The movie stars actor Ronny Cox, who also appeared in such movies as Beverly Hills Cop, Deliverance, RoboCop, and Total Recall. Cox, and his two ultra-marathoner companions, do a lot of running in the movie! Having run solo across the Mojave Desert, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be chased relentlessly across the desert like the three men in this movie were.
The movie has received mixed reviews over the years, many saying that it is unrealistic, that the plot is weak, and that the characters are idiotic. The movie was never widely known and aired on the HBO channel in the mid-1980's. Regardless, if you're an ultra-marathon runner it should be interesting to you... although perhaps only a little.
The movie begins as "Pete" (actor Cox) is preparing to set off on a great challenge -- a 72-mile, 36-hour run through the New Mexico desert, accompanied by his buddies Roger (actor Art Hindle) and Craig (actor Tim Maier). They plan to finish their run at the town of Glory, New Mexico, as part of the town's Pioneer Days celebration. They start their expedition and things go well for about the first half of the journey. Then, out of nowhere, the three of them are suddenly captured by the "Citizen's Brigade" -- a private militia made up of ordinary citizens who are preparing for the "crunch," lead by Colonel Crouse (actor M. Emmet Walsh), and the Colonel is attempting to teach them self reliance. After being told that their capture was just for practice, the Colonel lets the runners go. However, unforeseen consequences of their encounter with the weekend warriors soon result in the three runners being pursued again by the militia. This time, the hunt isn't for practice, but it's now a case of run or be killed.
Actor Cox not only stars in this movie, but he also wrote and produced it. It should be noted that the survivalists did not have firearms in this movie. They were on a "survival exercise," and didn't bring firearms -- which was fortunate for the runners!
From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek
Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:
- United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
- Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
- Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
- Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
- The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
- Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
- Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
- Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
- Some Cycling Moments From The Past
