The Running Man (#732)


It's going to be a busy time for me because a lot of movies opened last weekend, most of which I don't want to see. Yesterday was one of them because I vaguely recall I saw another with the same name some time ago and suspected it would be more of the same. I was pleasantly surprised because I liked THE RUNNING MAN and it was nothing like the earlier one. I warn you though, It's not for everyone because it's a violent action-based thriller which takes place in the not too distant future and could probably take place in today's society.  A wildly popular television show, envisioned and produced by Josh Brolin and entitled 'The Running Man' offers a contestant the oppportunity to win a huge cash award if he can survive for 30 days against s team of professional assassins. A young man, unemployed and down on his luck with a  wife and sick baby, decides to be a contestant, and the balance of the film is his journey to avoid the assassins. The blood thirsty studio audience, and the entire viewing country are anxious to see him caught and killed so clearly the odds of his success are slim. This 2 hour and 13 minute film earned a 64% thumbs up from critics and 80% from audiences who likely are as blood thirsty as I.  

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