In a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game.In a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game.In a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game.
- Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 4 wins & 5 nominations total
- Bartholomew's Aide
- (as Rick Le Parmentier)
- Madrid Biker #1
- (uncredited)
- Houston Team Rookie
- (uncredited)
- Biker
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- William Harrison(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is one of the first films ever to include the stunt performers' names in the final credits.
- GoofsAt the beginning of the New York game, after in many moments of the film where different characters have repeated that there would have been "no time limit", the scoreboard shows the countdown (starting from 20.00). However, this is not actually a goof, as the game was still going to have 20-minute periods, but there was going to be no limit to the number of periods; hence, "no time limit".
- Quotes
Bartholomew: Sweet dreams, Moonpie. That's a bad habit you've got there. You know what that habit will make you dream, Moonpie? You'll dream you're an executive. You'll have your hands on all the controls, and you will wear a gray suit, and you will make decisions. But you know what, Moonpie? You know what those executives dream about out there behind their desks? They dream they're great Rollerballers. They dream they're Jonathan; they have muscles, they bash in faces.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Brubaker (1980)
- SoundtracksToccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
(uncredited)
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Simon Preston and the London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by André Previn
James Caan is fantastic as Johnathan E, the Michael Jordan of Rollerball. He continues to succeed in a sport designed to show the futility of individual effort. The sport is constantly changed to stop him, yet he continues to overcome every obstacle.
John Housman is electrifying as the head of the Energy Corporation, owners of the Houston Team. He has conspired with his peers to keep the masses down and use this sport to both distract them and show them that the individual can't succeed. He grows more desperate as Johnathan E defeats his schemes. He tries every trick without success.
The supporting cast is filled with great actors, like Moses Gunn, John Beck, Sir Ralph Richardson (not John Gielgud, as one reviewer stated), Maude Adams, and Shane Rimmer.
The film demonstrates that the individual can triumph over insurmountable odds and cautions against corporate control of society. It uses both allegory and speculation beautifully, and packages it with thrilling action. The remake was destined for failure because it couldn't see beyond the action. The action was only window dressing for the greater themes. If only more recent sci-fi films were this thought-provoking, or other films for that matter.
- grendelkhan
- Jul 23, 2004
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Роллербол
- Filming locations
- BMW Building, Munich, Bavaria, Germany(Energy Corporation headquarters)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $6,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 5 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.75 : 1
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