31 Days of Draughts and Darkness: Volume III
The Running Man (1987)
Any Hunger Games
fans in the audience?
Tonight's feature is an old Arnie classic, stuffed with much
of the same goodness that made Total
Recall such R-rated fun. You've got your over-the-top violence, your cheesy
one-liners, and enough 80's machismo to choke a blue whale. But on top of that,
you've also got a slick little commentary on the nature of reality TV that came
out years, hell decades, before we'd have today's 'unscripted' tripe shoveled
in our direction.
Why is televised chaos so captivating? Where does one draw
the line between entertainment and brutality?
It's easy to enjoy "The Running Man" as just
another 80's action-fest, but there's a rye intelligence lurking under the
surface if you take the time to seek it out. You'll just have to look past all
the spandex first.
The Plot:
Ben Richards is a good cop.
Course' he is. He's Arnold, after all. How many times have you seen Arnold play
the type of cop who's all corrupt and jaded and whatnot? Okay, not including
"Sabotage". Dear God, let's not include "Sabotage".
Ben's been framed for a crime he
didn't commit, and unfortunately for him, the state of law enforcement in 2019
(the future!) is a bit harsher than present. Much of the world is wrought with
war and rebellion, with the masses kept numb through constant media
distraction. Sorta like today! Only here, the warfare and entertainment blend
together in a nasty little combo. While Ben evades his captors for a time, it
isn't long before a sleazy producer blackmails him into a little television
show called The Running Man.
Here, inmates have the chance to
win their freedom if they can survive a gauntlet of heavily-armed warriors
known as Stalkers. Contestants are literally launched into a maze-like arena
via rocket-sled (it's the 80's, after all) with no food or weapons, and if they
are somehow able to defeat the marauders, are granted a
total release from prison. As one might expect, the success rate
isn't very high. The games serve more to cull the overcrowded jails and sate
the masses than give the imprisoned a shot at redemption.
So, with two largely-expendable
buddies at his side, Ben Richards must face an array of armed crazies and
somehow win his freedom. Along the way, maybe he'll try to join a rebellion and
revolutionize society. And who knows, maybe we'll all learn a thing or two?
The Flavor:
Believe it or not, "The Running Man" is making a
commentary on the media's, and by extension our own, obsession with televised
violence. The extreme nature of the competition riles up the masses much like a
major sporting event would, only here the athletes lose body parts. We get
desensitized to it, even revel in it, feeling some primal urge deep down in the
lizard part of the brain. And all the while, the distracted masses are left
oblivious to the corruption going on in the world around them.
All those messages, and heavy ones at that, are sprinkled
throughout "The Running Man". The problem is that the film is so
over-the-top, so ramped up on 80's cheese and action, that the
subtext has to compete with all the flash. And when your movie's appeal
includes chainsaw maniacs and killer opera singers, there's a lot of flash to
overcome. While I appreciate what "The Running Man" has to say about
our obsession with violence, that we spend the movie watching Arnold gorily
dispatch a bunch of homicidal American Gladiators kinda runs counter to the
film's message. After all, he uses violence to beat violence, in a film that's
critical of our obsession with violence, but is plenty gory, itself.
Hmm, you know what? Maybe there's actually a subtle,
meta-brilliance to all this? As we watch, we essentially become the film's
gameshow audience, rooting for all the onscreen carnage. Therein lies the
"horror", my friends.
Metaphor aside, if you prefer to watch the film as a
straight-up action spectacle, you will not be disappointed. The murder-games
include some memorable goons, bedecked in costumes that could've only looked
cool in the 80's. These villains are easily the highlight of the film, as each
swims in a gimmick. You have Sub-Zero (not from Mortal Kombat), essentially a
hybrid of hockey player and Genghis Khan. Dynamo, the walking Christmas tree,
shoots lightening while belting out opera. And Buzzsaw...has a buzzsaw. And
many more! Collect them all!
I joke, but if the film weren't the violent, R-rated action
fest it is, these villainous characters would be destined to live as action
figures on Toys R' Us shelves. They're silly and tons of fun.
Best Paired With:
Film geeks will enjoy
all the irony, be it intended or not, regarding the film's stance on violence.
But those same geeks, along with everyone else, can also appreciate "The
Running Man" as a grim sci-fi death match with plenty of style, outdated
as the style may be.
Brew:
In honor of Arnie's home country of Austria, tonight's
seasonal ale pays homage to the country's capital.
Name:
Vienna
Brewery:
Sierra Nevada
Where
Brewed: Chico, CA and Mills River, NC
ABV:
5.3%
Style:
Vienna-style Lager
Color: An absolutely
lovely amber with just the slightest extra dash of red.
Aroma: Vienna Lager isn't aggressive on the nose. There are
a mix of scents, but each is mild and pleasantly swirls together. The aroma of
malts, hop, and a slightly-sweet twinge from the yeast all gently grace the
nostrils, leading me to believe a crisp beer experience lies ahead.
Taste: And I wasn't wrong. Vienna lager begins with a flush
of amber malts across the tongue, just slightly nutty. A dash of sweetness
joins the mix. The sweet flavor has a slight tang to it, likely a signature of
the yeast involved. Both notes are flavorful, but also mellow.
Towards the back of each sip, the hops appear. Here, their
flavor is a mild, dry bitter. It brings down the maltiness of the initial taste
a bit, but not so much as to erase the malt completely. Once the hop bitterness
factors in, the overall taste of this lager balances each flavor character:
malty bread, tangy sweet, and dry bitter. Very refreshing.
Aftertaste: Of the above described flavors, it's the malt
that sticks around longest. Both hop and yeast characters fade quickly. The
remaining malts have a bread-like quality to their taste, almost as if you've
bitten into a baked good fresh out of the oven.
Body: This being a lager, smoothness is key, and Vienna
certain hits that note with gusto. The brew is silky-smooth, finely carbonated,
and can go down like air if you're thirsty. I can see going through pints of
this brew in rapid-fire fashion.
Pair: Salty pretzels and sausages may be predictable, but
they were paired alongside such a brew for a reason. The salty and savory would
combine very well with the sweet and dry character of this lager. Each would
essentially act as a palate cleanser for the other.
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