Chris Klien as Jonathan Cross in Rollerball

Ex-KGB kingpin Alexi Petrovich (Jean "The Professional" Reno) created the Rollerball spectacle. And, initially, the rolling couldn't be higher as Cross, Ridley and the lovely and lethal Aurora (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) lead their team, the Horseman, to the top of the standings. Life becomes nothing but big money, fast cars and top-heavy temptresses, like at Club Galore where the players unwind, bump and grind after a tough night on the track.

Things start to roll south, however, when the game's integrity – as much as there can be in a sport with fewer rules than cockfighting – is brought into question. A player dies on the track and when foul play is assumed and the suspect is found murdered, something definitely seems askew in Kazakhstan. A conspiracy is discovered where players are sacrificed to increase both Rollerball's global television ratings and Petrovich's odds of securing a big-money broadcasting contract in the North American market. Ridley's attitude goes from "Close your eyes and take the money," to "We're outta here!" when a flaming motorcycle "accident" almost kills Aurora and lands Ridley in the hospital for rescuing her.

Rebecca Romijn-Stamos as Aurora

But the getting ain't so good when Ridley and Cross try to leave Kazakhstan's border. Cross is captured and must return a prisoner in the gilded cage of his own fame. Finally, a no-rules retirement match is set and Jonathan must skate for his life as never before. Will the other players go along with a scheme to assassinate their teammate? Will Petrovich get his network contract and rule the sports entertainment world with an iron kielbasa? Will Jonathan and Aurora ever get to consummate their secret relationship outside of a darkened locker room? These questions are all answered by Rollerball's final frame and surprisingly getting there is more than half the fun.

Purists may complain about the litany of liberties that McTiernan has taken with his remake. (The original movie was based on the short story "The Roller Ball Murders" by William Harrison, who also wrote the screenplay for the 1975 version.) But the changes, while if not better, are at least not for the worse. The adrenaline-pumping action is almost nonstop; the stunts are brutal and breathtaking and it all wraps up in a little over an hour and a half so you can be home in time for "Battlebots."

True, Chris Klein's Keanu Reeves-style "acting" in no way compares to the quintessential coolness of James Caan, who played Jonathan in the original version. But Jean Reno's exquisitely evil Petrovich is on par with John Houseman's corporate heavy in the 1975 picture. And the only complaint about Rebecca Romijn-Stamos's performance is that since Rollerball is rated PG-13, her essential-to-the-story-line shower scene never makes it to the screen.

Though Rollerball's production notes claim to condemn the very brutality the movie revels in, obligatory disclaimers aside, it is still reckless relentless fun from start to finish. McTiernan has more than realized his intention of making a fairy tale about a couple of American boys who are very far from home. That said, let the good times roll and whatever you do, don't forget your spine protector.