I do like suspense thrillers, and for me Roller-coaster was a good one. I personally had little problem with the length or with the pace here, what I wasn't so keen on was that there were times when the music could have been less obvious while still enhancing the tension, there are times when it succeeds in that but others when it is rather monotonous, and also while I loved how sympathetic her character was Susan Strasberg was underused. However, there is so much that I liked about it. The production values are of high order, with crisp photography and editing and striking locations, the script is often tense and involving and the story is very taut and intrigues right from the start. The acting is fine, and I have no qualms about the characterisation either. It was nice seeing the legendary Henry Fonda here, and Richard Widmark is good value. But it is the performances of Calder and The Young Man and how they're constructed character-wise that really impresses. George Segal is excellent as Calder, and Timothy Bottoms is very chilling as The Young Man, and how they are written as individual characters and how they're set off against one other is what makes Roller-coaster such a good watch. Overall, I don't know why the rating is as low as it is, but regardless I think this movie is a very good one. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Roller-coaster if seen should be seen in a specially equipped theater rigged for Sensurround. I didn't see this in theater, but I did see Earthquake and I still remember both seeing Earthquake and later going to the same multiplex cinema seeing another feature and hearing the Earthquake noises from the adjoining screening room. It just wasn't the same thing when I later saw Earthquake on television. Nor was it the same seeing a DVD of Roller-coaster.

Timothy Bottoms plays the young genius at electronics and explosives who has figured out that the amusement park industry is very unsecure and impossible to secure as a target for terrorism. After causing a couple of accidents where lives were lost, Bottoms blackmails several park owners.

On one of those accidents the safety engineer George Segal gets a dressing down on his dereliction of duty and that sends him on a mission. For a guy who hasn't any training in this field, Segal proves to be a remarkable sleuth who matches FBI guy Richard Widmark in this field.

Bottoms kind of bonds with Segal in the same way that Scorpio bonded with Dirty Harry and it ends just about the same way.

Roller-coaster and other high speed amusement rides are thrilling in and of themselves, adding the possibility of explosion does heighten the tension in Roller-coaster.

It's an interesting film premise and Roller-coaster does provide some nice entertainment and it's a catalog of Seventies fashions.

Roller-coaster is a taut, suspense-packed thriller from a decade chock full of such movies. It's written by Richard Levinson and William Link, the guys behind COLUMBO, and in many ways it shares similarities with the films chronicling the TV detective's antics. There's the eye for detail, the strong handling of guest actors, and the detailed investigation and pursuit of a character who is always one step ahead of the police.

Despite the disaster overtones, Roller-coaster is much more of a low key thriller than one of the big '70s disaster flicks. Almost the entire second half of the movie is set in a single fairground location yet it becomes a masterwork in claustrophobia as a result. George Segal is a nice and sympathetic choice of lead, and Timothy Bottoms his match as the almost faceless killer. A supporting cast including Henry Fonda, Richard Widmark and Susan Strasberg round things out nicely, and there are minor turns for future '80s stars like Craig Wasson, Helen Hunt, and Steve Guttenberg.

The movie is well shot throughout by experienced director James Goldstone and the cinematography brings out nicely the hustle and bustle of the amusement park attractions. Despite the PG certificate, there are some well-done violent moments, along with some hand-held POV roller-coaster ride shots which complement the action nicely. With a superior script and suspense that never lets up, Roller-coaster is never a disappointment and instead something of an under-appreciated gem.