Death Race (film)
Encyclopedia
Death Race is a 2008 action film
produced, written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson
and starring Jason Statham
. Though referred to as a remake of the 1975 film Death Race 2000
(based on Ib Melchior's
short story "The Racer") in reviews and marketing materials, director Paul W.S. Anderson stated in an interview and the DVD commentary that he thought of the film as a prequel
. A remake had been in development since 2002, though production was delayed by disapproval of early screenplay
s then placed in turnaround following a dispute between Paramount Pictures
and the producer duo Tom Cruise
and Paula Wagner
. Death Race was acquired by Universal Studios
, and Anderson re-joined the project to write and direct. Filming began in Montreal
in August 2007, and the completed project was released on August 22, 2008.
A direct-to-DVD prequel to the film, Death Race 2, was released on October 31, 2010.
At the end of one race, a masked driver named Frankenstein (David Carradine
) is nearing the finish line against his only surviving competitor, rival Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson). His navigator, Case (Natalie Martinez
), reports that his defensive weapons are malfunctioning, and is ordered to eject from the car shortly before Joe blows it up. Six months later, Jensen Ames (Jason Statham
) is sent to Terminal Island after being framed for his wife’s murder. The warden, Hennessey (Joan Allen
), informs Ames that – unknown to the public and other racers – Frankenstein is dead, but as he was so wildly popular, she wants to keep his legend alive for the ratings. She coerces Ames to clandestinely assume the persona; Ames would only need to win one race to earn his freedom and take back his baby daughter since Frankenstein won four, and by wearing Frankenstein's mask, only few people will know he's not really Frankenstein. His maintenance crew, Coach (Ian McShane
), Gunner (Jacob Vargas
), and Lists (Frederick Koehler
) are among those who know this and quickly acquaint Ames with his competition.
On the first day, Ames meets Case, who also knows he’s not the real Frankenstein. Ames has a rough first go, coming in last place, and three racers are eliminated. His defensive weapons also mysteriously malfunctioned, just like last time. Ames pieces together that one of the racers, Pachenko (Max Ryan), was the one who stabbed his wife at the behest of Hennessey so she could recruit him as Frank’s replacement for huge profits. During the second stage, Ames forces Case to admit that she has been sabotaging Frankenstein’s car on the orders of Hennessey in exchange for her release papers. Case was never meant to kill Frank or Ames, just stop them from winning so Frankenstein could remain in Death Race. Ames then breaks Pachenko's neck and temporarily teams up with Machine Gun Joe to destroy a massive 18-wheel tanker with many weapons that kills the other competitors to boost the ratings even higher. This tips Joe off to Frank’s real identity, and afterward they have a talk.
Hennessey, aware that Ames knows her angle, tries to maintain the ruse of granting him freedom but asks him to consider staying on permanently as Frankenstein. As a precaution, she has an explosive planted under his car before the start of the third round, knowing that she can replace Ames as she used him to replace Frankenstein. The stage begins, and Hennessey manipulates the track in Joe’s favor from her control room. Right when Joe appears victorious, they both escape through a damaged wall; Hennessey unsuccessfully tries to activate the bomb. Hennessey then sends attack helicopters after Ames and Joe, who make it past the bridge that connects the island to the mainland and split up, and the helicopters follow Ames under Hennessey's orders. Case offers herself as bait in the Frankenstein costume and mask to repay the old Frank, and because she’d already been given her release papers. She is captured while the two men escape.
Later, Hennessey is given an anonymous gift, which turns out to be the bomb she originally meant for Ames; Coach remotely detonates the bomb and then proceeds to break the fourth wall by looking into the camera and saying "I love this game". Six months afterward, Joe, Ames, and his baby girl are shown living honestly in Mexico where Case joins them, and Ames reflects on how his daughter is his chance at something else and that no one could love her more then he does.
