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Prayer of the Rollerboys
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Wikipedia article
'Prayer of the Rollerboys' is a 1990 independent science fiction film directed by Rick King and starring Corey Haim and Patricia Arquette.
Plot summary
Griffin, an accomplished inline skater, works as a delivery boy in near-future Los Angeles. The city is overrun with crime and drug use, in the wake of "The Great Crash": an economic catastrophe triggered by the greed of previous generations. The film includes ominous events, including: news reports of riots in Washington D.C. (due to the Armed Forces going on strike); a television ad announcing that Harvard University was moved to Japan, followed by a question from one of the characters if "there will be any Universities left in America"; a newspaper headline that proclaims "GERMANY BUYS POLAND"; and references to the Vatican hiring the Israeli Defense Forces to "clean up" Northern Ireland.
A heavily-armed white supremacist conglomerate known as the Rollerboys fight for control of the decaying city. Their director is charismatic narcotics-kingpin Gary Lee: a childhood neighbor of Griffin's, who's also rumored to be the great-grandson of Adolf Hitler. The Rollerboys carry out their mission of restoring Anglo-America's former greatness, through violent battles with other gangs...and through the distribution of "Heaven Mist", a designer drug. Griffin's younger brother Miltie, who idolizes the Rollerboys, takes a job with them pushing mist on the streets; eventually, Miltie starts using it himself. Then Casey, an undercover cop, recruits Griffin to join the Rollerboys as a mole...in exchange for a better life.
Griffin is initiated but his loyalty to the Rollerboys is soon called into question. In order to prove himself, he unknowingly pummels Speedbagger, his and Miltie's Afro-American landlord, nearly to death. Shortly thereafter, Griffin discovers the chilling truth behind the Rollerboys' mantra "The Day of the Rope is coming". Rope turns out to be a toxic mist-additive, developed by the Rollerboys, which gradually renders its users sterile; the purpose of this is to "eliminate the weak", removing future generations of the "junkie" population, thus giving the Rollerboys free rein over their concepts of a thriving American society.
Cast
* Corey Haim as Griffin
* Patricia Arquette as Detective Casey
* Christopher Collet as Gary Lee
* Julius Harris as "Speedbagger"
* Devin Clark as Miltie
* Mark Pellegrino as Bango
* Morgan Weisser as Bullwinkle
* J.C. Quinn as Lieutenant Jaworski
* Aron Eisenberg as Teen Boy
* Jake Dengel as Tyler
* G. Smokey Campbell as Watt
* John P. Connolly as "Pinky"
* Dal Trader as Sergeant
* John-Michael Steele as Officer Rogers (uncredited)
Reception
*The film was nominated for two Saturn Awards: Best Performance by a Younger Actor (Corey Haim) and Best Science Fiction Film.
*Movie historian Leonard Maltin gave the film 2.5 out of a possible 4 stars: "...A provocative setting and some clever bits of dark comedy are weakened by needlessly-excessive violence...Christopher Collet (as usual) projects enough magnetism for ten, but not even he can counteract a painfully-predictable finale."Maltin's TV, Movie, & Video Guide
See also
*Ethnic bioweapon
References
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