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‘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

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 26:46Multiple 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
Kyle Brandt▶ 27:15Loves 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

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 53:24The Dynamo, Buzzsaw, and Figaro fights - wanted them to be better, lacking choreography compared to modern standards
Kyle Brandt▶ 53:44The weird ending sequence with Richards, Killian, and Sven - makes no sense why Killian thinks Sven can beat Richards, plus Sven's unintelligible line

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 56:08Richard 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
Kyle Brandt▶ 58:10The dialogue, especially during Yaphet Kotto's death scene where real actors have to deliver terrible lines like 'secure my travel arrangements'

Overacting Award

Bill Simmons▶ 59:27Jesse 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
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:00:02Jesse Ventura — Jesse Ventura for his one power scene

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:07No way, it's good

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:02:36The 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
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:00:49Fireball (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

Kyle Brandt's Stalker Power Rankings

Ranked list · Kyle Brandt · ▶ 1:00:53

  1. ·Fireball (Jim Brown)▶ 1:00:53
  2. 3Dynamo▶ 1:01:17
  3. ·Sub-Zero▶ 1:01:58
  4. ·Buzzsaw▶ 1:02:11

Categories, continued

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:09Christopher 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
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:06:35Richard 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

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:25Screenwriter Stephenie de Souza wrote 15 drafts of the script, and Arnold's campaign bus was named 'the running man'
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:11:39Asked about body count in the movie

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:03Jesse 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
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:12:56Jesse Ventura — Questions whether Jesse Ventura's announcing Wrestlemania 3 is bigger than becoming governor of Minnesota

Sequel/Prequel/Limited Series/Remake

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:59Sequel - interested to see where it goes with deep fakes and reality developments from last 10 years, prefers movie format over Netflix series
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:20:09Both 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

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:10Samuel L. Jackson — Sam Jackson
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:20:57Wayne

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:45Richard Dawson — Richard Dawson for Best Supporting Actor

Best Double Feature

Kyle Brandt▶ 1:25:01Predator 2 — Predator 2 (connecting through Maria Conchita Alonso who appears in both films)

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:26:52Deep fakes dangerous even in 1987 - be careful you could get accused of a 60 person

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:27:24Richard Dawson
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:26:57Richard Dawson

Movies Referenced (42)

Predator (1987)

17 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons▶ 4:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Total Recall (1990)

11 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons▶ 4:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blade Runner (1982)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt▶ 1:28:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Escape from New York (1981)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 36:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Midnight Run (1988)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 22:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Predator 2 (1990)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt▶ 1:24:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rocky (1976)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 6:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Running Scared (2006)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:24:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Shot Caller (2017)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:23:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 6:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Under Siege (1992)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wayne's World (1992)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (1)

Andrew Davis

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for The Fugitive, Holes, Under Siege▶ 1:06:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (13)

Richard Dawson

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt▶ 12:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jim Brown

5 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons · Known for Mars Attacks!, The Running Man, Any Given Sunday▶ 22:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Parr

4 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons · Known for St. Elmo's Fire, The Running Man▶ 52:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Aaron Donald

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:22:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Albert Brooks

1 mentions · Kyle Brandt · Known for Drive, Broadcast News, Defending Your Life▶ 1:21:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Danny Glover

1 mentions · Kyle Brandt · Known for Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 3, Lethal Weapon 4▶ 1:25:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Donald Trump

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York▶ 12:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jesse Ventura

1 mentions · Kyle Brandt · Known for Predator, The Running Man, Batman & Robin▶ 19:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kurt Russell

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Escape from New York, The Hateful Eight▶ 36:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Linda Hamilton

1 mentions · Kyle Brandt · Known for Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Terminator▶ 7:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Luke Wilson

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums▶ 1:00:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Michael Glaser

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Fiddler on the Roof, The Running Man▶ 23:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

Stephen King

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Maximum Overdrive, Creepshow▶ 10:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Edgar Wright

1 mentions · Kyle Brandt · Known for Shaun of the Dead, The World's End, Baby Driver▶ 8:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frank Zappa

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Y Tu Mamá También▶ 22:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven E. de Souza

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Die Hard, 48 Hrs., Commando▶ 1:11:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