20 More So-Called Happy Movie Endings That Absolutely Aren't

Within the subgenre that is dystopian futures heavily influenced by televised games, there are different ways the story can go. 1987's The Running Man saw Arnie's Ben Richards bring down the titular reality show, while in The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen did the same, but used it as a spark to revolt against the entire regime of oppression across the country.

Rollerball was different. There wasn't much in the way of world-building presented in Norman Jewison's 1975 effort, nor were there any real rules to the game explained, but Rollerball was used as a way of portraying the futility of individualism on the biggest stage of all.

Jonathan E's (James Caan) popularity as a player threatened the dominant position of the energy corporations who ran the country, and when they couldn't persuade him to retire, they changed the rules to try to get him killed on the field of play. Again, this was to no avail.

The final scenes showed Jonathan celebrating victory in the final game of the season, but what did he expect to happen next? The win didn't change the way the government operated, and it likely only pushed them to harsher and more certain ways of getting him removed from the picture. He may have stood by his principles, but they almost certainly got him killed.