HOME |  CULT MOVIES | COMPETITIONS | ADVERTISE |  CONTACT US |  ABOUT US
 
 
 
Newest Reviews
American Fiction
Poor Things
Thunderclap
Zeiram
Legend of the Bat
Party Line
Night Fright
Pacha, Le
Kimi
Assemble Insert
Venus Tear Diamond, The
Promare
Beauty's Evil Roses, The
Free Guy
Huck and Tom's Mississippi Adventure
Rejuvenator, The
Who Fears the Devil?
Guignolo, Le
Batman, The
Land of Many Perfumes
Cat vs. Rat
Tom & Jerry: The Movie
Naked Violence
Joyeuses Pacques
Strangeness, The
How I Became a Superhero
Golden Nun
Incident at Phantom Hill
Winterhawk
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
Maigret Sets a Trap
B.N.A.
Hell's Wind Staff, The
Topo Gigio and the Missile War
Battant, Le
Penguin Highway
Cazadore de Demonios
Snatchers
Imperial Swordsman
Foxtrap
   
 
Newest Articles
3 From Arrow Player: Sweet Sugar, Girls Nite Out and Manhattan Baby
Little Cat Feat: Stephen King's Cat's Eye on 4K UHD
La Violence: Dobermann at 25
Serious Comedy: The Wrong Arm of the Law on Blu-ray
DC Showcase: Constantine - The House of Mystery and More on Blu-ray
Monster Fun: Three Monster Tales of Sci-Fi Terror on Blu-ray
State of the 70s: Play for Today Volume 3 on Blu-ray
The Movie Damned: Cursed Films II on Shudder
The Dead of Night: In Cold Blood on Blu-ray
Suave and Sophisticated: The Persuaders! Take 50 on Blu-ray
Your Rules are Really Beginning to Annoy Me: Escape from L.A. on 4K UHD
A Woman's Viewfinder: The Camera is Ours on DVD
Chaplin's Silent Pursuit: Modern Times on Blu-ray
The Ecstasy of Cosmic Boredom: Dark Star on Arrow
A Frosty Reception: South and The Great White Silence on Blu-ray
You'll Never Guess Which is Sammo: Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon on Blu-ray
Two Christopher Miles Shorts: The Six-Sided Triangle/Rhythm 'n' Greens on Blu-ray
Not So Permissive: The Lovers! on Blu-ray
Uncomfortable Truths: Three Shorts by Andrea Arnold on MUBI
The Call of Nostalgia: Ghostbusters Afterlife on Blu-ray
Moon Night - Space 1999: Super Space Theater on Blu-ray
Super Sammo: Warriors Two and The Prodigal Son on Blu-ray
Sex vs Violence: In the Realm of the Senses on Blu-ray
What's So Funny About Brit Horror? Vampira and Bloodbath at the House of Death on Arrow
Keeping the Beatles Alive: Get Back
   
 
  Rollerball If British Gas ruled the world...
Year: 1975
Director: Norman Jewison
Stars: James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck, Moses Gunn, Pamela Hensley, Barbara Trentham, John Normington, Shane Rimmer, Richard LeParmentier, Robert Ito, Ralph Richardson
Genre: Drama, Science FictionBuy from Amazon
Rating:  8 (from 2 votes)
Review: It’s the near future and corporations with executives rule the world rather than governments. The individual is suppressed in favour of serving companies and globalisation. A violent sport called ‘Rollerball’ has been created to satisfy people’s bloodlust. It involves two teams on rollerskates in full American Football gear, plus three motorcyclists per team, which the skaters can use for tows. They go around a smallish, indoor, banked, circular track and a steel ball is fired from a cannon at the top of the track. You must grab the ball, keep it in full view and attempt to score a goal by chucking it into your opposing team’s receptacle. There are a few rules which are gradually eliminated during the course of the film. The teams corporation anthems are played before each game. The anthems are all played on a pipe organ and all sound the same.

Jonathan E (James Caan) is Houston’s star player. The Houston team is sponsored by the Energy Corporation headed by Mr Bartholomew (John Houseman). Jonathan is a rising star, too rising it seems. Those who are at the top are paid with luxuries, favours and privileges plus drugs, but there are to be no idols. Jonathan is surprised to hear that his retirement is to be announced and doesn’t understand the reasons. He refuses to play along and steps are taken behind his back.

He is to announce his retirement on prime-time tv, but walks out. Bartholomew implores then threatens Jonathan if he continues to play. The next game against Tokyo has limited substitution and no penalties. Death is not uncommon in Rollerball and this game is particularly rough. Jonathan’s team-mate Moonpie (John Beck) - another rising star, is attacked and left brain dead. Jonathan refuses to sign documents to have the body taken off life support.

In the meantime, he has been trying to find out more about corporations and who makes the decisions and why. An understanding of privilege is that no questions are asked of the decisions made by executives. He has to travel to a computer centre in Geneva where books are being summarised (censored). He meets a Librarian (Ralph Richardson – in full thespian, scene stealing mode) who isn’t much help. The computer won’t play ball either (the usual ‘cannot compute!’). This is a pointless part of the film and could have been taken out.

Jonathan changes wife as often as his hat. This isn’t his fault, the corporation sends them along to his ranch whenever he’s out. He misses his first wife who is duly despatched back to, in effect, offer herself if he’ll quit. He doesn’t. The final game against New York approaches. There are no substitutions, penalties or time limits. The winner will be whoever is left alive to score.

The entire world is watching. The team are in sombre mood. Everyone chants for Jonathan as he comes onto the track, except the New York fans who want him dead. The game starts. People begin to die. Being simply knocked down is quite fatal it seems. Eventually Jonathan and two New York players are left. One is murdered in front of Bartholomew. The second is given mercy. Jonathan slowly takes off his helmet, goes to the NY goal and scores – the only point in the game. He slowly skates around the track. The audience begin to gradually chant ‘Jonathan, Jonathan…’ until this is all that is left to hear.

Rollerball is one of a number of 70’s science fiction films that pushed us into considering the politics of the future. Intelligently written, superbly cast and filmed. The director of photography is the legendary Douglas Slocombe. Norman Jewison was inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange, apparently. The music is totally classical. Modern buildings form an important part of the futuristic look and many of those featured, including the Rollerball track, were filmed in Munich. The Energy Corporation and one of the public buildings are part of the BMW headquarters. Designer furniture and multi-screen TVs form much of the interiors. Caan is excellent and doesn't over-play. Houseman is the master stroke.

The game action itself, is genuinely exciting. There was talk of actually starting it as a serious game, which horrified Jewison. As far as violence goes, the film depicts it without gratuity. There are some great moments, such as an executive party that descends into shooting pine trees with a gun that has napalm style bullets. Don’t accept any substitutes for the real game. Music by Bach, Albinoni, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and Andre Previn.
Reviewer: Simon Aronsson

 

This review has been viewed 5088 time(s).

As a member you could Rate this film

 
Review Comments (0)


Untitled 1

Login
  Username:
 
  Password:
 
   
 
Forgotten your details? Enter email address in Username box and click Reminder. Your details will be emailed to you.
   

Latest Poll
Which star probably has psychic powers?
Laurence Fishburne
Nicolas Cage
Anya Taylor-Joy
Patrick Stewart
Sissy Spacek
Michelle Yeoh
Aubrey Plaza
Tom Cruise
Beatrice Dalle
Michael Ironside
   
 
   

Recent Visitors
Darren Jones
Mark Le Surf-hall
Enoch Sneed
  Louise Hackett
Andrew Pragasam
Mary Sibley
Graeme Clark
  Desbris M
   

 

Last Updated: