Directed by Paul Michael Glaser
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonzo, Richard Dawson, Yaphet Kotto
I remember this one being so bloody that I was not allowed to see it when it came out. I had seen other action movies, but for some reason, I had to wait. Those were the days of the action stars and the action films, they don’t make them like that anymore.
In a time where everything is heavily controlled by a police state. Ben Richards is given an order to stop a mob protesting for food. When he refuses to kill this innocent people, he is sent to jail. He escapes and when he is captured he is sent to a tv show where the contestants fight gladiators and they must survive to win.
This is one of my favorite action films from the ’80s. I enjoy the story and the action scenes. The story was good, I liked that they used a tv show as the center of all the action, and looking at it today, what a social commentary to see how the media manipulated the truth. But the main thing is the action and this film had a lot.
Arnold continued in this film to be a great entertainer, he achieves the goal of entertaining. The whole cast was good but in these types of films, I have little expectation for the performances.
Available on HBO Max.
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