, director Paul W.S. Anderson revealed that he was directing a remake of Death Race 2000
(1975) entitled Death Race 3000 at Paramount Pictures
(which owns television and internet rights to the original, with the former currently being handled on Paramount's behalf by Trifecta Entertainment & Media
) based on a script by J. F. Lawton
. The remake would be produced by the producer pair Tom Cruise
and Paula Wagner
. Anderson described the remake as a riff on the first film. "It's not a straight remake at all. The first movie was an across-America race. This will be an around-the-world race. And it's set further in the future, so the cars are even more futuristic. So you've got cars with rockets, machine guns, force fields; cars that can split apart and re-form, a bit like Transformers. Cars that become invisible," the director explained. Comingsoon.net reported that "Paul saw his film almost as a prequel if anything; almost the genesis of the Death Race," though the film is referred to primarily as a remake in reviews and marketing materials.
Two years later, Roger Corman
, the producer of Death Race 2000, elaborated that he had an option agreement with producer Tom Cruise, and that Cruise would portray the lead role. The director said that Cruise had not been happy with the first two screenplays and that a third one was underway. In June 2006, producer Jeremy Bolt
reported that Anderson would direct the remake of Death Race 2000 after completing Resident Evil: Extinction
(2007). The producer described the remake's new tone: "We've basically taken the idea of reality television and extended it twenty years. So it's definitely a comment on society, and particularly reality television, but it is not as much a parody or a satire as the original. It's more straight." The following August, Paramount ended its relationship with Cruise/Wagner Productions
, and Death Race was placed in turnaround. According to reports, when the project was discovered available, Universal Studios
acquired it. Cruise and Wagner resumed their roles as producers, and Anderson returned to write and direct the film.
In April 2007, actor Jason Statham
entered negotiations to star in Death Race, with production slated to begin in late summer or early fall. Anderson described that Death Race would take place in a prison, and that the film would be "super-violent" like its predecessor. "It has little echoes of the original – a lot of people get run down, but rather than having the points system, which had no pay off anyway, it's a pure race. It's more like Gladiator
, with the last person standing – or driving, winning," explained the director. Filming on Death Race began in Montreal
in August 2007.
, and a rating of 41 out of 100 on Metacritic
.
Robert Koehler of Variety
called Death Race "as hard as metal and just as dumb" and criticized it for removing the humor of Death Race 2000. Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
gave the film half a star (out of four), calling it "an assault on all the senses, including common." Keith Phipps of the A.V. Club
said the film is "ideal for those who want to watch a bunch of cars blow each other up, without having to think about it all that much." Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle
called Death Race "one of the most boring drags of all time."
Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle
called the film "an ill-advised and severely wussified remake." Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News
gave the film one and a half stars (out of four), calling it "junk" and saying that "the chases are pretty cool, but there's absolutely nothing else to see." A positive review came from Nathan Lee of The New York Times
, who said that "the movie is legitimately greasy, authentically nasty, with a good old-fashioned sense of laying waste to everything in sight." James Berardinelli
of ReelViews awarded Death Race a score of two and a half stars (out of four), saying that it's "weak when it comes to things like plot, character, and acting, but it's very good at provoking visceral reactions."
of the film. In the DVD commentary, Anderson further elaborates on his thought of the movie as a prequel more than a remake.
who recorded the string portion of his score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony
at the Sony Scoring Stage.
The soundtrack was released on August 19, 2008.
, stars Luke Goss
, Ving Rhames
, Sean Bean
, and Danny Trejo
. It was released direct-to-DVD
.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
produced, written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson
Paul W. S. Anderson
Paul William Scott Anderson , also known as Paul W. S. Anderson or Paul Anderson, is an English film director who regularly works in science fiction movies and video game adaptations.-Life and career:...
and starring Jason Statham
Jason Statham
Jason Statham born 12 September1967) is an English actor and former diver, known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Revolver, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels...
