The Running Man

(CRAWL):

BY 2017 THE WORLD ECONOMY HAS

COLLAPSED. FOOD, NATURAL RESOURCES

AND OIL ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY. A POLICE

STATE, DIVIDED INTO PARAMILITARY ZONES,

RULES WITH AN IRON HAND.

TELEVISION IS CONTROLLED BY THE STATE

AND A SADISTIC GAME SHOW CALLED

"THE RUNNING MAN" HAS BECOME THE

MOST POPULAR PROGRAM IN HISTORY.

ALL ART, MUSIC, AND COMMUNICATIONS

ARE CENSORED. NO DISSENT IS TOLERATED

AND YET A SMALL RESISTANCE MOVEMENT

HAS MANAGED TO SURVIVE UNDERGROUND.

WHEN HIGH-TECH GLADIATORS ARE NOT

ENOUGH TO SUPPRESS THE PEOPLE'S

YEARNING FOR FREEDOM...

...MORE DIRECT METHODS

BECOME NECESSARY.

BAKERSFIELD AIR COMMAND (over helicopter radio):

Yankee Nine-Niner, what are your coordinates?

BEN RICHARDS (in pilot's seat):

Zero-two-zero, flight level one-five

We're above release point Echo Bravo One.

BAKERSFIELD AIR COMMAND:

Move in and check it out.

RICHARDS:

Roger. Moving in.

Food riot in progress.

Approximately 1,500 civilians.

No weapons evident.

BAKERSFIELD AIR COMMAND:

Proceed with Plan Alpha.

Eliminate anything moving.

RICHARDS:

I said the crowd is unarmed.

There are lots of women and children down there.

All they want is food for God's sakes!

BAKERSFIELD AIR COMMAND:

As you were, Richards!

Proceed with Plan Alpha. All rioters must be eliminated.

RICHARDS:

The hell with you! I will not fire on helpless people.

Abort mission. We're gonna turn back to base.

BAKERSFIELD AIR COMMAND:

Lieutenant Sanders, do you copy?

LIEUTENANT SANDERS, IN CO-PILOT'S SEAT:

Affirmative.

BAKERSFIELD AIR COMMAND:

Take command, detain Richards and proceed as ordered.

SOLDIER #3:

Richards, what the f*** are you doing?

Sh*t. Let's get him!

SOLDIER #2:

Goddamn it!

SANDERS:

Sh*t, we're pitching over!

I got it. I got control!

SOLDIER #1:

He said detain him. Don't drop him.

SOLDIER #3:

Richards, you're gonna fry for this.

SOLDIER #2:

And I'll see you in hell.

(CAPTION):

WILSHIRE DETENTION ZONE

18 MONTHS LATER

GUARD #1:

Come on. Keep digging.

What's the holdup?

GUARD #2:

This one's had it.

Watch the detonator.

Phew.

GUARD #1:

Get that garbage out of here.

Move!

GUARD #3:

Hey, Charlie. Did you see The Running Man last night?

CHARLIE:

I never miss it.

I even won 500 bucks.

GUARD #3

Ha. You lucky bastard.

GUARD #4:

Work crew coming through. Prisoner transfer to post.

GUARD #3:

Okay, hang on. Lenny, this is the eighth perimeter.

Fresh meat just got here. Shut down the deadline.

LENNY:

Affirmative. Shutting down now. Stand clear.

FEMALE PRISON-WIDE COMPUTERIZED ANNOUNCEMENT:

Access code pending.

Verified. Perimeter deactivated.

Sonic deadline is down.

GUARD #3:

Okay, a**holes. Move it.

CHARLIE:

Let's go. Let's go.

GUARD #3:

Get out the lead or lose your head.

COMPUTERIZED ANNOUNCEMENT:

Prisoner restraint collars are disarmed.

GUARD #3:

Come on!

CHARLIE:

East perimeter here. New prisoners are all in compound. We're clear.

LENNY:

Affirmative. Activating deadline.

What are you looking at? Get outta here.

COMPUTERIZED ANNOUNCEMENT:

Sonic deadline is up.

Sonic deadline is up.

Prisoner restraint collars armed.

Prisoner restraint collars armed.

RICHARDS:

Give you a lift?

GUARD:

No. No!

WILLIAM LAUGHLIN:

Get it open!

HAROLD WEISS:

I got it, I got it!

LAUGHLIN:

Repeat the codes.

