History Film / TheRunningMan

** In the final confrontation, Richards wields a [=HK94=] carbine with a distinctive foregrip and barrel shroud, just like the one Arnold previously used in ''Film/RawDeal''.

** [[spoiler:AllForNothing: In the film, the star prize turns out to be the same as the consolation prize… And the booby prize.]]

* BetrayalByInaction: Earlier in the movie, Killian insults his bodyguard by asking him "Steroids make you deaf?" At the end when Richards confronts Killian, Killian expects his bodyguard to protect him. The bodyguard says, "I got to score some steroids" and walks away, leaving Killian to his justly deserved fate.

* BreakoutCharacter: InUniverse, Ben Richards. So much so that Killian has to bend his own show rules to allow the audience to predict Richards' victory. Bookies on the street also start taking unexpected bets on Richards to win.

* CompositeCharacter: The film combines the book roles of Killian (who was the BigBad and the show's producer) and Tommy Thompson (who was the show's host).
* CondemnedContestant: Richards, Laughlin and Weiss.

* TheHunterBecomesTheHunted: The Stalkers find themselves on the receiving end of their own medicine once Ben Richards joins the game. The first death with Sub-Zero was a clear shock to not just the audience, but the government itself given that they called up Killian to explain things.

* ImYourBiggestFan: Mrs. Agnes [=McArdle=], who is Killian's biggest fan.

* MadeOfExplodium: Maybe the rocket-propelled sled had some fuel, sure, but the Cadre Cola billboard inside of the "Running Man" playing field goes off like ''it'' had been full of dynamite when the sled goes through it.

* LaResistance: There's a resistance movement against the government, which gets wrapped up in the game.

* TokenGoodTeammate: Captain Freedom is one for the Stalkers.

-->'''Amber''': These...these are last year's winners.
-->'''Fireball''': No. Last year's losers.

** Most of the convicts who aide Richards in shooting his way out of the government labor camp at the beginning escape and are never shown being killed or recaptured. The unnamed, uncredited ones actually have a higher survival rate than the MauveShirt characters.
** Mic and his armed rebels flawlessly [[spoiler:take over the broadcast booth and expose the government's lies with almost no trouble in the final scenes]].

* ImprobableWeaponUser: Most of the Stalkers use exotic but otherwise standard weapons; Buzzsaw has a chainsaw, Fireball a flamethrower, Dynamo an electric suit, and Freedom his own fists. But then there's Sub-Zero, who uses a sharpened metal hockey stick, and exploding hockey pucks.

* SkunkStripe: Fireball.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Ben Richards was framed for massacring a group of protesters when he refused to be the one to pull the trigger. Imprisoned and with his name sullied, he went on the run but was eventually caught. He became a contestant for The Running Man gameshow, where he fought for his own life [[spoiler:before getting rescued by the rebels. Joining up with them, he stormed the gameshow to hunt down Killian, the BigBad. With Amber's help, the public finally knew Richards was framed by the state media, and gave their final, biggest cheer when Richards executed Killian and walked off victoriously with Amber by his side]].

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Ben Richards was framed for massacring a group of protesters when he refused to be the one to pull the trigger. Imprisoned and with his name sullied, he went on the run but was eventually caught. He became a contestant for The Running Man gameshow, where he fought for his own life before getting rescued by the rebels. Joining up with them, he stormed the gameshow to hunt down Killian, the BigBad. With Amber's help, the public finally knew Richards was framed by the state media, and gave their final, biggest cheer when Richards executed Killian and walked off victoriously with Amber by his side.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Ben Richards was framed for massacring a group of protesters when he refused to be the one to pull the trigger. Imprisoned and with his name sullied, he went on the run but was eventually caught. He became a contestant for The Running Man gameshow, where he fought for his own life. He barely made it and was rescued by the rebels. He joined the rebels and stormed the gameshow to hunt down Killian, the BigBad. With Amber's help, the public finally knew Richards was framed by the state media, and gave their final, biggest cheer when Richards executed Killian and walked off victoriously with Amber by his side.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:Captain Freedom]]. He [[RageQuit walks out]] partway through the film because [[EvenEvilHasStandards he becomes bitter about what the game has become]]. Granted, it's very anticlimactic, but serves as possible {{foreshadowing}} for [[spoiler:Sven]] doing the same thing later at a key moment.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Ben Richards; in the film, he refuses to kill the defenceless Dynamo, while in the book, he [[spoiler: murders three unarmed pilots who were essentially just doing their jobs and rams an airplane on the Games network building, killing the BigBad and a lot of people who ''definitely'' deserved it, as well as many people who probably didn't.]]

** Dynamo uses a LightningGun to deliver ShockAndAwe to his opponents. As seen with Amber, he also has [[StunGuns a non lethal option]].

* ExtyYearsFromNow: This 1987 movie depicts a great societal collapse to have taken place in 30 years after its release date.

* CorruptedCharacterCopy: Killian is effectively Richard Dawson's ''Series/FamilyFeud'' persona with the worst characteristics of a celebrity thrown in.

Not to be confused with the 1963 British crime drama directed by Carol Reed, the similarly-titled but vastly different (apart from the dystopian setting) 1976 film ''Film/LogansRun'', or the [[Series/RunningMan South Korean variety show]].

* PleaseSelectNewCityName: At the airport, in the background you can hear an announcement about a flight to "Mandelaburg" – presumably the future name of [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica Johannesburg]]. It was even more ironic given [[TheEighties the time the film was released]], since it was still UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra and NelsonMandela was still in prison. The likelihood of the end of the Apartheid happening was seen as nil.

-->'''Dynamo''': [[IllShowYouX I'll show you 'dickless'.]]

* AntiHero: Ben Richards is a pretty rough guy, to say the least: he stabs his ''lawyer'' with a pen and is willing to kidnap the woman to evade the authorites. But he's undeniably a noble soul who only became an outlaw because he refused to massacre hungry rioters.

-->'''Dynamo''': "I'll show you 'dickless'."

* NobleDemon: It's made clear Captain Freedom actually has some sense of honor and believes in the Gladiators Code. He shows increasing signs of frustration with Killian's more underhanded tactics. He still wants to take on and kill Richards, but face-to-face like warriors should. [[spoiler:The final straw proves to be be the gimmicky outfit Killian wants him to use in his fight and it ends with him walking away in disgust.]]

* AffablyEvil: Captain Freedom, the most noble of the Stalkers. Also, Sven, despite his burly appearance, doesn't seem a too malicious guy.