jokes entering Omega Sector are also praised. — Van Lathan
Apex Mountain
Schwarzenegger’s acting
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:11Read transcript
- True Lies is affirmed as Schwarzenegger’s acting peak because it combines action, charm, jealousy, and subtle comedy without leaning entirely on his accent or size. Total Recall is offered as a competing favorite, and the limits of comparing his acting range are acknowledged. — Bill Simmons
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
Probably Unanswerable Questions
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
Picking Nits
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
Apex Mountain
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
Half-Assed Internet Research
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
Casting What-Ifs
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
- Christopher Reeve was attached when the story focused on an unemployed man surviving a violent show for thirty days to feed his family. — Bill Simmons
- Andrew Davis was fired as director after two weeks, a decision Arnold later called terrible. — Bill Simmons
- Chuck Woolery was unavailable for Killian, and Arnold reportedly suggested his friend Richard Dawson. — Bill Simmons
- Christopher Reeve is endorsed as a plausible mid-eighties action lead with the physique and ability to deliver the one-liners. — Bill Simmons
- The film is judged likely to have been better with Andrew Davis directing. — Bill Simmons
- Chuck Woolery’s acting experience is questioned, although his cool television persona suggests potential for an evil character if he could perform the role. — Bill Simmons
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
What’s Aged the Best?
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
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. — 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
Displaying discussions 25 - 36 of 91 in total
Films in the archive
Commando
1985
Kindergarten Cop
1990
Predator
1987
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1991
The Running Man
1987
The Terminator
1984
Total Recall
1990
True Lies
1994