I'm a tough
guy, I'm a tough guy
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The fact this
film was destined to be released 18 months ago gives some idea what
to expect.
Nigel Bell
In 1975 Norman
Jewison's original Rollerball created, if not a stir, then
a minor ripple in Hollywood.
It dared suggest
big business was all powerful, even controlling politicians and
dictating how countries were run.
The remake isn't
as entertaining or hard hitting.
The Plot
Disillusioned Jonathan Cross has hopes of making the NFL.
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| I'm rapping
in da house |
But when the
police come looking for him after the death of a friend he takes
up an offer to head to Eastern Europe and participate in the no-holds
barred game of Rollerball.
He becomes a
hero, at first oblivious to the corruption in the sport.
But when friends
start being injured for the sake of television ratings he and an
American colleague (played by LL Cool J) try to escape across the
border with disastrous results.
The verdict
The trouble with this modern version of Rollerball is
that it appears loads of material has ended up on the cutting room
floor.
Consequently,
by the climax you're playing catch up on what's going on and don't
really care.
Director John
"Die Hard" McTiernan, was always going to be on
a loser trying to compete with the original Rollerball.
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| Show me
the money |
That's not to
say this update doesn't have its merits.
The opening
sequence when Cross (American Pie's Chris Klein) races down
the steep streets of San Francisco on a skateboard is full of tension.
Sadly, the actual
Rollerball games don't live up to this. Played out on a grown
up BMX track they come across as a Fast and the Furious style
high octane ride which doesn't convey the excitement of the original.
Indeed, the
best scenes are played out away from the Rollerball arena.
Klein and LL
Cool J's bid to escape is filmed in night vision green. It's a lengthy
scene but holds together and shows you don't need fancy effects
/ editing to achieve results.
That said the
rest of the movie is run of the mill. Jean Reno plays the money-mad
Petrovich, desperate to sign a lucrative cable deal which will take
his game into North America.
Corruption,
money, advertising and associated sleaze is the theme which runs
throughout.
Petrovich discovers
the more violence in the game the more ratings improve (just how
this instant ratings barometer works is a mystery).
Eventually anything
goes in Rollerball as long as it's bloody.
A big problem
with the film is the role of Klein as the central character. James
Caan in the original had a certain amount of gravitas.
Klein is lightweight
and it's hard to believe a man who couldn't care less when he was
involved in a competitor's death in San Francisco should suddenly
come over all moral and worry about his team mates.
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