124 mins |
Rated
R18 (Violence)
Directed by Norman Jewison
Starring Ralph Richardson, John Beck, John Houseman, Moses Gunn, Maud Adams, Pamela Hensley, Barbara Trentham, James Caan
Screening as part of Academy's BAD BOYS OF THE 70s Film Festival, April 26th - May 11th. With ROLLERBALL the spotlight is on James Caan.
In a corporate-controlled future, the world's nations have been disbanded and conflict is a thing of the past. But blood continues to be shed on the tracks of Rollerball – a brutal contact sport which pits players in a battle of life and death.
James Caan (THE GODFATHER, THIEF, MISERY) plays Jonathan E., celebrated captain of the Houston Rollerball team whose prowess on the track has earned him renown across the globe. But this fame has also attracted the ire of the games' corporate sponsors, who wish to suppress any displays of individual achievement – fearing this could encourage the populace to revolt. With the powers-that-be pushing for his retirement, Jonathan is faced with a choice – concede to the Corporation's will or take a stand, by continuing to compete in the increasingly deadly games.
Shot in Munich to make use of the city's futuristic Olympic architecture, ROLLERBALL is a classic slice of dystopian filmmaking, mixing high-octane action sequences with gripping (and thoroughly prescient) social commentary. The future is now – the future is Rollerball!
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Screening as part of Academy's BAD BOYS OF THE 70s Film Festival, April 26th - May 11th. With ROLLERBALL the spotlight is on James Caan.
In a corporate-controlled future, the world's nations have been disbanded and conflict is a thing of the past. But blood continues to be shed on the tracks of Rollerball – a brutal contact sport which pits players in a battle of life and death.
James Caan (THE GODFATHER, THIEF, MISERY) plays Jonathan E., celebrated captain of the Houston Rollerball team whose prowess on the track has earned him renown across the globe. But this fame has also attracted the ire of the games' corporate sponsors, who wish to suppress any displays of individual achievement – fearing this could encourage the populace to revolt. With the powers-that-be pushing for his retirement, Jonathan is faced with a choice – concede to the Corporation's will or take a stand, by continuing to compete in the increasingly deadly games.
Shot in Munich to make use of the city's futuristic Olympic architecture, ROLLERBALL is a classic slice of dystopian filmmaking, mixing high-octane action sequences with gripping (and thoroughly prescient) social commentary. The future is now – the future is Rollerball!