Sticking with the Roger Corman produced films, this next review is for the remake of DEATH RACE 2000 from Director Paul W.S Anderson. Check out the review after the jump...
Splatter Race flick Death Race 2000 was at one point considered Roger Corman's best picture, a film full of social commentary and a good helping of the old red stuff, featured two actors who went on to become big names, one much bigger than the other though. David Carradine starred as Frankenstein, the king of Death Race and Sylvester Stallone as Machine Gun Joe, Frank's Rival. The film featured crazy modified cars and concerned a cross country race where driver got points for killing people. Much like our obsession with reality TV now, Death Race was broadcast around America to mass audiences as it was the Television event of the year. So as it was such a popular film it was inevitable that it would get the remake treatment. 33 years later director and writer Paul WS Anderson brought us his take on the film. The obviously titled DEATH RACE (minus the 2000). This version, while keeping the idea of the race and the characters of Frank and Joe, is a completely different kettle of fish...
In 2012, amid economic chaos and high unemployment, Americans by the millions watch criminals with life sentences race armored cars on Terminal Island. Two-thirds of the combatants die but the winner may earn his freedom. On the day he loses his job, steelworker Jensen Ames is arrested for his wife's murder. Sent to Terminal Island, he's offered an out by the steely and manipulative Warden Hennessey - race as the popular mask-wearing (but now dead) champion, Frankenstein, or rot in prison. Jensen makes the bargain. As the three-stage race approaches, he realizes that the whole thing may be a set up - can an anonymous man behind a mask get revenge and win his release?
Jason Statham stars as Jensen Ames, the films main character, an this is the sort of film that Statham has made his name is, load action filled movies, he's actually pretty good and even though he's a household name anyway, this was his first major studio film, as it was produced by Universal. Statham is good, although not the most diverse actor in the world does manage to bring some small dose emotion to his character. Machine Gun Joe is played by Tyrese Gibson who again not the most diverse of actors, still manages to hold his own in this. He's previously been in films such as Transformers, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Hood revenge flick Waist Deep. The brutal warden of Terminal Island is played by Joan Allen, an actress of a higher calibre than the first 2, which at first viewing will make some viewers say, “what is she doing in this?”, well she is fantastic, she's evil, clever and manipulative. Then we have the character of Coach played by LoveJoy himself, Ian McShane, who is carving out a nice career in Hollywood for himself after his brutal and intense role as Al Swearengen in HBO's Deadwood, and he's great as the lifer and pit manager for Frankenstein's crew...
The Cars of the film are pretty damn cool, using mostly muscle cars modified to with an inch of their lives. Statham drives a 2006 Ford Mustang GT, outfitted with a Roush supercharged 5.4L 3V Ford V8 Engine with twin mounted rail guns on the hood of the car. Now for the people not into cars, the above is very very cool. Other cars used are Dodges, BMWs, Porsche's, Jaguars and Buicks.
Verdict
I really like this film, it's fun, explosive and just down right entertaining, sure it doesn't have the body count story of the original, but the prison setting is a good idea. It's Paul WS Anderson's best film so far, although I can't see him ever winning an Oscar, but maybe he doesn't want one who knows.....
FILM: 7/10
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