ROLLERBALL (1975)

James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck

*** out of ****








In the not too distant future the entire world is ran by a few ginormous corporations. They make all of the decisions, call all of the shots, and there is no war. There is ROLLERBALL, a violent gladiator on skates type of game that's part roller derby, part gladiator warfare, and part basketball. Oh yeah, and there's motorcycles too!

Johnathan E. is the leader of the Houston Rollerball team and the greatest Rollerball player who ever donned the skates and the spiked gloves. He is wildly popular the world over, living the life other Rollerboys dream of. The only problem is: the corporation wants Johnny E. to retire with no questions asked and they want him to do it now. Yesterday, as a matter of fact. As you could imagine Johnny's not too keen to lay his crown down simply because someone asks him to. Mystery and bloodshed ensues.

I picked this movie up out of a BEST BUY bargain bin for 2 or 3 bucks. I read the back of the box and I didn't really think I would like it but I bought it anyway because 1.) It was 2 or 3 bucks
2.) It was something I hadn't seen 3.) I really enjoy James Caan's acting.

Rollerball sat on my shelf of "to be watched" movies for quite a while. Yesterday I came home from work and decided to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed Rollerball quite a bit. I enjoyed the ideas the film presented which was a meditation on Man Vs. Society and what happens to us (and to the "establishment" ) when someone stubbornly refuses to conform. I'm not saying this movie is eloquent, but like all good science fiction it's core is composed of some interesting questions disguised as an entertainment.

My only mentionable gripe is that some of the Rollerball game action sequences were painfully repetitive. Another scene that takes place at a big party went on forever and ever and ever showing how the social elite will enjoy crappy synthesized disco music, the color white, and tons and tons of eye-shadow in the near future. I think they momentarily got 2018 confused with 1975 for a few agonizing minutes!