The first time I saw John Travolta on screen, he was dancing—sweat-soaked, magnetic, a force of nature in “Saturday Night Fever.” Now? He's running through a casino in “High Rollers,” another straight-to-VOD action flick with the shelf life of a bruised banana. Sic transit gloria, right?
Let's not sugarcoat it: Travolta's latest, “High Rollers,” is the kind of movie you find sandwiched between “Sharknado 7” and that Bruce Willis film you swear you've already seen (you have, just with a different title). Released digitally and in limited theaters by Saban Films on March 14, 2025—with a UK release set for June 16, 2025—the film is a sequel to last year's “Cash Out,” a movie even diehard Travolta fans probably skipped.
The Plot: One Last Job, Again
Travolta plays Mason Goddard, a master thief living the high life—until his nemesis, Salazar, kidnaps his girlfriend (Gina Gershon, giving more than the script deserves) and forces him into a casino heist. The stakes? Sky-high. The originality? Well… let's just say you've seen this movie before, only with better lighting and fewer continuity errors.
There's a crew, there's a ticking clock, there's the FBI. There's also Quavo, because why not. The dialogue is pure algorithm: “We do this, we're out.” “It's not about the money—it's personal.” You get the idea.
Travolta: From A-List to C-Market
This isn't just a one-off misstep—it's a pattern. Travolta's recent credits read like a Redbox clearance bin: “Mob Land,” “Paradise City,” “The Poison Rose,” “Trading Paint,” “Speed Kills,” “Gotti,” “I Am Wrath,” “Life on the Line,” “The Forger.” The numbers are brutal: “Mob Land” made £179 in the UK during a three-theater run. That's not a typo. That's dinner for two at Olive Garden.
What happened? There was a glimmer of hope in 2016 with “The People v. O.J. Simpson”—Travolta as Robert Shapiro, slick and sharp, reminding us he could still command a scene. Even Ti West's “In a Valley of Violence” let him flex some muscle. But since then? Creative purgatory. Seven years of movies that feel like they were shot on weekends by producers with more offshore accounts than ideas.
Why Keep Doing This?
Maybe it's the money. Maybe it's boredom. Maybe he just likes the work. Travolta's got a Florida mansion with a private Boeing 737 parked out front—Google Maps confirms it. So, sure, starring in cinematic landfill apparently pays well enough. Is there dignity in this phase? Maybe. Or maybe it's just inertia.
Is There Hope?
Rumor has it Quentin Tarantino still wants to work with Travolta. If “The Movie Critic” ever happens, maybe the comeback is still on the table. Until then, we get “High Rollers”—a movie as disposable as a scratch-off ticket, but hey, sometimes you win. (Not this time.)
