Released in 1987, The Running Man is one of about a thousand sci-fi action movies of its decade to open with an ominous title crawl that reads something like this:

THE YEAR IS 2012. PETROLEUM WARS HAVE DECIMATED THE ECONOMY. THE GOVERNMENT CONTROLS ALL KNOWLEDGE. BEING IN LOVE OR PETTING A DOG IS ILLEGAL. RATIONING LAWS MEAN THE PUBLIC IS ONLY ALLOWED TO FEEL TWO FEELINGS A DAY. UNTIL NOW …

The film takes place in a recognizable not-so-distant future dystopia , where the rabble are placated with bread-and-circus television programming. The top-rated show on the planet is The Running Man , a hyper-violent, live-broadcast game show in which “runners” (typically convicted criminals) attempt to escape a colorful cadre of professional assassins called “stalkers.” By navigating a seri

See Full Page