History YMMV / TheRunningMan

** Richard Dawson appears in a Stephen King movie as the villain just one year after being mentioned in Literature/'It'.

** Richard Dawson appears in a Stephen King movie as the villain just one year after being mentioned in Literature/It.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Killian's call to the "Entertainment Division" of the Justice Department or the president's personal agent is less funny since in 2019 there was a former reality show host elected president with an emphasis on PR.

* SpiritualAdaptation:

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: The book mocks reality television show like ''Hard Copy'' that demonize people to make the audience hate them. (And keep in mind, this was written nearly 20 years before ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' and ''Series/BigBrother'' spared a boom in just that type of reality game show.)

* {{Fanon}}: To make the PostersAlwaysLie date of 2019 (when the opening crawl only mentions the year 2017) work, some people believe that 2017 was the year the societal collapse mentioned in the crawl took place, while Richards escaping and being involved in ''The Running Man'' happens two years later in 2019, meaning that the Bakersfield Massacre must've happened somewhere in 2018.

* HarsherInHindsight:
** The film (and the book it was based on) basically foresaw the coming of reality TV, particularly in the way the genre is criticized for exploiting its subjects, using manipulative editing to coerce audience reaction, and generally provide no artistic merit beyond audience distraction.
** The opening scene of Richards' refusal as a police officer to fire on unarmed rioters and protestors, and conversely his squad's acceptance of the order, has an uncomfortable similarity to real-world officers firing less-lethal rounds at peaceful Black Lives Matter protestors in the US with brutal results in early 2020.

* {{Fanon}}: To make the PostersAlwaysLie date of 2019 (when the opening crawl only mentions the year 2017) work, some people believe that 2017 was the year the societal collapse mentioned in the crawl took place, while Richards escaping and being involved in ''The Running Man'' happens two years later in 2019.

** There's one minor character named [[Franchise/MortalKombat Sub-Zero]]. Good luck listening to Arnold say "[[MemeticMutation Here is Sub-Zero...now plain Zero!]]" without thinking of the ice-manipulating Lin Kuei warrior. While on Sub-Zero, consider this: [[Film/BatmanAndRobin Arnold and a foe skating on ice]]. Or making a pun involving ice, for that matter.

* HarsherInHindsight: The film (and the book it was based on) basically foresaw the coming of reality TV, particularly in the way the genre is criticized for exploiting its subjects, using manipulative editing to coerce audience reaction, and generally provide no artistic merit beyond audience distraction.

* MagnificentBastard: One of the most dynamic villains of 80s action cinema, [[BigBad Damon Killian]] is a smiling, charming game show host who runs and created the "Running Man" where [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame criminals are hunted down]] by the state sanctioned "Stalkers". With enough power to {{blackmail}} even the dystopian government itself, Killian forces them to give him TheHero Ben Richards for the game and tricks him into participating willingly, also throwing Richards' friends into the game as Killian plays the crowd against Richards and the rest even while upping the ante to finish them off. Having any supposed winners of the show secretly murdered, Killian in effect controls the population through his shows, and when Richards threatens he will be back before being launched in the game, Killian's only response? "Only in a rerun".

* AmbiguouslyJewish: The bespectacled computer nerd, Harold Weiss, is played by the non-Jewish actor Marvin J. McIntyre. Weiss could also double as JewishAndNerdy, though he never says or does anything remotely Jewish in the film.

* DisownedAdaptation: Of a sort. ''Creator/StephenKing'' was very unhappy with the changes made to the novel, to the point where he sued to have his name taken off of it. It's reported that he enjoyed the film, but considering the extent of the changes made (basically everything except a couple character names and a VERY basic version of the premise), he didn't consider it his story. They ended up using his pen name in the credits instead.

* DisownedAdaptation: Of a sort. ''Creator/StephenKing'' was very unhappy with the changes made to the novel, to the point where he sued to have his name taken off of it. It's reported that he enjoyed the film, but considering the extent of the changes made (basically everything except a couple character names and a VERY basic version of the premise), he didn't consider it his story.

** While also overlaps with NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent, Amber in the original English version is played by the Venezuelan-born Creator/MariaConchitaAlonso, and she speaks English with a notorious Venezuelan accent. In the dub, she speaks Spanish with a neutral accent. It should be noted that Alonso was [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff very popular in her prime time in Mexico]], since she did parts of her singing career there, but it's very likely that Creator/RocioGarcel (Amber's voice actress in the dub) simply dubbed her with a regular accent, rather than trying to imitate her very thick (at the time) Venezuelan accent. Likewise, while Alonso has a very high-pitched voice, Garcel used a deeper tone while dubbing her.

* {{Woolseyism}}:

** Another odd change in the Mexican Spanish sub, and also overlap with UnusualEuphemism despise that subbed version used [[SpiceUpTheSubtitles more profanity than the original English version]] replace Amber's insult to Dynamo ''Dickless moron'' to ''Eunuco'' (Spanish for ''Eunuch'') While ''Eunuch'' has the same meaning as in English in Spanish, in the Mexican dialect it's also a antiquated synonym for ''baby'', as she's basically calling him an ''immature asshole'' in his face.
** Again with the Mexican Spanish sub: When Richards [[spoiler:sends Killian to his death]] the ''You Bastard! Drop Dead!'' line became ''¡Hijo de puta! ¡Muerete!'' (You son of a bitch! Die!). On the other hand, the Mexican Spanish dub translate the phrase more or less literally.

* StrangledByTheRedString: Ben and Amber share little to no romantic chemistry for the duration of the movie, save for Amber developing sympathy for Ben when she realizes he's not the mass-murdering psycho the world has painted him as and a few vague flirty lines. Yet the two managed to produce a BigDamnKiss during the film's climax.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZJjBYXE4F4 "Restless Heart"]] by John Parr, the song that plays over the end credits.

* EarWorm: '''CLAP IF YOU LOVE ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy8rT8oHCbI DYNAMO!!!]]'''''

*** Much later, the face of Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger in his 1980s prime would be recreated on body doubles in the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' franchise starting with ''Film/TerminatorSalvation''.

* 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 presents. It also teaches about the value of tenacity and standing up for yourself. As well as to not believe everything you see on TV.

** It can be looked at as a RatedMForManly version of ''Literature/TheHungerGames''. Both of them are a satire on reality tv shows and how they exploit it's contestants for the sake of entertainment and ratings.

*** Much later, the face of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his 1980s prime would be recreated on body doubles in the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' franchise starting with ''Film/TerminatorSalvation''.
** The wrestling fight between leotard-wearing Wrestling/JesseVentura and Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger is much funnier, knowing that they have each since become U.S. Governors.

** The fistfight between leotard-wearing Wrestling/JesseVentura and Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger is much funnier, knowing that they have each since become U.S. Governors.
** There's one minor character named [[Franchise/MortalKombat Sub-Zero]]. Good luck listening to Arnold say "[[MemeticMutation Here is Sub-Zero...now plain Zero!]]" without thinking of the ice-manipulating Lin Kuei warrior. While on Sub-Zero, consider this: [[Film/BatmanAndRobin Arnold and a foe skating on ice]].

** Again with the Mexican Spanish sub: When Richards [[spoiler:sends Killian to his death]] the ''You Bastard! Drop Dead!'' line became ''¡Hijo de puta! ¡Muerete!'' (You son of a whore! Die!). On the other hand, the Mexican Spanish dub translate the phrase more or less literally.