Rollerball (2002) on Netflix
Rollerball is a violent sport on skates, with motorcycles and a heavy metal ball. Jonathan Cross joins the Zhambel Horsemen in Kazakhstan, where promoter Alexi Petrovich builds him into a star.
- Netflix3.0/5
- IMDb3.2/1029,974 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes3%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 2005 Rollerball draws crowds in many countries, a violent form of roller derby in which skaters steer a heavy metal ball toward a high goal while motorcyclists circle the track. Marcus Ridley invites Jonathan Cross, a talented sports fanatic, to join the Zhambel Horsemen in Kazakhstan. Jonathan turns him down to chase a tryout with the NHL, but after he skates recklessly through his hometown, the police begin looking for him and he takes the offer. In Kazakhstan, Marcus and Jonathan earn high salaries while their local teammates, paid far less, are the ones badly hurt. Promoter Alexi Petrovich puts Jonathan at the center of the game's promotion, and Jonathan enjoys the popularity, the sports cars and the company of his teammate Aurora, which the two keep secret.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Rollerball (2002)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- In 2013 director John McTiernan was sentenced to a year in federal prison for lying to an FBI investigator about hiring Hollywood fixer Anthony Pellicano to wiretap Rollerball producer Charles Roven, with whom he had clashed over what kind of film it should be.
- The original script, which fleshed out the social commentary of the 1975 film, was rewritten several times on director John McTiernan's orders to stress WWE-like showmanship, including crazy costumes and stunts, and turn a modern-day success story into a classic underdog story.
- On studio orders, around 30 minutes were cut from the rough cut of Rollerball and the entire ending was re-shot and changed; some of the cuts were made because MGM thought the movie was "too Asian".
- The original score by Brian Transeau was dropped, purportedly because it sounded "too Arabic", and was replaced with a new score by Éric Serra.
- For a PG-13 rating, the studio cut graphic Rollerball footage, covered a topless locker-room shot of Aurora with a shadow added in post production, and digitally replaced blood spurts with sweat.
