The year is 2019. Television is now ruling people's lives. The most popular reality show is called "The Running Man" featuring convicts who compete to defeat murderous henchmen known as "stalkers" to win pardon. The next contestant on the show is Ben Richards, a prisoner wrongly convicted of murdering hundreds. When Ben faces off against four of the most brutal stalkers, he begins the fight of his life and leaves the entire country glued to their television sets.