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Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Running Man, The (Blu-ray) (1987)

Running Man, The (Blu-ray) (1987)

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Released 5-Feb-2020

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Sci-Fi Action None
Rating Rated R
Year Of Production 1987
Running Time 100:50
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Programme
Region Coding 2,4 Directed By Paul Michael Glaser
Studio
Distributor

Umbrella Entertainment
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
Marķa Conchita Alonso
Yaphet Kotto
Jim Brown
Jesse Ventura
Richard Dawson
Erland van Lidth
Marvin J. McIntyre
Gus Rethwisch
Case Standard Blu-ray
RPI $14.95 Music Harold Faltermeyer


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 1080p
Original Aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles None Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

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Plot Synopsis

    Mere months after Predator hit cinemas in mid-1987, action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger was back in action for The Running Man. Loosely based on the novel by Stephen King (under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman), this is a fast-paced, futuristic action film which satirises television, greed, social injustice, and America's preoccupation with violence and game shows. Furthermore, it's chock-full of '80s goodness: bad hair, worse clothing, and abundant neon. On this note, The Running Man is one of the most definitive Arnie movies of its decade - it contains requisite violence, bad puns, cheesy one-liners, hammy acting and, of course, the star's signature catchphrase, "I'll be back." Although dated in some respects, there is an irresistible, goofy quality to The Running Man which keeps it enjoyable and fun in 2020.

    In the year 2019, the global economy has collapsed, and America is a military-controlled police state which dictatorially controls television, movies, art, books and communication. The most popular thing on TV is a lurid game show called The Running Man, which features convicted criminals fighting for their freedom by facing a rogues gallery of heavily-armoured 'stalkers.' These gladiatorial confrontations occur in decrepit L.A. city streets while an enthusiastic studio audience watches the live broadcast. Schwarzenegger plays Ben Richards, a government pilot who's wrongfully framed for the mass murder of innocent civilians protesting for food. The sleazy host of The Running Man, Damon Killian (Richard Dawson), blackmails Richards into volunteering for the show, and the chase is on. But as Richards begins to fight back, and survives far longer than any previous contestant, he rapidly develops into something of a national hero. "Hey, Killian. I'll be back," Richards states before being launched into the arena. "Only in a rerun," is the host's response. Yeah, right...

    In adapting the novel, screenwriter Steven E. de Souza (Die Hard, Commando) respects the source material while simultaneously forging his own path, with the finished film only vaguely resembling King's literary work. Primarily designed as a star vehicle for Arnie, The Running Man showcases the Austrian Oak fighting his way through a variety of gaudy combatants, who carry chainsaws and flamethrowers, and have names like Buzzsaw, Fireball, Dynamo and Subzero. Similar to Commando, de Souza also supports Schwarzenegger with a gutsy female side-kick/love interest (played by Marķa Conchita Alonso) and ample macho one-liners. The script satirises contemporary TV trends, particularly in relation to the way that the government and corporations placate the oppressed masses through mindless, escapist mass media. Other satirical elements also raise laughs, such as Richards getting a court-appointed theatrical agent after his arrest. This social commentary is not fully-formed, nor is it revolutionary, but it does give the mayhem a bit more gravitas than your usual Arnie fare. Just do not expect something as thought-provoking as Network or The Truman Show.

    Despite the thoughtful themes, The Running Man is a predictably silly movie. It is baffling, for instance, that the cameras recording the titular game show capture the action from implausible cinematic angles - the show cuts between close-ups and wide shots, yet no cameramen are ever visible. Furthermore, there is no explanation for the existence of footage showing Richards in the helicopter when he is framed. But these points are minor and not overly niggling, since this is a big dumb Arnie movie, and suspension of disbelief is a requirement. It is interesting, however, that The Running Man managed to mock this brand of reality/game shows before they started in earnest. After all, the titular program is merely Survivor with weapons, and the short-lived TV show Manhunt in 2001 involved contestants being pursued by bounty hunters with paintball guns. The Running Man's premise also inspired action films like The Condemned and Gamer.

    The dystopic vision of Los Angeles here takes inspiration from the likes of Blade Runner and Escape From New York, and the special effects are convincing enough considering the movie's age. Nevertheless, aspects of the production are terribly dated, such as the laughable technology - bulky CRT TVs, audio cassette tapes, low-grade computer graphics, and computers which amount to DOS terminals. And, of course, '80s fashion trends are all over the screen, with kitschy leotards and ridiculous hairstyles. The synth/electronica score by Harold Faltermeyer does show its age, and some awful '80s pop garbage pollutes the soundtrack as well, but there is an inherent charm to all of these elements which makes The Running Man so entertaining. Director Paul Michael Glaser (best known for playing Starsky in TV's Starsky and Hutch) capably stages the action sequences with requisite energy, though this is not a uniquely stylish sci-fi feature. Nevertheless, the pacing is quick, the action is comprehensible, and the film is violent as hell, which is all that matters in the realm of Schwarzenegger vehicles.

