Step into the Rollerball Arena. It's a dangerous but exciting place! (Rollerball - Special Edition (DVD))

Member Name: mr_nadge

Product:	Rollerball - Special Edition (DVD)
Date:	14/08/09 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great action scenes. Very intelligent plotline. One of the best sports films ever made.

Disadvantages: Very violent (although this is necessary for plot purposes) The rules of the game a little confusing

James Caan playes Jonathan E in the classic sports film from 1975. The film is set in "the not too distant future". Politics & Democracy are things of the past. The world is divided into mega cities & run by the massive corperations resident of these cities. As a way of appeasing man's baser & more violent the rulers invented the game of Rollerball. A violent blend of demolition derby, american football & basketball played on roller skates & motor cycles. It's designed to show the futility of individual effort & supposed to demonstrate the true value of cooperation. However Jonathan E causes a problem be excelling at the sport & becoming a true star. When he refuses to retire gracefully, the corperations start coming up with increasingly dangerous rule changes to enable him to be killed whilst playing. Will he survive the season. Or will he fall.

This film is not just some dumb 70's action movie. It deals with issues still relevant to this day. Power, money & influence taking a prominent & pervasive role in society. The powers that be trying to take freedom away from the individual. Plus one man's personal battle to be the best that he can be.

On top of this you are also given some of the best sports scenes commited to film. This regularly appears in poles as one of the best sports films ever made. The action sequences are amazing & were obviously all done with real stuntmen & skaters. No CGI in the 70's. People at the time were so impressed there were a number of rich American Business men who were willing to bankroll Major League Rollerball. They were unfortunatly missing the point of the movie, but the sports fan in me thinks that it would have been great.

I do feel I have to mention the modern re-make of this film. It did try to deal with some of the loftier themes that this film deals with. It also made the game of Rollerball more High Octane (and more confusing in the process). To be fair though, it's absolute rubbish & pales in comparison to the original.

With the exception of Star Wars, in my opinion this is the best film I have seen from the decade. It's intelligent, brimming with action, and has a dramatic personnal storyline for the characters that we meet up close. I would recommend it to everyone.

Summary: An exceptional film with something for everyone over 18