. Though referred to as a remake of the 1975 film Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000 is a 1975 cult action film directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine, Simone Griffeth and Sylvester Stallone. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transcontinental Road Race has become a form of national entertainment...
(based on Ib Melchior's
Ib Melchior
Ib Jørgen Melchior is a novelist, short story writer, film producer, film director, and screenwriter of low-budget American science fiction movies, most of them released by American International Pictures...
short story "The Racer") in reviews and marketing materials, director Paul W.S. Anderson stated in an interview and the DVD commentary that he thought of the film as a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
. A remake had been in development since 2002, though production was delayed by disapproval of early screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
s then placed in turnaround following a dispute between Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and the producer duo Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
and Paula Wagner
Paula Wagner
Paula Wagner is an American film producer and film executive.-Early career:Wagner began her career at Creative Artists Agency. In 1993 she launched Cruise/Wagner Productions with her former CAA client Tom Cruise. C/W's first film, Mission: Impossible, was an international hit that brought the...
. Death Race was acquired by Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, and Anderson re-joined the project to write and direct. Filming began in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in August 2007, and the completed project was released on August 22, 2008.
A direct-to-DVD prequel to the film, Death Race 2, was released on October 31, 2010.
Plot
In 2012, the economy of the United States collapses. Unemployment and crime rates skyrocket, and the sharp increase of convicted criminals leads to the privatization of prisons for profit. For pay-per-view entertainment, a modern gladiator game called “Death Race” is invented at the Terminal Island penitentiary using the prisoners as players. Drivers are paired with navigators to assist them with maintenance, weapons, and track guidance. There are three types of special pads on the track, shields, swords, and death heads, that a car can activate by running over with all four tires. Shields activate a car's defensive weapons, swords activate a car's offensive weapons, and death heads, when activated, extends a column of spikes out of the ground that impales a passing/pursuing car, and then retracts back into the ground, crushing the car and finishing off any survivors. A single Death Race takes place over three days and is divided into three stages. The first two stages are elimination rounds, where drivers eliminate as much competition as they can without getting themselves killed. The remaining drivers then compete in the final stage, where the goal is to be the first to cross the finish line without getting killed. If a driver can survive and win five races, they’re freed, though so far every participant has died.At the end of one race, a masked driver named Frankenstein (David Carradine
David Carradine
David Carradine was an American actor and martial artist, best known for his role as a warrior monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, which later had a 1990s sequel series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues...
) is nearing the finish line against his only surviving competitor, rival Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson). His navigator, Case (Natalie Martinez
Natalie Martinez
Natalie Martinez is an American model and actress. Martinez is known as the spokesmodel for JLO by Jennifer Lopez, and for her supporting role in the 2008 feature film Death Race. She did a music video titled "Rain Over Me" by Pitbull featuring Mark Anthony. She has also appeared in several music...
), reports that his defensive weapons are malfunctioning, and is ordered to eject from the car shortly before Joe blows it up. Six months later, Jensen Ames (Jason Statham
Jason Statham
Jason Statham born 12 September1967) is an English actor and former diver, known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Revolver, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels...
) is sent to Terminal Island after being framed for his wife’s murder. The warden, Hennessey (Joan Allen
Joan Allen
Joan Allen is an American actress. She worked in theatre, television and film during her early career, and achieved recognition for her Broadway debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in 1989.She has received three Academy Award nominations;...
), informs Ames that – unknown to the public and other racers – Frankenstein is dead, but as he was so wildly popular, she wants to keep his legend alive for the ratings. She coerces Ames to clandestinely assume the persona; Ames would only need to win one race to earn his freedom and take back his baby daughter since Frankenstein won four, and by wearing Frankenstein's mask, only few people will know he's not really Frankenstein. His maintenance crew, Coach (Ian McShane
Ian McShane
Ian David McShane is an English actor, director, producer, voice artist, and comedian.Despite appearing in numerous films, McShane is best known for his television roles, particularly the BBC's Lovejoy and HBO's Western drama Deadwood...
