Rollerball (1975) ***
Rollerball (1975) presents a dystopian future (set in 2018) where war no longer exists. In its place a violent sport captivates society, corporations have replaced countries, and the spectacle of Rollerball is used to control the masses by stripping away individuality. One top player, Jonathan E. (James Caan) presents a threat to the corporate control by fighting for his personal freedom. Independent thought could lead to revolt and the corporations can't have that so they attempt to convince Jonathan to retire.
Rollerball has an excellent, prophetic premise and great production design and cinematography, yet it still doesn't quite fully deliver as a piece of cinema. Caan mumbles his way through the film in an odd but good performance. It's a pretty slow film outside of the game sequences, which provide some decent action, but nothing mind-blowing. The drama at the center of the film is murky, and the themes and characters are never satisfyingly explored. Death Race 2000 (1975), released earlier the same year, has a similar premise and works better for me because it embraces its campy, over-the-top nature and has more to say from the sociopolitical angle (albeit in a comedic way).
I think I get why Rollerball is sort of a cult movie yet still one that doesn't seem to get talked about too much. Norman Jewison was an odd choice for director, based on his previous work, but he definitely brings…something to the film—it's just not the something that could have made the film truly great. Reviews and reception to the film weren't stellar so I could understand why there was a desire to remake it and perhaps improve on the concept, however based on the near universal disdain for John McTiernan's 2002 version I'm skeptical that I'll like that one more.
You can find my Norman Jewison Feature Films Ranked list here.
Rollerball has an excellent, prophetic premise and great production design and cinematography, yet it still doesn't quite fully deliver as a piece of cinema. Caan mumbles his way through the film in an odd but good performance. It's a pretty slow film outside of the game sequences, which provide some decent action, but nothing mind-blowing. The drama at the center of the film is murky, and the themes and characters are never satisfyingly explored. Death Race 2000 (1975), released earlier the same year, has a similar premise and works better for me because it embraces its campy, over-the-top nature and has more to say from the sociopolitical angle (albeit in a comedic way).
I think I get why Rollerball is sort of a cult movie yet still one that doesn't seem to get talked about too much. Norman Jewison was an odd choice for director, based on his previous work, but he definitely brings…something to the film—it's just not the something that could have made the film truly great. Reviews and reception to the film weren't stellar so I could understand why there was a desire to remake it and perhaps improve on the concept, however based on the near universal disdain for John McTiernan's 2002 version I'm skeptical that I'll like that one more.
You can find my Norman Jewison Feature Films Ranked list here.
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