Movies
Ranking John McTiernan Films: #11 – “Rollerball” (2002)
Watching Rollerball is a messy situation. Does it make any sense whatsoever? Absolutely not. Is it well made, written, acted, or directed? Nope.
“The big thing in 2005 is a violent sport which can have some pretty serious consequences… like dying.”
Director: John McTiernan
Writers: William Harrison, Larry Ferguson, John Pogue
Cast: Chris Klein, Jean Reno, LL Cool J, Rebecca Romijn, Naveen Andrews
Release Date: February 8, 2002
IMDB
Watching Rollerball is a messy situation. Does it make any sense whatsoever? Absolutely not. Is it well made, written, acted, or directed? Nope.
The whole movie seems to be mangled together to include as much bad music and bad action as possible. One doesn’t need to understand the rules of Rollerball to see that the violence inside the arena is as incoherent as anything McTiernan has made.
I’m literally watching Rollerball now. There is a random night vision action sequence that comes from out of nowhere. Like, what is this movie? Oh, and now there is a plane involved that can go offroad? This entire chase looks like absolute trash, and the supposed chemistry between Chris Klein and LL Cool J is as bland as trying to eat the driest sandwich in America.
With all the negativity surrounding Rollerball, what is the movie exactly about?
Jonathan, played by Klein, is a hotshot American who has signed into this rollerball league at the behest of his friend Marcus, played by LL Cool J. They think it’s all glitz and glamour, but they soon learn that promoter Alexi Petrovich (Jean Reno) is an evil man and is set on manipulating the league for his own financial gain. Jonathan and Marcus try to escape the danger, but it comes down to a showdown where survival or revenge are the only two options.
The silver lining in Rollerball is that we get a lot of Paul Heyman at the onset. Yes, that WWE promoter Paul Heyman. He gets to be the American voice perpetuating that violence in the rollerball arena.
Rollerball is an awful movie. It is atrocious, unwatchable, and unpromotable, and it has nothing redeeming about it. It receives the lowest of Stanko Rating and recommendations.
STANKO RATING: F-
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Ranking The Mission: Impossible Films: #7 – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023)
There is a lot happening in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. One could argue that there is too much going on.
Ranking The Mission: Impossible Films: #8 – Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Much maligned as the worst of the Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible II doesn’t do itself any favors upon rewatch.
Four Shorty Reactions: “MaXXXine” (2024), “Monkey Man” (2024), “Raising Arizona” (1987), “Scoop” (2024)
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