), Gunner (Jacob Vargas
Jacob Vargas
-Early life:Vargas was born in Michoacán, Mexico, and raised in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California, since 1971. He was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family.-Career:...
), and Lists (Frederick Koehler
Frederick Koehler
Frederick Koehler is an American actor best known for his role as Chip on Kate & Allie as well as Andrew Schillinger on the HBO drama Oz.- Film work :* Death Race 2 -- Lists* Death Race – Lists...
) are among those who know this and quickly acquaint Ames with his competition.
On the first day, Ames meets Case, who also knows he’s not the real Frankenstein. Ames has a rough first go, coming in last place, and three racers are eliminated. His defensive weapons also mysteriously malfunctioned, just like last time. Ames pieces together that one of the racers, Pachenko (Max Ryan), was the one who stabbed his wife at the behest of Hennessey so she could recruit him as Frank’s replacement for huge profits. During the second stage, Ames forces Case to admit that she has been sabotaging Frankenstein’s car on the orders of Hennessey in exchange for her release papers. Case was never meant to kill Frank or Ames, just stop them from winning so Frankenstein could remain in Death Race. Ames then breaks Pachenko's neck and temporarily teams up with Machine Gun Joe to destroy a massive 18-wheel tanker with many weapons that kills the other competitors to boost the ratings even higher. This tips Joe off to Frank’s real identity, and afterward they have a talk.
Hennessey, aware that Ames knows her angle, tries to maintain the ruse of granting him freedom but asks him to consider staying on permanently as Frankenstein. As a precaution, she has an explosive planted under his car before the start of the third round, knowing that she can replace Ames as she used him to replace Frankenstein. The stage begins, and Hennessey manipulates the track in Joe’s favor from her control room. Right when Joe appears victorious, they both escape through a damaged wall; Hennessey unsuccessfully tries to activate the bomb. Hennessey then sends attack helicopters after Ames and Joe, who make it past the bridge that connects the island to the mainland and split up, and the helicopters follow Ames under Hennessey's orders. Case offers herself as bait in the Frankenstein costume and mask to repay the old Frank, and because she’d already been given her release papers. She is captured while the two men escape.
Later, Hennessey is given an anonymous gift, which turns out to be the bomb she originally meant for Ames; Coach remotely detonates the bomb and then proceeds to break the fourth wall by looking into the camera and saying "I love this game". Six months afterward, Joe, Ames, and his baby girl are shown living honestly in Mexico where Case joins them, and Ames reflects on how his daughter is his chance at something else and that no one could love her more then he does.
Cast
- Jason StathamJason StathamJason Statham born 12 September1967) is an English actor and former diver, known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Revolver, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels...
as Jensen Ames, a falsely-convicted prisoner coerced to drive in the arena, taking the name "Frankenstein" from the man who came before him. - Joan AllenJoan AllenJoan Allen is an American actress. She worked in theatre, television and film during her early career, and achieved recognition for her Broadway debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in 1989.She has received three Academy Award nominations;...
as Hennessey, the sadistic prison warden. - Tyrese Gibson as Joseph Mason (a.k.a. "Machine Gun Joe"), a sociopathic racer who looks to use Death Race as a means to escape from prison. He alone uses male navigators, because his navigators are killed so often that when he used women the ratings would fall due to squeamish audiences.
- Ian McShaneIan McShaneIan David McShane is an English actor, director, producer, voice artist, and comedian.Despite appearing in numerous films, McShane is best known for his television roles, particularly the BBC's Lovejoy and HBO's Western drama Deadwood...
as Coach, Frankenstein's loyal head mechanic and a voluntary inmate. - Natalie MartinezNatalie MartinezNatalie Martinez is an American model and actress. Martinez is known as the spokesmodel for JLO by Jennifer Lopez, and for her supporting role in the 2008 feature film Death Race. She did a music video titled "Rain Over Me" by Pitbull featuring Mark Anthony. She has also appeared in several music...
as Case, Frankenstein's navigator. - Max Ryan as Pachenko, a rival driver Ames clashes with several times (who also killed Ames' wife and framed him for it).
