Parents' Guide to The Running Man

Movie R 1987 101 minutes
The Running Man movie poster: Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing shoulder spikes with a chainsaw-wielding character in the background

Common Sense Media Review

Alistair Lawrence By Alistair Lawrence , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Ultra-violent Schwarzenegger dystopian sci-fi thriller.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Any Positive Content?

  • The Running Man Trailer
  • The Running Man: Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing a gold costume
  • The Running Man: Arnold Schwarzenegger on a train wearing sunglasses, a hat, and a Hawaiian shirt while standing next to and Maria Conchita Alonso
  • The Running Man: Jesse Ventura wearing a blue jacket with smiling office workers in the background

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What's the Story?

THE RUNNING MAN pitches a wrongly imprisoned police officer, Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger), into a deadly reality TV show where he must fight for survival.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

This action-packed sci-fi satire predicted that 30 years from its 1987 release, the world's economy would be on the brink of collapse and TV audiences would seek solace in exploitative reality shows. The Running Man also proved to be a handy vehicle for Schwarzenegger to try his hand at something a bit more playful. Director Paul Michael Glaser doesn't quite manage to solicit the deadpan comic timing that made Schwarzenegger's better-known roles more quotable, but the film remains a pleasing mashup of a bawdy gladiator story and a spandex-clad predecessor to The Hunger Games. The usual warnings about movies from this era apply, in that sexism flies around as much as blood spray. Thankfully, Maria Conchita Alonso manages to lend some credibility in her role as the tough Amber Mendez, who more than holds her own alongside Schwarzenegger's Richards. A similarly smart piece of casting enables longtime Family Feud host Richard Dawson to milk every moment as morally bankrupt Damon Killian, whose final, futile defense of vacuous entertainment still makes for uneasy listening, four decades later. The film is actually a very loose adaptation of a Stephen King novel, with a remake planned for 2025 that will reportedly stay closer to the source material.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in The Running Man. Did it seem realistic, or over-the-top? Did the violent scenes help tell the story in an effective way? Was it shocking or thrilling? Why? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?

  • There's lots of strong language in the movie. What did it contribute to the story? Is a certain level of language expected in a film like this? If so, why?

  • How did the program makers in the movie manipulate their audience? Why should we be careful about what we read and see in the media? Why is it important to fact-check things?

  • The movie was released in 1987. Did any aspects of the movie feel dated? How might it be different if it was remade today?

Movie Details

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The Running Man movie poster: Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing shoulder spikes with a chainsaw-wielding character in the background

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