Review of Rollerball (2002) by Cassandra M — 12 Dec 2010

The premise to Rollerball is good: set in the near future, war and hatred have been defeated, and all violence is channeled onto a corporation run ball game. The problem is it takes an hour before any real action starts, the writers being too interested in Caan's personal conflicts and the corporations desire to see him retire (otherwise it might mean the end of the game as they know it).

The most effective scene in this first hour is a group of upper-class revellers (who you wouldn't normally associate with violence) having just seen one of the games, start blowing up fir trees in a fit of drunken bloodlust.

It's quite a dark film in a Pre-Robocop kind of way, and similarly entertaining (the fast paced, well staged rollerball sequences were interesting, and reminded me of Solarbabies and Mad Max, but they are few in number).

More effort should have gone into the editing: there were a lot of pointless scenes, needless panning shots, and over use of baroque music. It will really test your patience, despite some brilliant acting.

It's worth the wait in the end though: a deadly showdown in which the sport becomes all out war where only the strongest will survive.