| Photos (see all 32 | slideshow) |
| James Caan | ... | Jonathan E. | |
| John Houseman | ... | Bartholomew | |
| Maud Adams | ... | Ella | |
| John Beck | ... | Moonpie | |
| Moses Gunn | ... | Cletus | |
| Pamela Hensley | ... | Mackie | |
| Barbara Trentham | ... | Daphne | |
| John Normington | |||
| Shane Rimmer | ... | Rusty, Team Executive | |
| Burt Kwouk | ... | Japanese Doctor | |
| Nancy Bleier | ... | Girl in Library | |
| Richard LeParmentier | ... | Bartholomew's Aide | |
| Robert Ito | ... | Strategy Coach for Houston Team | |
| Ralph Richardson | ... | Librarian | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Miquel Brown | ... | (unconfirmed) | |
| Steve Boyum | ... | Biker (uncredited) | |
| Loftus Burton | ... | Reporter (uncredited) | |
| Anthony Chinn | ... | Reporter (uncredited) | |
| Abi Gouhad | ... | Reporter (uncredited) | |
| David Griffin | ... | Man Collecting Coats (uncredited) | |
| Alan Hamane | ... | Biker (uncredited) | |
| Andy Ho | ... | Reporter (uncredited) | |
| Robert Lee | ... | Executive (uncredited) | |
| Bob Leon | ... | Biker (uncredited) | |
| Angus MacInnes | ... | Jonathan's Guard (uncredited) | |
| Mac McDonald | ... | Executive (uncredited) | |
| Bob Miller | ... | Game Announcer (uncredited) | |
| Bob Minor | ... | Rollerball team member (uncredited) | |
| Alfred Thomas | ... | Team Trainer (uncredited) | |
| Burnell Tucker | ... | Jonathan's Captain of Guard (uncredited) | |
| Danny Wong | ... | Biker (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Norman Jewison | |||
Writing credits | ||
| William Harrison | short story "Roller Ball Murder" & | |
| William Harrison | screenplay | |
Produced by | |||
| Norman Jewison | .... | producer | |
| Patrick J. Palmer | .... | associate producer (as Patrick Palmer) | |
Cinematography by | |||
| Douglas Slocombe | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Antony Gibbs | |||
Casting by | |||
| Lynn Stalmaster | |||
Production Design by | |||
| John Box | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Robert W. Laing | (as Robert Laing) | ||
Costume Design by | |||
| Julie Harris | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Leonard | .... | hair consultant | |
| Wally Schneiderman | .... | makeup supervisor | |
Production Management | |||
| Larry DeWaay | .... | supervising production manager (as Larry De Waay) | |
| Ted Lloyd | .... | production manager | |
| Dieter Meyer | .... | unit manager | |
Art Department | |||
| Charles Bishop | .... | assistant art director | |
| Michael Redding | .... | construction manager | |
| Jack Towns | .... | property master | |
Sound Department | |||
| Derek Ball | .... | sound mixer | |
| Archie Ludski | .... | dubbing editor | |
| Gordon K. McCallum | .... | sound re-recordist | |
| Les Wiggins | .... | dubbing editor | |
| John Hayward | .... | sound re-recording mixer (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Sass Bedig | .... | special effects | |
| John Richardson | .... | special effects | |
Stunts | |||
| Craig R. Baxley | .... | stunts (as Craig Baxley) | |
| Tony Brubaker | .... | stunts | |
| Gary Epper | .... | stunts | |
| Max Kleven | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Bob Minor | .... | stunts | |
| Jimmy Nickerson | .... | stunts (as Jim Nickerson) | |
| Chuck Parkison Jr. | .... | stunts | |
| Dar Robinson | .... | stunts | |
| Roy Scammell | .... | stunts | |
| Walter Scott | .... | stunts (as Walt Scott) | |
| Dick Warlock | .... | stunts | |
| Jerry Wills | .... | stunts | |
| Diamond Farnsworth | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Dennis Fraser | .... | key grip | |
| Robin Vidgeon | .... | assistant camera | |
| Chic Waterson | .... | camera operator | |
| Robin Browne | .... | photographer: second unit and aerials (uncredited) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Renate Arbes | .... | casting: Munich (as Renate Arbes-Neuchl) | |
| Mary Selway | .... | casting: London | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| John Hilling | .... | wardrobe supervisor | |
| Ron Postal | .... | james caan's wardrobe | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Terry Busby | .... | assistant editor | |
| Brian Mann | .... | assistant editor | |
| Amanda Palmer | .... | assistant editor | |
Music Department | |||
| André Previn | .... | conductor | |
| André Previn | .... | musical director | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Don French | .... | transportation coordinator (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Yvonne Axeworthy | .... | continuity | |
| Charles Cannon | .... | production accountant | |
| Tom Carlile | .... | publicist | |
| Peter Hicks | .... | skating supervisor | |
| Golda Offenheim | .... | production assistant | |
| Julia Pascal | .... | secretary to producer | |
| Herbert Schurmann | .... | track architect | |
| Brian Smedley-Aston | .... | sequences by multivision | |
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Rollerball is another of those great 70's cult sci-fi films. It features a great cast of actors and a smart script. It was notorious at the time for its violence, although that was greatly exaggerated in comparison to some professional sports and entertainment. It features a futuristic reimagining of the Roman Empire, with gladiatorial games to distract the populace from their bleak existence. It also predates cyberpunk literature, with ts depiction of a world controlled by powerful conglomerates, a world not too different from the present one.
James Caan is fantastic as Johnathan E, the Michael Jordan of Rollerball. He continues to succeed in a sport designed to show the futility of individual effort. The sport is constantly changed to stop him, yet he continues to overcome every obstacle.
John Housman is electrifying as the head of the Energy Corporation, owners of the Houston Team. He has conspired with his peers to keep the masses down and use this sport to both distract them and show them that the individual can't succeed. He grows more desperate as Johnathan E defeats his schemes. He tries every trick without success.
The supporting cast is filled with great actors, like Moses Gunn, John Beck, Sir Ralph Richardson (not John Gielgud, as one reviewer stated), Maude Adams, and Shane Rimmer.
The film demonstrates that the individual can triumph over insurmountable odds and cautions against corporate control of society. It uses both allegory and speculation beautifully, and packages it with thrilling action. The remake was destined for failure because it couldn't see beyond the action. The action was only window dressing for the greater themes. If only more recent sci-fi films were this thought-provoking, or other films for that matter.