Movie Review: The Running Man

1978’s The Running Man was a film overhyped for me and probably led to my initial bitter taste from viewing it. Watching now, months later, that bitterness hasn’t left. It’s not a strong vinegar, more like a fair steak that’s been salted just a tad too much and has minutely spoiled the original delicacy.

For once, though, let me start by saying how impressed I still am with The Running Man. Another film adaptation of a Stephen King novel (which he wrote under a pseudonym) that is finely written, no doubt thanks to King himself, The Running Man takes all we know and upends it, declaring, “What if everything we know is a lie?” It’s a scary thought to think. What if everything reported by the news was a fabric of imagination, a cloth of deceit covered by fine china? How far away from that are we? A couple of people lie, set a trend and suddenly a news station or publication might consider doing the same to keep pace.

I’ve always been fascinated by science fiction and dystopian literature. The morals or lack thereof and the fears these novelists play upon are in some cases entirely plausible, making one reach an epiphany of recognition, a moment of, “Oh my gosh, this could be a thing” and reading or in this case, watching, as man, left to their own devices, tear the world as we know it apart. The mob mentality is an overwhelming force, one people have reason to fear because soon you might be the only one who seems sane. These are but a few dystopian themes and some are at play here in Paul Michael Glaser’s film.

The set-up for this is crude. Remove a few opening lines pasted on the screen and there’s no real explanation as to where we are or why we’re there. Schwarzenegger’s Ben Richards is in a helicopter and important plot points are occurring. It’s not necessary to have a lead into a dystopian film. I would argue in some cases it would be more appropriate to throw us into the action right from the get-go. The indecisiveness of throwing words on a screen coupled with immediate action draws the image of someone throwing their note cards for their presentation up in the air, gathering them up in some random order and presenting.

Introductory goofs aside, The Running Man‘s a solid enough story to make it worthy of the translation from print to screen. Richards is a good character, I guess. I don’t really know because Schwarzenegger’s characterization is vague. I blame the writing more than Schwarzenegger here because not even the dialogue speaks to any true identity. He’s an engine for the film but knowing King’s work, I’m assured there’s more to Ben Richards than this film suggests. Richards is a framed criminal placed into a gladiatorial death race, cameras watching his every move for a live television audience. It’s the number one show in the world. People are cheering for criminals to be brutally murdered on live television.

Judge, jury and executioner, awarded to viewers by a TV show all too eager to grant them the privilege. How far is UFC from that? How far are we as a society from that? Those are the questions King serves by proxy here. Dystopian societies are a fiction now but a possibility later.

With theoretical dissemination aside, the story is rather raw. Richards is left untapped, the side characters are adornments, not centerpieces and Richard Dawson, who leads in both performance and character, doesn’t get as much space as I’d like. The third act is too nice, considering the revolution taking place. Far too neat.

Once again, if you’re new to my blog, I’ve always ranked movies on a scale of 0-100 (I don’t know why, I just always have). Here’s the grading scale.  

90-100  It’s a great movie and definitely one worth buying. (Deadpool, Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Avengers, The Babadook, Interstellar)

80-89   It was a pretty good movie and definitely one worth seeing, but it doesn’t quite scratch my top ten percentile. (Olympus Has Fallen, The Cable Guy, The Cabin in the Woods, Tears of the Sun, Edge of Tomorrow)

70-79   It’s okay but I’ve seen better. It has its moments, but it has its flaws, too. (10 Cloverfield Lane, Creed, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Crimson Peak, The Martian)

60-69   It’s got plenty wrong with it but I still got enjoyment out of this one. (Hardcore Henry, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, Beasts of No Nation)

50-59   This movie isn’t intolerable but it’s not blowing my mind either. I’m trying really hard to get some sort of enjoyment out of this. (D-Tox/Eye See You, Constantine, Race, Everest, Hercules)

40-49   This movie is just mediocre. It’s not doing anything other than the bare minimal, so morbidly boring that sometimes I’m actually angry I watched this. (War, The Ridiculous 6, The Lost Boys, Zombeavers, Crank)

30-39   Definitely worse than mediocre, the 30′s ironically define the 1930′s, full of depression, lack of accomplishments, poverty and just so dumb. (Centurion, Planet of the Apes, Stonados, Redemption, Pride and Prejudice)

20-29   What did I just watch? Cliches, stupidity, nothingness, did I mention stupidity? Just…wow. (Avalanche Sharks, Catwoman, The Gunman, The Visit, The Fantastic Four)

0-19      Watching this movie resulted in one or more of the following: seizure, loss of brain cells, falling asleep/unconsciousness, feel you wasted your time/day, accomplished nothing for you, left the movie knowing less about it then you did going into it, constantly asking yourself why you came to see this movie, or near-death experience. In short, staring at a wall was just as entertaining as watching this movie. This movie deserved a sticker or a label that said, “WARNING: EXTREME AMOUNT OF SUCKAGE.” (The Coed and the Zombie Stoner, The Forbidden Dimensions, Cyborg, Outcast, Sabotage)

My score for The Running Man: 78.

A strong theme with a so-so story, Schwarzenegger’s endless puns, action sequences and tempo contrasts are enough to give this a solid 70’s score. A healthy dose of disappointment with pleasure.

Movie Review: The Green Mile

Yet another Stephen King novel film adaptation, director Frank Darabont takes the reigns along with a superb cast that includes the great Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Jeffrey DeMunn, Barry Pepper, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Doug Hutchison…this list could go on forever.

