Rollover (1981)

· by · in 1981. ·

Synopsis:

The widow (Jane Fonda, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?) of a murdered CEO and a finance whiz (Kris Kristofferson, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore) team up to stop a financial racket from destroying the global market.

Reaction & Thoughts:

“Listen me out! Money, capital, has a life of its own. It’s a force of the nature like gravity, like the oceans, it flows where it wants to flow. ”

I’m a financial idiot. That’s why despite being directed by a filmmaker I admire, the underrated Alan J. Pakula (Sophie’s Choice), I steered clear of Rollover for four decades, a thriller that revolves around the banking industry. To my surprise, not only is the movie relatively easy to follow, but also intriguing and suspenseful.

The script by David Shaber (The Warriors) is very good at explaining complex financial maneuvers in layman’s terms. And I also give due credit to director Pakula for never allowing the story to get bogged down by the financial jargon. Despite my ignorance about the banking system, I became deeply absorbed in the plot.

Rollover isn’t just a thriller, though. It’s undeniable that it has many disaster movie elements in the style of The China Syndrome (1979): the efforts to avoid an impending catastrophe, the callous establishment gatekeepers who try to hide the truth from the public, the sequences of chaos and confusion, etc. Whichever way you look at it, the movie more than succeeds in keeping you on the edge of your seat.

The one thing that didn’t work for me was the romance between Jane Fonda and Kris Kristofferson. I’m willing to admit that Fonda and Kristofferson look good together (the stars have nice chemistry), but the hanky-panky sequences come out of nowhere, and don’t really add anything interesting to the main storyline.

What’s more, I thought Kristofferson was miscast as the financier. Frankly, he isn’t the business-suit kinda guy. Kristofferson is more like the plaid-shirt-and-jeans type. The role called for someone like Robert Redford (All the President’s Men), or maybe Gene Hackman (The French Connection). However, Fonda, who usually plays strong-willed women, is surprisingly believable as the helpless rich-lady-in-distress.

Hume Cronyn (Brute Force) gives the best performance in the movie. He plays Kristofferson’s grandfatherly mentor and friend. The character becomes more sinister as the story progresses. Cronyn delivers a brutally honest speech about why “greed is good,” and why capitalism is a “necessary evil.” This is a perfect example of an actor in a supporting role who shows up and makes the movie better.

Conclusions & Final Thoughts:

Rollover is a smoothly crafted nail-biter that has all the ingredients of a good conspiracy-theory thriller, with a nice disaster movie vibe for good measure. Suspense blends effortlessly with high stakes melodrama, creating something that’s both engaging and informative. Think The Parallax View (1974) meets Margin Call (2011) meets TV’s Dynasty. It’s not perfect, but it’s interesting. Color, 118 minutes, Rated R.

Theatrical Trailer:

7 responses to “Rollover (1981)”

    • “It’s an intriguing throwback these days with its eternal truths about late capitalism!”

      Exactly! It’s as relevant today it was 40+ years ago. I guess “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

      Liked by 2 people

  2. I’m with you…I steered clear of it for four decades simply because I knew nothing about the subject matter, and had no interest in seeing it (though the image of that gold bar ‘rolling over’ in the trailer never left my memory). For the past few years I’ve been tracking down good ’80s films I’ve missed, so thanks to you and your review I’ll be adding this one to the list.

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Excellent review. As a fan of the stars (especially Fonda) I’ll have to check it out. Pakula and Fonda’s ‘Klute’ is really a classic I enjoy.

    Liked by 2 people

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