Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in ’’The Running Man’’ many years ago. In this big-screen flick, he plays Benjamin Richards, a helicopter pilot wrongfully accused of committing murder while aboard his craft. Because of the strange state of the country in this obviously-fictitious setting, Benjamin Richards is forced to perform on a game show called ’’The Running Man, ’’ in which he fights enormous chainsaw-wielding men to try and save his life while completing various obstacle courses and other challenges.
Let me be honest: The movie totally sucked even though I think Arnold is one of the coolest action movie actors alive. I thought the twisted plot and strange situations the characters landed themselves in did the Stephen King novel absolutely NO justice whatsoever.
So, I highly recommend that you read the book if you want to see what the real story-teller had in mind when he sat down at his typewriter.
In the book, Benjamin Richards is a poor man living in a fictional, futuristic version of America. In the future, citizens take pills that substitute for food and coffee. They are living in crack ghettos and other slums. There is an enormous game show network, with giant televisions all over the city to zap the images to all of the citizens. The game shows are cruel and twisted methods of torture designed to punish contestants. But, the contestants are there for the money - most of them are unemployed and dirt-poor.
Benjamin Richards has a wife and baby to support, so he jumps through hoops in an effort to be a contestant on ’’The Running Man’’ - one of the highest-paying game shows. He is eventually accepted, and the game is on! He must dodge maniacs with chainsaws and hockey sticks. He must hide from them for a certain number of days - the advantage is that he can go anywhere in the world, so long as he records himself with a provided camera and mails in a cassette of it every day.
He successfully eludes - and sometimes has to kill - several of the goons while on the run. There are plot twists, high-tension situations, and many close encounters to keep the reader engrossed in the story. The various characters are fully developed, bringing them closer to reality in the reader’s imagination than you ever thought possible. This book is more than worth reading because the story is so bloody fascinating: You won’t be able to put this book down.
This book is, of course, filled with violence, gore, and profanity. It’s probably not the best material in the world for younger children, even though most prove to be fascinated by the storyline and plot. So, if you’re up to the chainsaw massacres and other garish events in this twisted and dramatic view of a fictionalized American lifestyle, go for it. You won’t be disappointed.