- Jason ClarkeJason Clarke (actor)Jason Clarke is an Australian actor.-Life and career:Clarke has made many television appearances, including Murder Call, Wildside, Home and Away, Blue Heelers, All Saints, Farscape, White Collar Blue and Stingers...
as Ulrich, Hennessey's right hand man. - Frederick KoehlerFrederick KoehlerFrederick Koehler is an American actor best known for his role as Chip on Kate & Allie as well as Andrew Schillinger on the HBO drama Oz.- Film work :* Death Race 2 -- Lists* Death Race – Lists...
as Lists, another member of Frankenstein's pit crew and a compulsive data collector. - Jacob VargasJacob Vargas-Early life:Vargas was born in Michoacán, Mexico, and raised in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California, since 1971. He was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family.-Career:...
as Gunner, Frankenstein's car repairman. - Justin Mader as Travis Colt, a disgraced ex-NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver seeking to rebuild his career by winning the race. - Robert LaSardoRobert LaSardoRobert LaSardo is an American actor.LaSardo began his career studying at the famed High School of Performing Arts in New York City, before going on to the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Robert also spent four years in the U.S...
as Hector Grimm (a.k.a. "The Grim Reaper"), a certified psychopath driving in the race who loves and worships Hennessey (believing her to be the avatar of the Hindu god of death). - Robin ShouRobin ShouShou Wan Por , known professionally as Robin Shou, is a Hong Kong martial artist and actor. Frequently appearing in numerous martial arts films, Shou was most successful for playing the role of Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat & Gobei with the late Chris Farley in Beverly Hills Ninja.-Career:Shou's first...
as 14K, a tenth-generation Triad member, sent to business school, held a degree from MIT. - David CarradineDavid CarradineDavid Carradine was an American actor and martial artist, best known for his role as a warrior monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, which later had a 1990s sequel series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues...
as Frankenstein, the most popular driver in the history of Death Race. (cameoCameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
voice-overVoice-overVoice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
, reprising role in original 1975 film Death Race 2000Death Race 2000Death Race 2000 is a 1975 cult action film directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine, Simone Griffeth and Sylvester Stallone. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transcontinental Road Race has become a form of national entertainment...
) He has crashed so many times that he has to wear a mask to cover his disfigurements.
Cars
The cars in the film are real vehicles that have been heavily modified with armor plating, machine guns and defensive weapons:- Frankenstein's Monster - A Fifth-generation Ford Mustang armed with 2 M134MinigunThe Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire , employing Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source...
s, smokescreen, napalmNapalmNapalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
and oil slick for defense, as well as a 6 inches (152.4 mm) detachable steel plate on the rear bumper called "The Tombstone". It also has an ejector seat for the navigator and a cigarette lighter. - Dodge RamDodge RamThe Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...
- Machine Gun Joe's truck, armed with a cowcatcher, 4 hood-mounted Browning M1919, 2 side-mounted Vulcan cannons and Russian RPG-7RPG-7The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
s on the roof. - Porsche 911Porsche 911The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
- Driven by the Chinese convict 14K. With 2 WW2 German MG-42 belt-fed general purpose machine gunGeneral purpose machine gunA general-purpose machine gun is a multi-purpose weapon: it is a machine gun firing a full-power rifle cartridge and which can be used in a variety of roles, from a bipod- or tripod-mounted infantry support weapon to a helicopter door gun or a vehicle-mounted support weapon...
s and 4 hood-mounted missiles with 4 on the roof. - Pachenko's chop top - A chop top, 1967 Buick RivieraBuick RivieraThe Riviera by Buick is an automobile produced by Buick in the United States from the 1963 to 1999 model years, with 1,127,261 produced.A full-size coupé or personal luxury car, the early models of the Riviera in particular have been highly praised by automotive journalists and writers.A common...
