Review of Rollerball (2002) by Robert B — 15 Mar 2015

With an interesting science fiction premise and a lead performance from James Caan, Rollerball sounded like a fun and nostalgic science fiction film.

Clearly not a tremendous budget film, Rollerball only achieves middling success in creating a legitimate dystopian future. Some of the scenes have clever use of colourful production design and touch upon some interesting concepts to do this, as well as the fact that the sport of Rollerball itself is a very creative concept. That being said, the scale of the film seems really small. Since most of the film takes place in interior settings, there is minimal exterior footage to establish just what the world looks like on the outside. We get some sense that the world is one dominated by the rich and powerful who rule over the lower class and demand people compete in violent games for their entertainment, and that concept is very reminiscent of the currently popular novel and film series The Hunger Games. The attitudes of the rich also seem rather sadistic, but even then there is not enough of the universe seen to truly capture the segregation of class or dystopia of the story. The lack of a universe in the film is made all the more affecting because of the fact that after the exciting Rollerball intro scene, there is no more actual Rollerball for about an hour. The majority of this time is spent with slow burning character drama and exposition of certain plot points, and though the protagonist himself is a likable character, even James Caan admit that he couldn't do much with the part. He stands out as a bright spot in the film, but much of Rollerball is not up to his standard and seems like a generic science fiction film which fails to capitalise on its high concept premise or the meanings and messages of its script and instead subverts them with a rather slow pace and an abundance of talking in place of actual Rollerball energy. Rollerball is clearly a dated film and it is a bit too slow for its own good, getting caught up in the politics and the characters more than the titular concept and failing to really make them interesting or move along at the best pace. The viewer has to really think hard to determine the political nature of the film, and once they get there the ideas are fascinating. I just wish there was more stimulation along the way to really justify it.

Rollerball is one of those films which would have been a lot more relevant in the time of its release. Being a 1975 film, Rollerball was released during the counterculture movement and so its themes about standing up against corrupt authority and war seems to tie into the real world well. Also, in an era where cinematic violence is become desensitised, Rollerball capitalises on that and then challenges viewers to confront it. It may not be the most perfectly stimulating film, but there are certainly some moments which really challenge the way that viewers think which makes it an effectively clever film with a strong screenplay. Most of the success in the film is predicted on the sport of Rollerball itself. The entire sport of Rollerball is really interesting. It's like a mix of jai alai and roller derby with a lot of energetic violence, as well as a gameshow type design and the futuristic addition of motorcycles. The entire sport itself is very original and creative, but the sense of gritty violence in it maintains and the way that the public maintains an obsessive interest with it really suggests a sadistic future. Though it has been 40 years since Rollerball was made, with contemporary society remaining brainwashed by the media, with the news market being dominated by reality TV stars and violence being a desensitised concept, the future that Rollerball predicts could very much become a reality one day. And even though the universe of the film is not fully explored, there are certainly some intelligent concepts that are touched upon and implied. Rollerball is a film which could use a third adaptation, particularly considering that the second one was so dreadful. It is worth watching for its historical relevance and its high concept, but most of all for the leading performance from James Caan.

Due to the complex and violent nature of the Rollerball sport, James Caan stands out as the hero of the tale who has lost much to the dystopian future and survives only as the peoples' favourite Rollerball hero. He is not some muscle man or action hero, he just seems like an everyman with a skill for Rollerball which brings audiences closer to him. There is only so much he can do with the character, but James Caan really finds ways to work with the material and brings the character Jonathan E. to life. Watching him interact with the many characters of the dystopian universe is interesting enough, but watching him take on the battlefield in Rollerball is what really does the job because his physical engagement with the game is very impressive. James Caan gets in on Rollerball with everthing he's got and gives a really impressive physical performance. It is interesting to compare his performance in Rollerball to his comeback performance in the 1990 film Misery where he was confined to bed and a wheelchair for most of the story. In Rollerball, his physical activity is through the roof. That just goes to show that James Caan is an impressively versatile actor, and his leading performance in Rollerball is really one of his best in my opinion, simply because of how he adds the much needed human touch to the story.

So Rollerball is dated, slow and doesn't fully embrace its high concept premise, yet with an interesting sport at the heart of its story and an engaging performance from James Caan, it successfully carries over into the contemporary age well enough with thought provoking ideas and entertaining sequences depicting the titular sport of Rollerball.