Death Race


"You wanted a monster? Well, you've got one." - Jensen Ames


release year: 2008
genre: action
viewing setting: home Bluray 9/1/23 and 2/19/17 and DVD 12/28/08

synopsis: A tough ex-race-car-driver is framed and sent to prison so that he can compete in a brutal battle/race and make money for the warden.

impressions: This was a loose remake of Death Race 2000 and it was pretty damn entertaining. The basic premise is that the prison system is privately-run and its population can fight to the death for the entertainment of the regular people and the profit of the warden. Apparently this used to happen via gladiatorial combat but has evolved into race cars with weapons and a trap-filled course. The plot may be silly, but I'll tell you this: there's more high-speed automotive combat than a 4-player "Twisted Metal" marathon. People die in every way imaginable, and there are some plot twists here and there too.

something this movie has that no other movie has: the Dreadnought, an armored and heavily-armed 18-wheeler

odd quote: Warden: "F*** with me...see who s**ts on the curb." What the hell does that even mean?

acting: Jason Statham is Ames, the tough antihero. Tyrese Gibson is Machine Gun Joe, his main competition. Joan Allen is the evil warden. Natalie Martinez is Case, the female navigator assigned to Ames. Ian McShane is the head mechanic for the car/team/driver. David Carradine even lends his voice in the beginning of the film.

final word: Great automotive mayhem.

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