Rollerball
1975, R, 122 min.
Directed by Norman Jewison, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck, Moses Gunn, Ralph Richardson.

In Norman Jewison’s dystopic future, corporations run the world, and indivualism is taboo. People are distracted by the all-consuming national sport of rollerball ­ a gladiatorial cross-between roller derby, motocross, and hockey. Ironically, Jewison’s anitviolence message is drowned out by the thrill of this movie’s action sequences, which drown out the rest of the vague, cautionary tale. A remake is in the works, rescheduled for release in 2002 after early test screenings proved underwhelming.

This article appears in August 17 • 2001.

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Marjorie Baumgarten is a film critic and contributing writer at The Austin Chronicle, where she has worked in many capacities since the paper's founding in 1981. She served as the Chronicle's Film Reviews editor for 25 years.