Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson
Other Actors of Note: Ian McShane, David Carradine
Plot: Ex-con Jensen Ames is forced by the warden of a notorious prison to compete in our post-industrial world's most popular sport: a car race in which inmates must brutalize and kill one another on the road to victory. Taken from www.imdb.com
Back in 1975 when the year 2000 seemed like a long time away and Roger Corman created "Death Race 2000" a wonky, bloody, and delightfully ridiculous sci-fi film featuring then no-name actors David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone and was based on the short story "The Racer" by Ib Melchior.
Now one would look at a movie directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (the man responsible for the "Resident Evil" movies and "Alien vs. Predator"), produced by Roger Corman (the man responsible for some of the worst films ever made), and Jason Statham (The man responsible for at least 2 of the most retarded action movies on the planet: "Transporter 2" and "Crank") would be the cinematic equivalent to having your testicles put in a vice and slowly smashed until they resemble pork tenderloins.
However, I am happy to report that your would be wrong. If "Riki-Oh: The Story of Riki" was "Cool Hand Luke" for retarded 12-year-olds, "Death Race" is "The Shawshank Redemption" for retarded 12-year-olds.
The movie is about Jensen Ames (Jason Statham with a name only slightly less stupid than Chev Chelios) a former NASCAR driver who's pretty much on a slow road to prison anyway. When his wife is killed and he gets framed for her murder he just happens to get sent to the prison where Death Race takes place.
We all know the spiel now, having heard it in "Battle Royale", and "Riki-Oh", and "The Running Man" and God knows how many other things. The economy collapses, prisons are run by private corporations, and futuristic bloodsports are put on for the entertainment of the public.
So it turns out Jensen was brought in to replace crowd favorite Frankenstein (David Carradine, half-assed reprising his role from the original film), a driver so disfigured by the many car wrecks he's had that he wears a mask. He is promised that if he can win one race he will be set free, but unfortunately Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson) is looking to kill Jensen just as he killed Frankenstein in the headache inducing opening sequence.
Let me just say that I use the term "acting" with a grain of salt here. This movie isn't about acting, it's about making things explode.
Jason Statham plays the type of character that Jason Statham would play. He kicks ass and chews bubblegum but he is out of bubblegum. Naturally he's 100% in control the entire film and never experiences a moment where he's not kicking ass or getting revenge for getting his ass kicked.
Tyrese Gibson plays a very angry man who wants to win so he can be released. Which kind of seems pointless as the man is clearly a lunatic and would probably end up right back in for killing somebody. There's an interesting exchange of dialog early in the movie:
"Machine Gun Joe has a male navigator, because he's gay"
"Actually it's because he goes through navigators so fast, the violence towards women upsets the audience."
It was like Paul W.S. Anderson was anticipating imdb forum topics before the movie was even made.
Then of course there's Ian McShane as the coach and main guy in the pit crew for Jensen. The first time I saw him I went "Wow, Al Pacino has really let himself go." No less McShane, probably does the closest thing to actual acting of anyone in this film.
Then finally we have Joan Allen as the bitchy ice queen warden Hennessy. Who most likely has teeth in her vagina and a very large stick up her ass. She does pretty much what she does in the trailer.
The effects are pretty good here. The movie, while naturally toned far down from it's 1975 counterpart, is still shockingly violent. We see people being shot and splattered and shot and shot and... uh... shot. Machine Gun Joe probably has the highest body count just on navigators alone.
Then of course there's the cars. The cars look fucking awesome, every single one of them. They're all built to look fast yet strong. Then of course partway through the film we're introduced to The Dreadnaught (dramatic overlude) a giant tanker semi with anti-aircraft guns, spiked tires, flamethrowers, and a tank turret on the back.
This movie is so blissfully violent and full of explosions, blood, and carnage that it brings out the kid in all of us. It's pure mindless violence in its most distilled form.
Story-wise "Death Race" borrows a lot from "The Longest Yard", "Shawshank Redemption", "The Running Man", and "Twisted Metal."
It's interesting to see how this series has come full circle from "Death Race 2000" to the video game "Twisted Metal" which was arguably the closest thing to "Death Race" video game (moreso even than "Carmageddon 3: The Death Race 2000") and now "Death Race" seems like a movie version of "Twisted Metal."
So blatant is the video game allegory that the track even has power-ups. There are circles on the ground. Running over a sword turns on the machine guns, running over a shield turns on the smoke, oil, and napalm. Running over a skull brings up a spike barrier that will kill you.
Paul W.S. Anderson being no stranger to video game adaptations no-doubt did this intentionally. Wanting the movie to feel like a big video game. In fact if Anderson wanted to just go ahead and make a "Twisted Metal" movie, he has my blessing.
Many people have said that this movie is sacrilige to the original 1975 film. And while it is decidedly lacking in running over old ladies for points and Sylvester Stallone in a pimp suit it's about as close to the original as a mainstream movie is going to get these days.
It's fun, it's mindlessly violent, and blissfully retarded but it's probably the most fun you're going to have watching a movie for a while so stop paying attention and just wach things 'assplode.
I give "Death Race" a 4 out of 5.
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