Rollercoaster (1977)

George Segal stars with Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Timothy Bottoms, Harry Guardino, and Susan Strasber in "Roller-coaster" from 1977. The fashion of the '70s was, in part, disaster films -- The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, the Airport films - I mean, it was constant.It's possible that Roller-coaster was thrown into this bunch - I actually don't remember the movie -- but it actually has more plot than most of the films mentioned.The film concerns a technical supervisor, Calder (Segal) who suspects that several accidents that have taken place in amusement parts are not coincidental. And sure enough, bombs are being set and detonated by a calculating sociopath (Bottoms). He then tries to extort $1 million from the companies that run the parks. The FBI is brought in, in the form of Richard Widmark, but Calder actually forms a sort of connection with the bomber, so Widmark and Fonda, another higher-up, are forced to go along with him.Calder ultimately is forced by the bomber to deliver the money, making for a tense ending where anything might happen.Roller-coaster was an attempt to use the Effect Du Jour, Sensurround, and I'm sure it was effective in the theater, though, because I am terrified of rollercoasters, it would have made me nauseous. I saw it on TV, and it was suspenseful with a likable Segal and a scary Bottoms. I'm not sure it would be made today. After all, we've experienced too many bombs and shootings happening in unlikely places.

When safety inspector Harry Calder (George Segal) realises an accident at a fairground is actually more than it first appears, psychopathic bomber Timothy Bottoms (whose character has no name and is only credited only as "Young Man") threatens to blow up more rollercoasters unless he's paid ONE MILLION DOLLARS and chooses Segal as the man to hand it over. Of course, thanks to the sneakiness of FBI boss Richard Widmark, the money is marked and therefore completely useless. Bottoms isn't exactly happy about this and there just happens to be a brand new roller-coaster opening in California in the next couple of days...Coming off the back of a run of classic disaster films like The Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure, Airport '77, Earthquake, and of course, Jaws, 1977's Roller-coaster doesn't quite manage to reach those same heights, but it is by no means a second rate film. Bottoms is excellent as the intelligent psychopath, and Segal is perfectly cast as the grumpy, reluctant hero type, unhappy at being chosen by the killer, unhappy with the FBI, unhappy with businessmen, and unhappy at having to stop smoking. Richard Widmark is just as grumpy as Segal, Susan Strasberg and Henry Fonda don't get to do much, but the film does see the first big screen appearance of Helen Hunt as Segal's teenage daughter.The tension in the build up to the first roller-coaster crash is very similar in style to Jaws, and just as effective until the actual crash. As good as that whole scene is, the impact is lessened because you can clearly see the cars are filled with wobbly shop dummies. The ending suffers the same way, the tension being built nicely as Bottoms plants a second bomb on the roller-coaster itself, but the grand denouement is again hampered by another strategically clothed shop dummy. Overall though, a very enjoyable slice of '70s disaster.

I do like suspense thrillers, and for me Roller-coaster was a good one. I personally had little problem with the length or with the pace here, what I wasn't so keen on was that there were times when the music could have been less obvious while still enhancing the tension, there are times when it succeeds in that but others when it is rather monotonous, and also while I loved how sympathetic her character was Susan Strasberg was underused. However, there is so much that I liked about it. The production values are of high order, with crisp photography and editing and striking locations, the script is often tense and involving and the story is very taut and intrigues right from the start. The acting is fine, and I have no qualms about the characterisation either. It was nice seeing the legendary Henry Fonda here, and Richard Widmark is good value. But it is the performances of Calder and The Young Man and how they're constructed character-wise that really impresses. George Segal is excellent as Calder, and Timothy Bottoms is very chilling as The Young Man, and how they are written as individual characters and how they're set off against one other is what makes Roller-coaster such a good watch. Overall, I don't know why the rating is as low as it is, but regardless I think this movie is a very good one. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I remember seeing part of this little gem when it came out on TV around 1985. Unfortunately, I didn't see it again until about 1997 when I found a copy on VHS. This one isn't a true disaster film; it's more of a suspense/thriller/mystery. I was actually quite impressed with this flick about a terrorist/extortionist targeting rollercoasters and the innocent people on them.The film opens on a pier, with a young 20-something man (the villain) watching a maintenance man walk up a roller-coaster called 'The Rocket' in Virginia. He then disguises himself as a maintenance man, and plants a bomb for remote-detonation on the tracks. Later that night, when the park opens, he re-visits the park, watching as the roller-coaster loads up. We see him stealthily take a remote detonator from his coat, then detonate the small explosive. The track is damaged on a turn, and when the roller-coaster hits the spot, horror ensues. Cars crash through the rails; bodies are thrown from the cars; and one car falls off a roof & lands upside-down on top of its passengers.An amusement park inspector named Harry Calder, who had inspected that coaster only 2 months before, is called in to investigate. He soon discovers it was the work of a terrorist, and rules out structural failure. It isn't long before the bomber strikes again, this time in Pittsburgh, causing a fire that destroys a ride but everyone escapes safely. When the bomber threatens the owners of 5 different parks with a simultaneous attack against their rollercoasters unless his $1-million ransom is met, Harry suggests calling in the FBI, which his bosses do. Harry is also tasked by the terrorist to deliver the ransom, to be dropped at an amusement park. Led all over the park by the bomber, Harry makes the drop, but the money has been marked in defiance of the bomber's orders, and the fiend vows revenge - this time at a major park in California! Harry suspects that his target will be the Revolution roller-coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and his bosses reluctantly allow him to go to the park & try to stop the bomber. The fiend places another bomb on the tracks, but the FBI discovers it & disarms the bomb. Enraged, the fiend buys a ticket for the Revolution's inaugural ride, and plants a second bomb in the last car of the train.Harry soon catches up to the bomber, who tells him that the bomb is in the last car. Unable to stop the train (it had climbed over the hill), the FBI jams the remote frequency for the detonator, foiling the bomber's plans. The fiend tries to use Harry as a human shield, but that fails when Harry shoots him in the leg. A wild chase ensues as the bomber runs through the hills around the roller-coaster, not realizing he is going in circles that lead back to one place - Harry. The fiend climbs up on the Revolution's track, spots Harry, and freezes, not seeing the roller-coaster coming from behind. The bomber is killed on impact when he is hit by the roller-coaster.I was quite impressed with the visual effects of the original roller-coaster crash; I've read that some of the more graphic scenes were supposedly edited out, but all the same, it did convey a chilling scene when the cars go flying out of control. The sheer terror that would be felt is unimaginable: there is no way to protect yourself, no way to stop it, and no apparent help at hand.The story is one that isn't impossible; in fact, especially today the potential for a real-life version of this exists (even remotely). The acting isn't all that bad; the bomber (Bottoms) is especially chilling for such a simple character - he just wants MONEY, $1-million of it. Henry Fonda also turns in a stellar performance as an FBI man in charge of the investigation. Harry Guardino (best known for his roles in the 'Dirty Harry' movies) has a smaller but effective role as one of Harry's bosses.Not a bad movie, certainly worth seeing. I give this one 8/10 for a good story & exciting visual effects (by 1977 standards).