When it comes to visions of the future, the seventies sci-fi movie Rollerball is pretty brutal.
And not just because it's based around an ultraviolent sport in which players wear metal-studded gloves for bashing the opposing team's faces in.
It's also a chilling dystopian vision with some scarily relevant themes.
Originally released in June 1975, Rollerball celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
It's available to stream on the MGM Plus channel on Amazon Prime Video, or you can rent and buy it online, and on DVD and Blu-ray.
Directed by Norman Jewison, Rollerball stars James Caan as Jonathan E, whose success in a violent future sport makes him dangerous.
The world of the film is divided and ruled by corporations, where power and wealth is held by a mega-rich elite who keep the regular folk distracted with violent spectacle.
The kinetic and increasingly bloodthirsty match sequences stand out, but what really makes this film so powerful is the contrast between the fast-paced sporting mayhem and the tense dystopian drama in between matches.
As Jonathan questions his hedonistic executive lifestyle and faces the inequality of the elites, the film gives us a chilling view of the future that has, in some ways, become reality, with all-powerful corporations controlling information on impenetrable computers.
In the lead role, Caan embodies this contrast between the action and the quieter scenes.
He pulls off a tricky combination of brawny sports star and troubled antihero, grounding the two extremes of sporting carnage and subtle sci-fi symbolism.
The roller skating and vast banks of computer equipment might look kitsch today – the scorching orange production design and André Previn's music all feel very retro – but Caan's serious performance and the overall austere tone balance it out perfectly.
50 years later, Rollerball still packs a punch.
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