WEISS:

I did. 6 - 5 - 3. Sh*t! It's not working.

RICHARDS:

You're a hell of an actor, Laughlin.

LAUGHLIN:

Who was acting?

RICHARDS:

Well, you're still alive, aren't you?

LAUGHLIN:

Repeat that code.

WEISS:

Okay!

RICHARDS:

Weiss, what's the holdup? Come on!

WEISS:

The linking computer's denying the code.

Must be the walls in here are blocking the signal. It's not happening!

RICHARDS:

Then we try it outside. Move!

PRISONERS:

Let's go! Come on!

GUARD:

Get out of the way! Move!

PRISONER:

Open the gates! Open the gates!

RICHARDS:

Go ahead, do it.

Shut down the deadline, or we all lose our heads.

WEISS:

System's locked. Must be an encryption lockout. Damn!

COMPUTERIZED ANNOUNCEMENT:

Perimeter deactivated.

Perimeter deactivated.

CHICO:

All right! All right!

PRISONER #1:

No te vaya, Chico!

Chico! Amigo!

RICHARDS:

Chico! Come back!

The deadline's still up.

COMPUTERIZED ANNOUNCEMENT:

Armed. Disarmed. Armed. Disarmed.

WEISS:

He's not gonna make it.

That collar's gonna blow.

PRISONER #1:

Chico!

COMPUTERIZED ANNOUNCEMENT:

Sonic deadline is up. Sonic deadline is up.

Prisoner restraint collars armed.

Prisoner restraint collars armed.

Sonic deadline is up. Sonic deadline is up.

Prisoner restraint collars armed. Prisoner restraint collars armed.

Perimeter deactivated. Perimeter deactivated.

Perimeter deactivated. Perimeter deactivated.

(NIGHTTIME, A LOS ANGELES BARRIO)

SUZIE CHECKPOINT, ON GIANT TELEVISION SCREEN:

Please observe and obey.

(CAPTION):

LOS ANGELES:

Zone passes are required at all times.

Display passes properly.

All inter-zone workers with day passes

are reminded that curfew begins at midnight.

Anyone without a valid zone card after

midnight will be permanently detained.

Cadre kids, don't forget...

October is bonus recruitment month.

Earn a double bonus for reporting a family member.

ICS, your entertainment and information

network reminds you, seeing is believing.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS FADE TO COMMERCIAL ON TELEVISION)

DAMON KILLIAN:

What's the number one television

show in the whole wide world?

AUDIENCE:

The Running Man!

KILLIAN:

Yes!

PHIL HILTON:

Yes, it's The Running Man!

400 square blocks of danger, destruction,

demolition, and...

(IN PERSON)

STEVIE, TO LAUGHLIN, WEISS, RICHARDS:

Psst. Guys want to buy a hot stereo?

LAUGHLIN:

Stevie.

STEVIE:

Laughlin. Glad you guys made it.

(ON TELEVISION)

PHIL HILTON:

...and unstoppable network stalkers give criminals

traitors, and enemies of the state exactly what

they deserve.

Sundays, 8:
00 to 11:00 on ICS Channel 1. Be there!

Produced in cooperation with the Zone Four

Department of Justice, all rights reserved.

The Running Man, America's favorite game show.

(COMMERCIAL FADES TO NEW SEGMENT ON TELEVISION)

A child. Your child.

Happy, loving, caring...

LAUGHLIN:

You believe this sh*t? Twenty-four hours a day.

MIC:

Seven days a week.

RICHARDS:

Don't listen to it.

LAUGHLIN:

I worry about the kids.

The network shuts down the schools.

The kids are either in hiding or getting

basic training, brainwashed by the TV.

WEISS:

We can jam the network once we find the uplink

to the satellite. Then we'll broadcast the truth.

RICHARDS:

The truth? Hasn't been very popular lately.

MIC:

Can't find the code, or the uplink.

Don't know where the network hid something

that big, but they managed.

Uh, Stevie, would you mind?

Good-bye, my lovely.

MIC, TO RICHARDS:

You're one of the cops who locked up all my friends.

Burned my songs.

People like you took this country and turned it into a jail.

LAUGHLIN:

We don't want his death on our hands.

MIC:

He's a cop. He's the Butcher of Bakersfield.

WEISS:

Come on, Mic. Now you can see through that

crap. It's network propaganda.

LAUGHLIN:

We don't know that.

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