‘The Running Man’ With Bill Simmons and Kyle Brandt
April 30, 2024 · The Running Man (1987) · Action · Sci-Fi · Thriller · 1:33:51 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes including the escape from Wilshire detention zone, Captain Freedom's workout tape (arguably favorite part of whole movie), Ben Richards taking Amber to Hawaii, and the extended sequence with slutty aerobics cheerleaders/Buzzsaw's entrance/Killian's entrance/doctored Bakersfield massacre video▶ 26:46
Kyle BrandtLoves the Chico escape scene and Captain Freedom's workout, comparing Chico to embarrassing sports moments and praising the workout scene's over-the-top nature▶ 27:15
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill SimmonsThe Dynamo, Buzzsaw, and Figaro fights - wanted them to be better, lacking choreography compared to modern standards▶ 53:24
Kyle BrandtThe weird ending sequence with Richards, Killian, and Sven - makes no sense why Killian thinks Sven can beat Richards, plus Sven's unintelligible line▶ 53:44
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsRichard Dawson stunt casting (hard to explain the big deal now), futuristic machine guns that aren't intimidating (should have been plasma rifles), Dynamo's sexual assault scene with Amber, and Schwarzenegger's smaller 17-inch biceps due to back injury▶ 56:08
Kyle BrandtThe dialogue, especially during Yaphet Kotto's death scene where real actors have to deliver terrible lines like 'secure my travel arrangements'▶ 58:10
Overacting Award
Bill SimmonsJesse Ventura — Jesse Ventura's scene with Dawson ('I was killing guys like this 10 years ago with my bare hands') or Arnold's scene about ramming it up Dawson's ass▶ 59:27
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill SimmonsThe Running Man should have been made into a Grand Theft Auto-style video game and represents one of the great missed opportunities in video game history▶ 1:02:36
Kyle BrandtFireball (Jim Brown) is the worst stalker of the four main stalkers - he doesn't catch anyone, doesn't kill anyone, and turns into a bitch when his gas line goes▶ 1:00:49
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsChristopher Reeve — Discusses Christopher Reeve being attached to play Ben Richards in a darker version, thinks he could have done action and one-liners; mentions Andrew Davis being fired as director after two weeks would have made movie better; discusses Chuck Woolery vs Richard Dawson for Damon Killian role▶ 1:05:09
Kyle BrandtRichard Dawson — Agrees Woolery was cool and tan but thinks Dawson was better choice since he was actually an actor; supports the Andrew Davis director discussion▶ 1:06:35
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsScreenwriter Stephenie de Souza wrote 15 drafts of the script, and Arnold's campaign bus was named 'the running man'▶ 1:11:25
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsJesse Ventura — Arnold: not yet, closer to Terminator 2/Total Recall. Richard Dawson: no, peak was Match Game/Family Feud. Jesse Ventura: yes, announcing Wrestlemania 3 plus Predator/Running Man felt like bigger things coming▶ 1:12:03
Kyle BrandtJesse Ventura — Questions whether Jesse Ventura's announcing Wrestlemania 3 is bigger than becoming governor of Minnesota▶ 1:12:56
Sequel/Prequel/Limited Series/Remake
Bill SimmonsSequel - interested to see where it goes with deep fakes and reality developments from last 10 years, prefers movie format over Netflix series▶ 1:19:59
Kyle BrandtBoth sequel and prequel - sequel for continuation, prequel showing rise of Killian and young Captain Freedom, plus suggests storyline where Richards' brother becomes a stalker opponent▶ 1:20:09
Best Double Feature
Kyle BrandtPredator 2 — Predator 2 (connecting through Maria Conchita Alonso who appears in both films)▶ 1:25:01
Coach Finstock Life Lesson
Bill SimmonsDeep fakes dangerous even in 1987 - be careful you could get accused of a 60 person▶ 1:26:52
Movies Referenced (42)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predator (1987) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 20 | Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons | ▶ 4:25 |
| Total Recall (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons | ▶ 4:03 |
| Blade Runner (1982) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | ▶ 1:28:45 |
| Escape from New York (1981) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 36:50 |
| Halloween (1978) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Kyle Brandt | ▶ 31:14 |
| Midnight Run (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 22:30 |
| Running Scared (2006) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:24:40 |
| Shot Caller (2017) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:23:51 |
| Under Siege (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:06:03 |
| Wayne's World (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:08:18 |
| Weapons (2025) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Kyle Brandt | ▶ 55:31 |
| A Real Pain (2024) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 20:18 |
Directors Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Davis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | The Fugitive, Under Siege | ▶ 1:06:03 |
Actors Referenced (11)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Dawson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | ▶ 12:04 | |
| Jim Brown | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons | The Running Man, Any Given Sunday | ▶ 22:35 |
| Aaron Donald | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:22:53 | |
| Albert Brooks | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Kyle Brandt | Broadcast News | ▶ 1:21:57 |
| Danny Glover | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Kyle Brandt | Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 3, Lethal Weapon 4 | ▶ 1:25:03 |
| Donald Trump | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Home Alone 2: Lost in New York | ▶ 12:04 |
| Jesse Ventura | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Kyle Brandt | Predator, The Running Man | ▶ 19:08 |
| Kurt Russell | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Escape from New York, The Hateful Eight | ▶ 36:50 |
| Linda Hamilton | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Kyle Brandt | Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Terminator | ▶ 7:08 |
| Luke Wilson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums | ▶ 1:00:30 |
| Steven Seagal | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Kyle Brandt | Under Siege 2: Dark Territory | ▶ 27:55 |
Writers Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edgar Wright | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Kyle Brandt | Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver | ▶ 8:54 |
| Frank Zappa | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 22:45 |