Tom Hanks plays Paul Edgecomb, a prison guard on death row during the Great Depression. Life is as usual until a giant African-American named John Coffey enters the scene. Convicted of raping and killing two young white girls, Paul is surprised by John’s shy, soft-spoken and at times even child-like character. Over the next few weeks, Paul will witness things that can only be described as miracles as the lives of his fellow guards and his own are changed forever.

This drama is emotional, suspenseful and holds your attention like an unopened Christmas present. You’re not sure what it is, but you know it’s going to be something big. On rare occasions the movie does slow down a bit but when you take the seconds to look back at all that’s transpired so far, it’s easily forgivable. Most movies that reach the three-hour mark have stayed long past their welcome, but that is not the case with The Green Mile. It’s engaging, thought-provoking and most of all, heartfelt.

David Morse, Jeffrey DeMunn and Barry Pepper play Hanks’ fellow guards and all have their own viewpoints on the events that occur while being the best knit group of guys they can be. Morse does an exceptional job playing Paul’s best friend and has proven to me over the course of a couple of films that he is an under-appreciated supporting actor.

Doug Hutchison plays the guy nobody likes, Percy Wetmore, a guard on the mile who has connections with the governor and so his sadistic personality cannot be removed from the premises, unfortunate as that may be. He’s the filth of the world that has no place on it and my hatred for the man demonstrates how well Hutchison played the role.

James Cromwell plays the prison warden…again. He’s played this role in like four movies so no complaints there and Michael Jeter plays an inmate who has true repentance for his actions.

Paul is the type of character that is easy to feel for. His actions mirror what I’d like to believe I would do if situations like these were to arise and there’s simply no doubt Hanks is one of the greatest actors of all time. He can make any role come alive as he does here once again.

If you’re reading this you may have noticed that I have referred to Hanks’ character as well as Duncan’s by their first name rather than their last, something I do not usually do. It is to ram home the fact that this movie has plenty of religious synonyms and metaphors. Paul is a religious name, a disciple who spread the Word around the world after making the phrase born-again Christian. John the Baptist foretold the coming of Christ and John the apostle was known as the disciple that Jesus loved.

Even if you’re not a Christian, it’s hard to ignore John’s obvious do-good mentality as well as his obedience, kindness, and caring nature. It’s apparent to me that King wrote this from a religious standpoint even if it is not always taken that way by his audience.

Once again, if you’re new to my blog,  I’ve always ranked movies on a scale of 0-100 (I don’t know why, I just always have). Here’s the grading scale.

 90-100  It’s a great movie and definitely one worth buying. (Just Go With It, Real Steel, Miracle, Scrooge, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty)

80-89   It was a pretty good movie and definitely one worth seeing, but it doesn’t quite scratch my top ten percentile. (Elf, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Poseidon, Iron Man, Lone Survivor)

70-79   It’s okay but I’ve seen better. It has its moments, but it has its flaws, too. (The Usual Suspects, 21 Jump Street, Escape Plan, Captain America: The First Avenger, Dawn of the Dead)

60-69   It’s got plenty wrong with it but I still got enjoyment out of this one. (Pacific Rim, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Disaster Movie)

50-59   This movie isn’t intolerable but it’s not blowing my mind either. I’m trying really hard to get some sort of enjoyment out of this. (Along Came Polly, Aliens, Alien Resurrection, Full Metal Jacket, Thor)

40-49   This movie is just mediocre. It’s not doing anything other than the bare minimal, so morbidly boring that sometimes I’m actually angry I watched this. (Patriot Games, The Great Gatsby, Pitch Black, Alien, Serendipity)

30-39   Definitely worse than mediocre, the 30’s ironically define the 1930’s, full of depression, lack of accomplishments, poverty and just so dumb. (The Contract, Pride and Prejudice, Redemption)

20-29   What did I just watch? Cliches, stupidity, nothingness, did I mention stupidity? Just…wow. (The Sum of All Fears, Thor: The Dark World)

0-19      Watching this movie resulted in one or more of the following: seizure, loss of brain cells, falling asleep/unconsciousness, feel you wasted your time/day, accomplished nothing for you, left the movie knowing less about it then you did going into it, constantly asking yourself why you came to see this movie, or near-death experience. In short, staring at a wall was just as entertaining as watching this movie. This movie deserved a sticker or a label that said, “WARNING: EXTREME AMOUNT OF SUCKAGE.” (Midnight Cowboy, Dark Fury, Alien 3)

My score for The Green Mile: 96.

Regardless of your religious affiliation, The Green Mile is a modern tale of the story of Christ, all the way up to his sacrifice on the cross. It is one in which Duncan deservedly was nominated for a best supporting actor award. It’s a tear-jerker but it also makes you believe there’s still some good left in a world that’s filled with so much cruelty and hate and, as Samwise Gamgee says, “That there is some good in this world, Mister Frodo and it’s worth fighting for.” Frank Darabont is one of my favorite directors, directing this, The Shawshank Redemption and my favorite TV show, AMC’s The Walking Dead. It’s a must-see.

Speaking of Samwise Gamgee, stay tuned for Lord of the Rings reviews!

I’d also like to apologize for not writing recently. Since coming back to school, wordpress has been causing me problems. I can’t add tags, link to articles or check my reader or stats. Hopefully that will be fixed soon.