Don’t be confused and think this is a remake of Roger Corman’s B-movie cult classic from 1975, Death Race 2000. Instead, think of two things: ‘80s action cinema and Sony PlayStation.
Image Courtesy of IMPawards.com
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Notable Cast: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson and Ian McShane
Paul Anderson has made some quality films: Boogie Nights, Magnolia and most recently There Will Be Blood with an unforgettable performance by Daniel Day Lewis. Oh, wait, that’s Paul Thomas Anderson, not to be mistaken for the Paul Anderson that directed this movie: Paul W.S. Anderson. What a difference a middle initial or two can make.
The year is 2012. Unemployment continues to skyrocket in a U.S. economy that is beyond repair. Joblessness creates tension, social unrest. Instability leads to violence and arrests. Arrests lead to the overcrowding of penitentiaries. The influx of prisoners is so burdensome that the DOC ceases operations. Private corporations now control prisons like Terminal Island, a place where inmates engage in to-the-death cage fights that are hugely popular on the Web. But it’s a passing fad; the modern audience becomes bored and unfulfilled. To satisfy the viewers’ craving for blood, Death Race is born!
Jason Statham is Jensen Ames, a steelworker who loses his job when the mill closes. Prior to fashioning steel, he raced for NASCAR – a job skill that’s probably worth remembering since the movie’s called Death Race. (Those with short attention spans, quickly file it away.) The day Jensen finds himself unemployed is the same day a masked man breaks into his home, murders his wife, and wounds him in the process. Dazed, Jensen wakes to find the murder weapon in his hand and cops drawing their weapons down on him. He is later found guilty of murder and is sentenced to Terminal Island.
All that really needs to be said now is “Start your engines!” Honestly, if walk into a theater anticipating an Oscar contender with amazing performances in a big, boisterous costume epic, well I hate to break it to you, but The Dark Knight is a few more theaters down on the right. Awaiting you, instead, is a 90-minute testosterone-filled joyride with cool stunts and fast cars – modified to include armor paneling, bulletproof windows, and hot-ass female navigators. Except for three-time Death Race champion “Machine Gun” Joe (Tyrese Gibson), who prefers guys to ride shotgun, if you catch my drift.
I have never seen Roger Corman’s original Death Race 2000, though I’ve read enough to know that Paul W.S. Anderson’s interpretation is far from a carbon copy; his vision has more in common with Twisted Metal, a videogame series for Sony PlayStation. All that’s missing is a character named Sweet Tooth and an Ice Cream truck vehicle of death. Actually, underneath this ultra-violent story and shaky cam cinematography is a movie ripe with social commentary. Not the cerebral kind of commentary where you ponder afterwards. To draw comparisons, just look at The Running Man, a movie in which its premise is about prisoners trying to survive a public execution gauntlet staged as a TV game show hosted by Family Feud‘s Richard Dawson.
Aside from his performance in The Bank Job, Statham seems to be playing the same types of brutish kick-punch characters. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. If the script calls for a protagonist with a degree in ass-kickery, Statham is already on the short list. A flick like this I expect someone like Statham. How Joan Allen was brought in, that is a bit of a headscratcher. As Hennessey, the warden of Terminal Island, she gets to scowl and make mean faces and deliver lines of dialogue that had to have been endorsed by Cheez Whiz. Totally cheesy, but she makes for a fun villainess. Adding to the star power is Ian McShane (of HBO’s Deadwood) as the oily head mechanic to Ames. He brings a sense of gravitas, and comedic one-liners, to the B-movie. He looks like he’s having a blast.
There’s no question that Death Race is an exploitation film. Prisoners drive around in cars with hood-mounted guns, smoke, and napalm. Some get eviscerated or blown to smithereens. So what if the second stage of the Death Race is almost bungled completely. Looking back, the inclusion of a specialized vehicle made for an interesting visual, but it almost overstays its purpose. Any longer and there wouldn’t have been a third stage. But who cares about the plot when there’s mindless action to watch. This is a guilty pleasure for those looking for car-crash escapism.
