Prayer of the Rollerboys
Encyclopedia
Prayer of the Rollerboys is a 1990 independent science fiction film
, starring Corey Haim
and Patricia Arquette
.
which is in a sad state, the city is deep in crime and drug activity in the wake of a catastrophic nation-wide economic crash caused by the stupidity and greed of the previous generation. The film includes ominous reminders of both the past and present, including news reports of riots in Washington D.C., a newspaper headline that proclaims "GERMANY BUYS POLAND", and a reference to the Israeli Defense Forces "cleaning up Northern Ireland".
A rollerblade-wearing white supremacist youth gang known as the Rollerboys fight for spiritual and economic control of what's left of the city. The fascist group is founded and led by a childhood neighbour of Griffin's. The Rollerboys carry out their eugenic agenda through both violent gun battles with ethnic gangs, and especially through their distribution of the drug "mist". When Griffin's little brother begins to idolise the Rollerboys and eventually starts abusing mist, Griffin is convinced by the police chief and an undercover cop (Patricia Arquette
) to join up with the Rollerboys as a mole, in exchange for the promise of a better life for his brother.
Having joined up, Griffin's loyalties to the gang are eventually called into question and he is tricked into beating his African-American friend Speedbagger almost to death. He also discovers that the Rollerboy's mantra "the day of the Rope is coming" actually refers to a toxic chemical "Rope" being added to the mist drug which renders its (mostly non-Caucasian) abusers sterile, thus facilitating the fascist gang's genocidal goal.
It's a race against time as Griffin tries to find a way out for himself and his younger brother before he is discovered by the Rollerboys and murdered.
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
, starring Corey Haim
Corey Haim
Corey Ian Haim was a Canadian actor, known for a 1980s Hollywood career as a teen idol. He starred in a number of films such as Lucas, Silver Bullet, Murphy's Romance, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream...
and Patricia Arquette
Patricia Arquette
Patricia T. Arquette is an American actress and director. She played the lead character in the supernatural drama series Medium for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series....
.
Plot summary
Haim stars as Griffin, a rollerblader in the not so distant future of Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
which is in a sad state, the city is deep in crime and drug activity in the wake of a catastrophic nation-wide economic crash caused by the stupidity and greed of the previous generation. The film includes ominous reminders of both the past and present, including news reports of riots in Washington D.C., a newspaper headline that proclaims "GERMANY BUYS POLAND", and a reference to the Israeli Defense Forces "cleaning up Northern Ireland".
A rollerblade-wearing white supremacist youth gang known as the Rollerboys fight for spiritual and economic control of what's left of the city. The fascist group is founded and led by a childhood neighbour of Griffin's. The Rollerboys carry out their eugenic agenda through both violent gun battles with ethnic gangs, and especially through their distribution of the drug "mist". When Griffin's little brother begins to idolise the Rollerboys and eventually starts abusing mist, Griffin is convinced by the police chief and an undercover cop (Patricia Arquette
Patricia Arquette
Patricia T. Arquette is an American actress and director. She played the lead character in the supernatural drama series Medium for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series....
) to join up with the Rollerboys as a mole, in exchange for the promise of a better life for his brother.
Having joined up, Griffin's loyalties to the gang are eventually called into question and he is tricked into beating his African-American friend Speedbagger almost to death. He also discovers that the Rollerboy's mantra "the day of the Rope is coming" actually refers to a toxic chemical "Rope" being added to the mist drug which renders its (mostly non-Caucasian) abusers sterile, thus facilitating the fascist gang's genocidal goal.
It's a race against time as Griffin tries to find a way out for himself and his younger brother before he is discovered by the Rollerboys and murdered.
Reception
- The film was nominated for two Saturn AwardSaturn AwardThe Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
s: Best Performance by a Younger Actor (Corey Haim) and Best Science Fiction Film.
External links
- Prayer of the Rollerboys trailer at Videodetective.com
- Prayer of the Rollerboys @ Cyberpunk in Cinema (background info and RPG stats for the film)