Arnold Schwarzenegger is Ben Richards in THE RUNNING MAN: A Guide to the 80s Cult Classic 'The Running Man'

The Running Man is as close to 80s perfection as possible - and better yet, it IS Arnold Schwarzenegger perfection - the cheesey one liners, the 80s 'babe' as the love interest, the corny stunts and graphics, the action and the gore. Everything that defined the 80s and everything that defines Arnold Schwarzenegger is available in The Running Man - which is #3 on my Schwarzenegger DVD list. Opening in 1987, The Running Man grossed $38,122,105 and is a cult classic.

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About The Running Man & Ben Richards!

Art imitates life as popular game show host Richard Dawson won critical acclaim for his portrayal of Damon Killian, the host of a futuristic game show "The Running Man" in this high-tech futuristic adventure. 

The year is 2019 and television is ruling people's lives. The most popular game show is "The Running Man," where convicts can win pardons by defeating murderous opponents called "stalkers."

The outcome has always been pretty predictable, but now the "stalkers" are getting a real challenge in the form of contestant Ben Richards (ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER), a man wrongly convicted of slaughtering 1,500 innocent people. When Richards is told to "Come on down!" he's more than ready to fight for his life and his freedom - and to give a whole new meaning to the term "audience participation."

1987, Approx. 101 Minutes, Color

Some of the Best Running Man Quotes

A staple of any great Arnold Schwarzenegger movie is the dialouge - so imagine the below quotes being said by Arnold himself:

[Referring to dead bodies]
Amber: They're running men. Last season's winners.
Fireball: No. Last season's losers.

Ben Richards: I'm not into politics. I'm into survival.

Ben Richards: Killian! I'll be back!
Damon Killian: Only in a rerun.

Ben Richards: Killian, here's your Subzero, now plain zero.

Ben Richards: Uplink underground, uplink underground. If you say that one more time, I'll uplink your uplink your [butt] and you'll be underground!

Ben Richards: I live to see you eat that contract, but I hope you leave enough room for my fist because I'm going to ram it into your stomach and break your *** spine!

Ben Richards: [trying to get Dynamo's attention] Hey, Lighthead! Hey, Christmas Tree!

Amber: [after Richards cut Buzzsaw in half with a chain saw] What happened to Buzzsaw?
Ben Richards: He had to split.

The Running Man Cast

• Arnold Schwarzenegger     ....     Ben Richards
• Maria Conchita Alonso    ....     Amber Mendez
• Yaphet Kotto        ....     William Laughlin
• Jim Brown        ....     Fireball
• Jesse Ventura        ....     Captain Freedom
• Erland van Lidth    ....     Dynamo (as Erland Van Lidth)
• Marvin J. McIntyre    ....     Harold Weiss
• Gus Rethwisch        ....     Buzzsaw (as Bernard Gus Rethwisch)
• Professor Toru Tanaka    ....     Subzero
• Mick Fleetwood        ....     Mic
• Dweezil Zappa        ....     Stevie
• Richard Dawson        ....     Damon Killian
• Karen Leigh Hopkins    ....     Brenda
• Sven-Ole Thorsen    ....     Sven (as Sven Thorsen)
• Edward Bunker        ....     Lenny (as Eddie Bunker)