!The film:

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Dynamo uses electricity as his gimmick, so naturally he sings the aria from Act III of ''Theatre/TheMarriageOfFigaro'' in his introduction.
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: '''CLAP IF YOU LOVE ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy8rT8oHCbI DYNAMO!!!]]'''''
* HilariousInHindsight: The fistfight between leotard-wearing Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger is much funnier, knowing that they have each since become U.S. Governors.
** There's one minor character named [[MortalKombat Sub-Zero]]. Good luck listening to Arnold say "[[MemeticMutation Here is Sub-Zero...now plain Zero!]]" without thinking of the ice-manipulating [[MortalKombat Lin Kuei warrior]].
*** While on Sub-Zero, consider this: [[Film/BatmanAndRobin Arnold and a foe skating on ice]].
* SoBadItsGood
* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The movie may have been an escapist action flick starring The Governator, but it (in its own way) taught about the negative aspects of completely turning off your brain in favor of pure, violent escapism, how soul-destroying humanity's bloodlust can be, and the need to question the version of reality that TV presnts. It also teaches about the value of tenacity and standing up for yourself.
** [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-things-the-running-man-teaches-you-about-life/ 4 Things 'The Running Man' Teaches You About Life]], courtesy of Website/{{Cracked}}.
* SpiritualLicensee: The film has one in the form of the 2009 film ''Film/{{Gamer}}''.
* {{Woolseyism}}: The Mexican Spanish subbed version has the ''He was Sub-Zero, Now, just plain Zero!'' line changed. In that translation, that line was changed to ''Aqui esta Sub-Zero, Ahora es un cero a la izquierda'', Being ''cero a la izquierda'' a Spanish phrase meaning "worthless".[[note]]It literally means a ''zero to the left'', after the mathematical term to use a zero before a decimal point, who normally doesn't mean anything, hence the phrase[[/note]] The Mexican Spanish dub left the original phrase translated literally from English.
* WTHCastingAgency: The leader of the underground resistance movement is played by... Mick Fleetwood. Of FleetwoodMac fame. Unexpected choice.
** Presumably they really wanted to add [[CastingGag the scene where he complains that his music was banned for being too political...]]

!The book:
* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: Shows what will happen if Reality TV shows go that one extra step and actually start hurting people.... but probably directly inspired the British Game Show [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanted_%28game_show%29 Wanted]] and the Japanese Game RunForMoneyTousouchuu.
* HarsherInHindsight: The ending where [[spoiler:Richards flies the plane straight into the Games Building brings up some unforunate connotations for those reading the book post September 11th.]]
* HilariousInHindsight: Richards' video camera and blank tapes together weigh about ''six pounds''.
* MoralEventHorizon: The book makes it clear throughout that the cops in ''Running Man's'' world are not exactly very nice people, but what sends them clean over this is when they [[spoiler: try to take down both Richards and the innocent civilian woman in the car with him. One who was just ''begging them not to shoot'']]