John McTiernan’s ‘Rollerball’: A Career Catastrophe Unveiled!

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Instead of saying “And yet another listicle. May the listicle gods be appeased and grant me bounty. At least it’s a top eleven, not a top ten. Top tens are stupid,” you could say:

“Another round-up for your reading pleasure! I hope this top eleven list finds favor with you all. It’s always the little extras that make a difference, right?”

This version maintains the original sentiment while using more conversational language and a friendlier tone.

Since around the early 2000s, John McTiernan has been out of work in the film industry. After encountering issues with law enforcement, he’s struggled to initiate a fresh project. It seems unlikely that the movie on his IMDb page, Tau Ceti Four, will ever be produced. Unfortunately, it appears his career may have reached its end, and his last few films were not well-received.

Indeed, it’s quite impressive when you consider that the individual behind Die Hard, Predator, The Hunt for Red October, and Last Action Hero has left an indelible impact on the realm of action movie creation.

#11 in my Ranking of John McTiernan films.

It seems quite unusual for such an accomplished director like John McTiernan to stumble so severely, as if this film was more akin to a novice’s debut rather than a seasoned professional’s tenth project. This extends beyond poor storytelling, acting, and unfortunate special effects. Instead, there’s a noticeable lack of polish and skill that permeates the movie, making it feel like an overfunded student film instead of a Hollywood production. It’s rather disheartening to watch this, and one could argue that McTiernan should have distanced himself from the project by having Alan Smithee credited as the director instead.

After studying more about the movie, I discovered that the original script for this remake was generally well-liked, even being considered superior to the script of the original Norman Jewison film in some circles. However, McTiernan wasn’t fond of the social commentary elements and significantly reworked the script with a focus on action. This decision, it appears, was not wise. Although he effectively removed the social commentary impact, the movie that remains feels as though it could benefit from such commentary. It doesn’t come as a shock that McTiernan would be uninterested in social commentary given his filmography; the only film that came close was “Medicine Man,” but even then, it was more about choosing a topic rather than delving deeply into current issues.

The remaining outcome of the film is disappointing, particularly the main event, which is difficult to understand and follow. I suspect the issue may lie within the film’s set design. It features a rink where the featured sport is played, but upon closer inspection, it appears surprisingly cramped for camera movement, especially with two central towers that further limit space. This restriction significantly affects the cameraman’s ability to capture action effectively and showcase the sport’s dynamic movements in an exciting manner.

The sport itself is intended to be a high-impact, action-packed event, but filming such intense sequences from a distance is challenging, and convincingly portraying these impacts without causing harm is difficult. To make the hits appear forceful, the camera must move in close for some in-camera trickery that enhances the impact’s appearance. However, the set is small and crowded with numerous rollerbladers and motorcycles, making it challenging to maintain this close perspective without overwhelming the scene. It seems they underestimated the set’s size until they began filming with a camera, leading to potential concerns about the film’s ability to deliver on its intended action-packed promise.

Typically, movies aren’t solely propelled by action sequences; they also thrive on the drama. For instance, consider Jonathan Cross, a character who careens down San Francisco’s hills in worn-out attire. During a race, his friend scoops him up in a Porsche, offering him a chance to earn substantial money playing in the Rollerball league. However, the movie later clarifies that nobody really makes money in this league, and only a select few high-profile names do. So, one might wonder, how does this ordinary guy racing down hills become a marquee name? Perhaps there’s someone filming him, but it’s never established that the destroyed handheld video from the chase is catapulting him to fame in the extreme sports world.

Moving forward in the storyline, we find ourselves smack dab in the heart of the season, and the league has devised a controversial strategy to boost ratings – introducing hazardous elements into the game such as metal balls whizzing at high speeds and motorcycles zipping around on ice alongside rollerbladers. It’s an ethical dilemma that the film aims to explore, but with characters that are underdeveloped, lack depth, and seem more like automatons than people, it’s perplexing that they take so long to grasp the connection between the game’s danger and their predicament.

The green sequence in the movie stands out as its lowest point. Unlike The 13th Warrior, Rollerball experienced a disastrous test screening and underwent extensive reshoots. However, unlike the earlier film, Peter McTiernan oversaw these reshoots this time around. One scene that required a total re-shoot was a nighttime motorcycle chase through the Arabian desert. Originally, it was filmed too dimly, and subsequently, the reshoot budget was inadequate for proper night shooting. As a result, they tinted everything green, giving it a night vision or 1920s silent movie feel. Additionally, the footage appears to have been captured on video rather than film, making it look incredibly cheap. To add insult to injury, there are random cartoon sound effects scattered throughout, suggesting that the sound editor was either frustrated or attempting to prank the production team.

The story concludes chaotically through violent means, yet seems inconsequential to viewers due to its perceived silliness. To be frank, the final scenes of the movie hint at a disinterest from the editors and sound technicians, as if they too had grown weary and simply halted the film’s progression.

Allow me to reiterate my thoughts: Rollerball continues to disappoint. Director John McTiernan ought to express regret for unleashing this film upon audiences worldwide. The acting, with the exception of Jean Reno as the delightful owner, feels lackluster. The cinematography, when it’s not downright embarrassing, is flat. The narrative is confusing and difficult to follow, and watching it can be an uncomfortable experience. I couldn’t stand this movie.

Rating: 0/4

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2025-01-26 00:02