REVIEW SUMMARY: A worthy update to the 1975 Roger Corman classic.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Wrongly-accused inmate Jensen Ames participates in the near-future reality TV show known as The Death Race, where convicts drive armed, armored cars to win their freedom.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Engrossing action; well-done stunts; interesting premise and a nice poke at reality television.
CONS: Predictable plot twist; can I henceforth declare rap music soundtracks illegal?
BOTTOM LINE: There was never a dull moment watching this film.

Roger Corman's 1975 cult classic Death Race 2000 holds a fond place in my heart, mostly because when I saw it I was way to young not to be affected by its R-rated violence. What was lost on me at the time was the film's (dare I say?) keen speculation of the prevalence and power of reality television. What reality TV was there to extrapolate from in 1975? Candid Camera? Battle of the Network Stars? That extrapolation remains in the 2008 remake, Death Race. It may not be as keen an insight in light of today's reality-heavy programming, but even so, it's still reality television taken to the next level.

The new Death Race takes place in 2012. The nation is in economic turmoil and corporations now run the penitentiaries. One of the most popular, Terminal Island, is home of the most popular reality show ever: the Death Race, where prisoners engage in a life or death race in armed, armored cars to earn their freedom (assuming they can win 5 races). We learn of this through Jensen Ames (Jason Statham), who is sent to Terminal Island penitentiary after being framed for the murder of his wife. Once inside, the warden/CEO named Hennessey (Joan Allen) offers him a chance to win his freedom. All he has to do is assume the role of the masked driver Frankenstein, an audience favorite and sure-fire ratings winner of the Death Race.

What follows is a series of necessary scenes to establish the plot, setting, the players and their violent nature: Ames meeting the warden (actress Joan Allen, who chose to grace the picture with a fine turn as the cold-as-steel antagonist); Ames proving his mettle against the other inmates (and other drivers like the Frankenstein's deadly nemesis, Machine Gun Joe, played by Tyrese Gibson); Ames meeting his pit crew (including a self-appointed lifer, Coach, nicely played by Ian McShane); and finally, Ames driving the three stages of the race.

The movie is billed as an action-fest and it doesn't disappoint. Before the races begin, there are several fight sequences and nice dramatic build-ups. But it's really when the race starts that the kid gloves come off. There is some gruesome violence in Death Race (I watched the unrated version) and I did find myself rooting for Ames, whose former experience as a race car driver certainly comes in handy. He's likable, if only for his falsely-accused status and love for his family. Additionally there are two plot twists to the story: an obvious one that comes close to midway in the film, and a better one near the end.

Sure, Death Race may not be Oscar material, but it never set out to be. What it aims for, it hits dead-on (and splatters it across the windshield). There was never a dull moment watching Death Race.

NOTE: the DVD contains a few extras, including a behind-the-stunts featurette that showed how they achieved some of those cool stunts with minimal CG work.

Comments (1) | PermaLink | Category: Movies
Posted by John DeNardo at Friday January 02, 2009 at 12:28 AM
© 2009 SF Signal

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