ActionThriller

Rollercoaster

- Somewhere in the crowd is a killer who can turn smiles into screams.

A young terrorist kills and injures patrons of a Norfolk amusement park by placing homemade explosives on the track of one of its roller coasters. After staging a similar incident in Pittsburgh, he sends a tape to a meeting of major amusement park executives in Chicago, demanding $1 million to make him stop.

Release Date : 1977-06-10

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Universal PicturesJennings Lang Productions

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Harry Calder

Original Name : George Segal

Gender : Male

Character Name : Agent Hoyt

Original Name : Richard Widmark

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Man

Original Name : Timothy Bottoms

Gender : Male

Character Name : Keefer

Original Name : Harry Guardino

Gender : Male

Character Name : Fran

Original Name : Susan Strasberg

Gender : Female

Character Name : Simon Davenport

Original Name : Henry Fonda

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tracy Calder

Original Name : Helen Hunt

Gender : Female

Character Name : Helen

Original Name : Dorothy Tristan

Gender : Female

Character Name : Benny Neilson

Original Name : Harry Davis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bert Lyons

Original Name : Stephen Pearlman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wayne Moore

Original Name : G.F. Rowe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Captain Christie

Original Name : Wayne Tippit

Gender : Male

Character Name : Demerest

Original Name : Michael Bell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mayor

Original Name : Robert Quarry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mandell

Original Name : Richard Altman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jackie

Original Name : Gloria Calomee

Gender : Female

Character Name : Owner #2

Original Name : Quinn K. Redeker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hippie Boy

Original Name : Craig Wasson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Girl in Line

Original Name : Jean Rasey

Gender : Female

Character Name : Boy in Line

Original Name : Greg Elliot

Gender : Male

Character Name : Coaster Attendant

Original Name : Tara Buckman

Gender : Female

Character Name : Tourist Mother

Original Name : Monica Lewis

Gender : Female

Character Name : Tourist Father

Original Name : Dick Wesson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bomb Squad #1

Original Name : Bruce Kimball

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bomb Squad #2

Original Name : Bruce French

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bomb Squad #3

Original Name : Stephen Mendillo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bomb Squad #4

Original Name : Larry Holt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bomb Squad #5

Original Name : Gene Tyburn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Owner

Original Name : Arthur Peterson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Agent with Red Hat

Original Name : Mark Thomas

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self - Sparks (uncredited)

Original Name : Ron Mael

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self - Sparks (uncredited)

Original Name : Russell Mael

Gender : Male

Character Name : Messenger (uncredited)

Original Name : Steve Guttenberg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Selby

Original Name : Bill Sorrells

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Wrong psychological profile, Harry. I'm not in this for kicks. Rollercoaster is directed by James Goldstone and co-adapted to screenplay by Sanford Sheldon, Richard Levinson and William Link from a suggested Tommy Cook story. It stars George Segal, Timothy Bottoms, Richard Widmark, Harry Guardino, Susan Strasberg and Helen Hunt. A Panavision/Technicolor production in Sensurround, it features music by Lalo Schifrin and photography by David M. Walsh. A psychopathic bomber known only as "Young Man" (Bottoms) is causing terror at American theme parks. When safety inspector Harry Calder (Segal) is brought in to investigate, it sets off a cat and mouse game as the "Young Man" ups the ante... Even now Rollercoaster is still wrongly being lumped in with the disaster movie genre that surfaced in the 1970s. Released at a time when that particular genre of film was fading out, Rollercoaster is anything but a disaster movie. What it is, in fact, is a psychopath character based thriller that adheres to procedural values and character involvement. As it runs at nearly two hours in length should notify viewers that it isn't a film chocked full of Rollercoaster sequences and explosive pyrotechnics. Yes, there's some exciting "Coaster" sequences, neatly shown to us in POV, and in spite of the (obvious 1970s) use of dummies for the plot set up carnage, this thrives on human interest and race against the clock suspense. The marker is set early on as Bottoms' smirking killer sets up his first murderous act whilst listening to some deathly string arrangement on his cassette player. We then segue into funfair music as the joys of the amusement park brings a warmth and calm to the viewer, this however is soon vanquished as the terror that a terrorist can bring comes right to the fore. From here on in the Bottoms character remains mysterious, but we now know just what he is capable of. Likewise does Segal's character, as do the likes of Widmark's Agent Hoyt and the rest of the "suits" frantically scratching around trying to avert further tragedy as the fresh faced bomber demands money with menaces. This ensures the bulk of the film is made up of Calder and Young Man interactions and police procedural movements. It has much talk, very much so, but it's well scripted dialogue and heightens the tension as we enter the final third. One of the few films to feature the Sensurround gimmick, the film perhaps logically loses much impact on the small screen. Prints of the film are only adequate, and the sound mix doesn't shake your lounges in the way it certainly did back in 1970s theatres. Yet this is still a damn fine suspense picture, a pic that also carries with it some stoic performances from Segal and Widmark - and a chillingly effective villainous turn from the undervalued Bottoms. Henry Fonda is on the credits, but really it's just an early cameo appearance, while there's much interest value in watching future Academy Award winner Helen Hunt as the young daughter of Harry Calder. Expect a taut thriller like "Two-Minute Warning", which was released the previous year, and you hopefully will not feel at all let down. Expecting a two hour disaster movie full of Coaster Carnage, however, will only lead to a crushing disappointment. 8/10