the running man (1987)

The Running Man (also known as Battle Runner in Japan) is a 1987 American dystopian action film directed by Paul Michael Glaser and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, loosely based on the 1982 novel by Stephen King. Set in a future dystopian United States, the movie follows Captain Ben Richards(Schwarzenegger), a former police officer who was arrested after he refused to open fire at unarmed protestors during a food riot and was framed by the government for killing the protestors. After he and his fellow prisoners are caught trying to escape, Richards is given a chance of freedom if he joins the popular reality show and government propaganda, The Running Man, where criminals must survive against deadly hunters chasing them. While Richards and his allies try to survive, they must also work with the resistance against the government and exposed their lies.

The Running Man would later have a second movie adaptation which is much closer to the novel in 2025. Not to be confused with the Korean entertainment TV show, Running Man.