In the cinema: Death Race (2008)

In this day and age I wonder if anyone remembers the 1975 movie by the name Death Race 2000. It starred David Carradine (most famous fro his role in Kung Fu, but the younger crowd will best know him from Kill Bill) as the race car driver named Frankenstein and Sylvester Stallone (yep, Mr. Rambo / Rocky!) as Machine Gun Joe. It was about a cross country race and you add points by killing people along the way. It looked as low budget as it was, and it's very unremarkable and not worth remembering. With that in mind I was shocked to hear that the movie was being updated and would be starring Jason Statham.

Jason Statham has a knack for being in movies that are absurd yet fun to watch. He seems to be the go-to guy for high-pace car chase movies. As a result, he might even be one of my favorite actors these days. I just feel compelled to see his flicks knowing that I will get a satisfying jolt of adrenaline flowing through my blood just from watching them. So I couldn't wait to see Death Race.

Rather than being a cross country race of glorified outlaw drivers like in the original movie, this Death Race takes place in a bleak looking future that prison populations grow to shockingly huge numbers and those populations are kept on secure prison islands. Not a new concept. But the prisoners have a chance to get out by winning five death races, which happen to be televised on pay-per-view.

Jensen Ames (Statham) is framed for a crime to put him in jail to replace the venerable Frankenstein (rumored to have been played by Carradine) who died from his wounds from a recent death Race by Shot Gun Joe, played by Tyrese Gibson.

The rest of the movie is about prison life, violence and racing hard, getting out of the prison and revenge. While there are so many ridiculous things going on in this film, the amount of raw action and violence makes up for it keeps you watching. It's a roller coaster ride keeping you interested from the beginning to the end. If you like high brow cinema, then pass on this movie. If you want brainless action and entertainment, this movie satisfies.

More on IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452608/