Rollerball film review

certificate_15

ROLLERBALL

The game of Rollerball that thrived in the dystopia of Norman Jewison's 1975 original was a brutal and bloody spectacle. The diverting but flawed film provided an ominous look at what might pass as entertainment in the future. The alarming realisation is that it was set in 2018 and already, 16 years ahead of schedule, there are plenty of existing events to rival Rollerball for sheer gore. It's presumably why director John McTiernan decided to set the remake in the present. Having conceded there is little they could add to the game to make it more shocking, the question remains, why did they bother remaking Rollerball in the first place? It's a question that the end result reinforces.

Screenwriter William Harrison, who was also responsible for the original as well 'The Roller Ball Murders', the short story on which they were both based, has retained few key elements. One exception is the name of the hero, which considering it's the rather prosaic Jonathan, seems strange. McTiernan, who established his name with the Die Hard series, has concealed the film's sinister tone beneath a high gloss sheen that all but eviscerates its threat. With its pumped up soundtrack and quick editing, it resembles more an extended music video.

The new Jonathan (Chris Klein) is an adrenalin seeking punk from San Francisco who scrapes a living competing in illicit street luge races while dreaming of a career as a professional ice hockey player. With the police on his tail, he accepts an offer from his old friend Marcus Ridley (LL Cool J) to join him on the Red Horseman, a Rollerball team touring Central Asia. Jonathan quickly establishes himself as a star, relishing his new position of wealth and fame.

There is little explanation of the game of Rollerball and, after a cursory outline, the bored TV commentator dismisses the need for further clarification with, "The rest of the rules are Russian and complicated". In truth I doubt even a comprehensive knowledge would have helped as it became all but impossible to figure out what was happening. It's damning to think that the sequences involving the Rollerball game itself were boring and among the film's weakest, but that shouldn't be misconstrued as an endorsement for the rest.