The Running Man story
The film's story, set in a dystopian United States between 2017 and 2019, is about a television show called The Running Man, where convicted criminal "runners" must escape death at the hands of professional killers. It is very loosely based on the 1982 novel of the same title written by Stephen King and published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.
10 total · 6 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| facing organized pursuit | major | Convicts were being hunted down by professional killers on a wildly popular television show. |
| prisoners being exploited for entertainment | major | Convicts were being hunted down by professional killers on a wildly popular television show. |
| resistance movement | major | Mic was leading an underground resistance movement against the totalitarian government from his secret broadcast center. The story protagonists ultimately sided with him and almost singlehandedly delegitimized the government in the eyes of the people. |
| television as a control mechanism | major | The totalitarian government that had taken power in the United States was using wildly popular television shows in which convicts had to fight for their lives in order to distract the public from their real problems. |
| the entertainment industry | major | There was a behind the scenes look at the production of a wildly popular game show where convicted criminals fought for their lives. |
| totalitarian dystopia | major | The story is set in the United States in the year 2017 by which time the country has become a totalitarian police state. |
| having a preconception challenged | minor | Amber learned that everything on television was a lie. |
| institutional risk to civilization | minor | It was explained that a worldwide economic collapse had led to the rise of totalitarian government in the United States. |
| jet pack | minor | The stalker Fireball used a jet pack. |
| romantic love | minor | Richards and Amber kissed at the story's conclusion. |