    The Running Man is a grab-bag of sensationally corny Arnie one-liners, as the Oak always has something sly to say before or after killing somebody. He is not a great actor, and there is some unintentional hilarity to the dramatic moments (see the opening in the helicopter), but the bodybuilding behemoth delivers one-liners with gusto, and has charisma to spare. Also of note is Richard Dawson, the long-time host of Family Feud, who emanates malice and charm as the movie's primary villain. Indeed, his real-life game show experience renders him perfect for the role of The Running Man's smarmy host. Surprisingly, despite his terrific work here, this was Dawson's last appearance in a big-screen feature film. Meanwhile, colourful performers fill out the supporting cast, with Arnie's Predator co-star Jesse Ventura even appearing as one of the fan-favourite stalkers. The actors are all effective, though none of the performances are exactly awards-worthy.

    All things considered, The Running Man is a mid-tier Schwarzenegger vehicle, which is unable to reach the heights of The Terminator or Predator. Although satire does supplement the action scenes, the film does not have any pretensions about being more than what it is: an overblown, cheesy, fun-as-hell comic-book-style action movie with a side order of black comedy. There is some appalling dialogue, it's formulaic/predictable as hell, and the ending seems rushed, but it's always an entertaining watch. As long as you appreciate '80s cheese, and can accept that this is not sophisticated sci-fi, The Running Man is great, goofy fun, and worth 100 minutes of your time. All the greatest science fiction movies stand the test of time, and The Running Man manages to do so - it works even better in 2020 than it did back in 1987.

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Transfer Quality

Video

    The Running Man has a long history on the home video format. After various VHS and DVD releases, the movie first debuted on Blu-ray in Australia back in 2011 courtesy of Duke Video, who shoved the movie onto a single-layered BD-25 and included all existing extras. Duke's Blu-ray is hard to watch in 2020, as the compression makes for a really unsatisfying transfer. Well, Umbrella has upped the ante with their Blu-ray release, placing this classic Arnie flick onto a dual-layered BD-50 and maxing out the video bitrate, with the transfer averaging a top-notch 35 Mbps bitrate. Like the Duke release, the transfer is framed at 1.78:1, which is slightly different from its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. However, this is an older video master, and while one cannot begrudge Umbrella for not bankrolling a new remaster, The Running Man is now streaming online in 4K with Dolby Vision. I've seen it, and the 4K remaster is absolutely breathtaking. To say the least, this Umbrella disc is no match, but it's also no slouch - it looks a hell of a lot better than the Duke disc, and could be the best encode of this particular master to date on home video. It's definitely appreciated that Umbrella did not cheap out with a BD-25.

    First things first: since this is an older master, you can expect ample print damage. Indeed, the opening TriStar logo and the opening titles are beset with all sorts of scratches and flecks, in addition to noticeable telecine wobble. The print damage does settle down once the movie begins proper, but there's still a collection of white specks and other film artefacts, which pop up infrequently throughout the film. Additionally, optical shots understandably look dreadful. It appears the transfer was probably created using an interpositive print rather than the original film negative, meaning the opticals are a few generations removed. Every time there's a transition, an on-screen title or a special effects shot, there's noticeable telecine wobble, and the image looks less refined: such shots are softer and exhibit ugly, blocky grain. Some digital noise reduction was likely applied to make these shots look less jarring, but it has the opposite effect. Again, though, this isn't surprising, especially considering that the master was prepared some time ago. It looks like some DNR was applied from time to time, especially given that the '80s film stock should result in a grainier look. It does appear a tad smeary at times, which is further evidence of DNR, but this is not frequent or overly distracting - I'm just very attentive when it comes to this sort of thing.

    On the brighter side, for an older video master, I was surprised by the fineness of the film grain (for the most part), adequate sharpness, and satisfying textures. Skin, costumes and production design exhibit a level of fine detail that we expect from a high definition presentation, and the transfer is relatively sharp most of the time to boot, with terrific object delineation. Thanks to the monstrous video bitrate, grain frequently looks finely-resolved, as opposed to distracting or blocky (apart from the optical shots, which are hit-and-miss). Screenshots look less encouraging in terms of grain structure, but rest assured that it looks pretty good in motion. I noticed that the grain spiked on a few occasions, particularly under lower light - just see Richards being gassed in his cell before being taken to the broadcast. This is most likely source-related, however, as opposed to representing a fault of the encode. It's also worth pointing out that several shots throughout The Running Man were treated to look like poor-quality video; therefore, such shots are blocky, unrefined, and coated in video artefacts, but that's all entirely by design. What matters the most is that the film looks extremely good more often than not, even considering the circumstances. I did some cursory comparisons with the Duke release, and it's not even a close call - Umbrella's presentation is the winner in every aspect possible.

