''The Roller Blade Seven'' is a 1991 cult

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

directed by

Donald G. Jackson Donald G. Jackson (April 24, 1943 – October 20, 2003) was an American filmmaker. Biography Born in Tremont, Mississippi, Jackson grew up in Adrian, Michigan. As an adult he struggled to become a filmmaker for many years while working at an ...

, written by Jackson and

Scott Shaw Scott Shaw (born 23 September 1958 in Los Angeles, California) is an American author, martial artist, and filmmaker. Career Scott Shaw is an advanced martial artist. He has written a number of books on the martial arts. Shaw has written a numb ...

, produced by Jackson and Shaw, and starring Shaw,

Frank Stallone Francesco Stallone Jr. (born July 30, 1950) is an American actor and musician. He is the younger brother of actor Sylvester Stallone and has written music for Sylvester's movies. His song " Far from Over" appeared in the 1983 film '' Staying Al ...

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portrayi ...

Joe Estevez Joseph Estévez (born February 13, 1946) is an American actor and director. He is the younger brother of actor Martin Sheen and the uncle of Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Renée Estevez, and Ramon Estevez. Life and career Early life Estevez ...

Don Stroud Donald Lee Stroud (born September 1, 1943) is an American actor, musician, and surfer. Stroud has appeared in over 100 films and 200 television shows. Early years Stroud was the son of vaudeville actor Clarence Stroud (of "The Stroud Twins" team ...

, and William Smith.

Plot and style

''The Roller Blade Seven'' unfolds in an abstract, dreamlike structure, utilizing minimal dialogue and repetition of footage in key scenes. Several sequences occur repeatedly, such as a scene in which the protagonist is seen to get on his motorcycle and ride out of a car-park eight times in a row, leaving from a different parking bay each time. The film follows Hawk Goodman (

) who is sent on a mission by Father Donaldo (

) to rescue his sister, Sister Sparrow Goodman, from the clutches of the evil overlord Pharaoh ( William Smith) in the apocalyptic world of the future. The film takes place in a region known as the Wheelzone whose populace travels solely by the means of roller skates or skateboards. Hawk, however, arrives riding a

Harley Davidson Harley may refer to: People * Harley (given name) * Harley (surname) Places * Harley, Ontario, a township in Canada * Harley, Brant County, Ontario, Canada * Harley, Shropshire, England * Harley, South Yorkshire, England * Harley Street, in L ...

motorcycle. Sister Sparrow has been abducted from the Master of Light Institute by the evil Saint Offender (

). Before Hawk can complete his task, he must take

psychedelic mushroom Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, are a polyphyletic informal group of fungi that contain psilocybin which turns into psilocin upon ingestion. Biological genera containing psilocybin mushrooms include ''Psilocybe'', ''Pan ...

s with cult movie actress

and learn to rollerblade. Armed only with his

samurai sword A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

, Hawk does battle with the Black Knight (

), rollerblading ninjas and other gangs that inhabit the Wheelzone. Joining him on this mission are a Kabuki mime with a wiffle bat, a rollerblading banjo player entirely swathed in bandages and a pacifist named Stella Speed. Pharaoh's minions have been abducting women to make them his slaves. He explains that he uses a wheelchair due to an old skateboarding accident, and he longs for the days when he used to be able to ride a skateboard. "Hawk's quest sees him chewing magic mushrooms with Karen Black, confronts murderous William Smith, wheel-chair bound Pharaoh and team up with blonde sake-enforcer Stella Speed. There's a lot of lame faux-fights with skate freaks in metal demon/ninja horns/bondage gear and/or kabuki makeup."

Cast

as Hawk Goodman *

as Saint O'ffender *Allison Chase as Stella Speed *

as Conga Man *

as Tarot *

as Black Knight *

Rhonda Shear Rhonda Honey Shear (born November 12, 1954) is an American television personality, comedian, actress, and entrepreneur. She is known for her role as a host in the 1990s USA Network's weekend B-movie show, ''USA Up All Night''. In 2001, she start ...

as Officer Daryl Skates * William Smith as Pharaoh * Jill Kelly as Deserette

Zen filmmaking

Shaw and Jackson described the Roller Blade Seven as the first example of Zen filmmaking. This is a style of filmmaking in which no scripts are used. "Although it is directed by Donald G. Jackson of Hell Comes to Frogtown and other legendary titles like Lingerie Kickboxer, Rollergator and Ghost Taxi actor, writer and experimental martial artist is more often recognized as the creative force behind the movie. He calls his unique approach to cinema Zen Filmmaking, which is a system that favors shooting whatever you feel like."

Reception

Jim Vorel of '' Paste'' ranked the film #27 on his list of the 100 best B movies of all time, and wrote: "''The Roller Blade Seven'' pretty easily manages to be the most psychedelic, mind-bending film on this entire list—my attempts to describe here only hint at its profound weirdness. It’s a movie that is indescribable until you experience it."

Sequels

''The Roller Blade Seven'' was followed by ''Return of the Roller Blade Seven''. There was then a version of the film created by combining footage from ''The Roller Blade Seven'' and ''Return of the Roller Blade Seven'' that was titled, ''Legend of the Roller Blade Seven''. This version of the film was shown on

USA Up All Night ''USA Up All Night'' (also known as ''Up All Night'' and ''Up All Night with Rhonda Shear'') was an American cable television series that aired weekly on Friday and Saturday nights on the USA Network. The show aired from 1989 to 1998. Synopsis ...

.''Up All Night: From Hollywood Bombshell to Lingerie Mogul, Life Lessons from an Accidental Feminist'', Rhonda Shear Page 178

References

External links

*
The Roller Bade Seven Official Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roller Blade Seven, The 1991 films 1991 action films 1991 independent films 1991 martial arts films 1990s science fiction films American post-apocalyptic films Roller skating films 1990s English-language films Films directed by Donald G. Jackson 1990s American films