    Clarity takes a hit from time to time, especially under lower lighting or when smoke is involved (see 57:30). The special effects shots incorporating matte paintings could also stand to look more refined (and they do look better in the 4K remaster). The colour palette, meanwhile, is very much as expected given the movie's '80s origins and the type of film stock. Skin tones are healthy, the leotards stand out, and there is no evidence of annoying revisionism (i.e. no revised "teal and orange" grade). The hockey sequence at the 46-minute mark occurs under strong red lighting, and the encoding handles the palette admirably. Primaries are strong, with the neon lights and other colourful uniforms looking excellent - even in darker scenes. There's adequate depth to the transfer as well, with robust contrast that prevents the movie from looking too flat. Oh sure, a lick of High Dynamic Range would make the film look heavenly (and again, it does - the iTunes stream is amazing), but considering the circumstances - and the limited colour space of 1080p - I can't complain too much. I can also happily report that the encode is free of unsightly video anomalies. I did notice a touch of black crush in shadows from time to time (see 63:25), but this darkness could be deliberate and does not mask any salient textures or details within the frame. The Running Man scrubs up nicely on Blu-ray, and fans of the movie who never upgraded their VHS or DVD copies are advised to pick up this disc at the earliest opportunity.

    No subtitles are included, as usual. The previous Aussie release had subtitles, which makes their exclusion all the more disappointing.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There's only one audio option on this disc: a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, which is based on the 5.1 home video remix. (It was originally exhibited in 4-channel Dolby.) And it sounds sensational from start to finish. Indeed, it's clear that the soundtrack received a proper, thorough restoration to remove any instances of hissing or popping, as the audio is immaculate. Plus, Umbrella's encoding does not give rise to any sync issues or drop-outs. There's some killer subwoofer activity - Richards and the other contestants being sent down the pipe at 40:30 is absolutely deafening, with deep sound effects and appropriate LFE. Vehicular sound effects throughout are loud and impactful, too. Gunshots and punches do sound like stock sounds, admittedly, but there is depth and volume to them - they make an impact. I was also nearly deafened by the chainsaw that's wielded at the 56-minute mark. There could probably be a little bit more LFE at times, and some sounds are a bit "tinny" because they were probably from a sound effect library. The recording equipment of the era also limits the sound. But this aside, there's very little to complain about.

    Surround activity is frequent, with the track exhibiting satisfying dynamic range. It sounds full, immersive, and professionally-mixed. During the opening sequence, chopper ambience pushes to the rear channels, making you feel as if you're inside the helicopter alongside Richards. Music comes through all available speakers to exceptional effect, and never overwhelms the dialogue or other sound effects. As Richards and his comrades hide out at 11:02, the sound of a helicopter passing overhead is isolated to the rear channels. While Killian walks into the television studio at 14:37, the crowd cheering likewise makes use of the surround speakers, in keeping with camera placement, and a subsequent scene of Richards walking along the street also contains vehicular sounds coming from the rear. Announcements during the Running Man broadcast make use of the rear speakers, and I also noticed some panning effects during the hockey sequence at the 46-minute mark when the stalker is skating around on the ice. Panning is also evident when Fireball demonstrates his weapon at 69:40. This type of surround activity is omnipresent, and the 5.1 track never sounds too compressed in terms of dynamics. Dialogue is clear and understandable as well, and I had no problems with prioritisation. I imagine some audiophiles will cry out for an Atmos remix - or for the existing 7.1 track - but I have no complaints about this insanely satisfying, blow-your-socks-off audio presentation.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

    This is another barebones catalogue title. There isn't even a menu. However, there is a reversible cover with front artwork sans rating logo.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    Duke Video's out of print Aussie Blu-ray contains the following, which are also available on some overseas releases:

    There's also a U.K. release from Fabulous Films, with the same extras as above, plus a high-bitrate encode and English subtitles. The Fabulous disc seems like a pretty top-notch package, and it's a recommended import. More interesting is a German Blu-ray release, which adds the following exclusives:
    With a 4K HDR remaster available, we can only wait patiently for a definitive release. Until then, the win for extras goes to the German Blu-ray.

Summary

    Others are welcome to disagree, but I love The Running Man. It's cheesy, hilarious, violent, entertaining, and eminently quotable. For Arnie fans, it's an essential watch.

    Umbrella has brought yet another cult classic to Blu-ray for Australian consumers, and their continued efforts should be commended. The Running Man looks and sounds great on Blu, and I had tremendous fun watching this gem once again. The lack of extras and subtitles is disappointing, but if that doesn't matter to you, this one comes recommended.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Callum Knox (I studied biology)
Monday, February 24, 2020
Review Equipment
DVDSony UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player, using HDMI output
DisplayLG OLED65E6T. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 2160p.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
AmplificationSamsung Series 7 HT-J7750W
SpeakersSamsung Tall Boy speakers, 7.1 set-up

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