GS (serial #494877H903903) armed with 4 German hood-mounted MG-34s and 2 internal PPSh-41PPSh-41The PPSh-41 was a Soviet submachine gun designed by Georgi Shpagin as an inexpensive, simplified alternative to the PPD-40. Intended for use by minimally-trained conscript soldiers, the PPSh was a magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun using an open-bolt, blowback action...
submachine guns also with 2 Uzis mounted in the grille. - Pontiac Trans Am - Carson's Car. Has a M134MinigunThe Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire , employing Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source...
aiming backwards for defense, and a .50 caliber turret on top of his car which is operated by his navigator. - 1972 Buick RivieraBuick RivieraThe Riviera by Buick is an automobile produced by Buick in the United States from the 1963 to 1999 model years, with 1,127,261 produced.A full-size coupé or personal luxury car, the early models of the Riviera in particular have been highly praised by automotive journalists and writers.A common...
"Boat tail" - Riggins' car. Caltrops for Defense and twin Browning M1919 machine guns in the passenger side windscreen. - Jaguar XJSJaguar XJSThe Jaguar XJ-S is a luxury grand tourer produced by the British manufacturer Jaguar from 1975 to 1996. The XJ-S replaced the E-Type in September 1975, and was based on the XJ saloon. It had been developed as the XK-F, though it was very different in character from its predecessor...
- British sports carSports carA sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
driven by Travis with 2 .50 cal M2 Browning machine guns. - Chrysler 300C - Luxury sedan driven by Grimm armed with 3 hood-mounted FN MAGFN MAGThe FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries, and it has been made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the...
58s with no stocks and a missile on the passenger side roof and an oil slick for defense. - BMW E32BMW E32After almost 7 years in development since September 1979, in July 1986, BMW introduced the second generation of the 7 series, known internally as the E32. Aimed at the high end of the luxury market, the car offered some of the latest innovations in automotive technology, and a new, top-of-the-line...
- Siad's car. Armed with a single M134MinigunThe Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire , employing Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source...
. - The Dreadnaught - An 18 wheel18 wheeler18 wheeler is a colloquial term for a semi-trailer truck.18 wheeler may also refer to:* 18 Wheeler , a Scottish indie band* 18 Wheeler , a 1979 arcade game designed by Midway Games...
tanker modified by Hennessy into an armored vehicle with .50 caliber Browning heavy machine guns, flame thrower, grenade launchers, spikes on the wheel hubs, bulldozer blade, chained caltrops and a M1A1 tank turret. - 1970 Chevrolet ChevelleChevrolet ChevelleThe Chevrolet Chevelle is a mid-sized automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors in three generations for the 1964 through 1977 model years. Part of the GM A-Body platform, the Chevelle was one of Chevrolet's most successful nameplates. Body styles include coupes, sedans,...
SS - Custom muscle carMuscle carMuscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a...
driven by Case at the end of the film.
Production
In March 2005, following the success of Alien vs. PredatorAlien vs. Predator (film)
Alien vs. Predator is a 2004 American science fiction film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson for 20th Century Fox and starring Sanaa Lathan and Lance Henriksen. The film adapts the Alien vs. Predator crossover imprint bringing together the eponymous creatures of the Alien and Predator series, a...
, director Paul W.S. Anderson revealed that he was directing a remake of Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000 is a 1975 cult action film directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine, Simone Griffeth and Sylvester Stallone. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transcontinental Road Race has become a form of national entertainment...
(1975) entitled Death Race 3000 at Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
(which owns television and internet rights to the original, with the former currently being handled on Paramount's behalf by Trifecta Entertainment & Media
Trifecta Entertainment & Media
Trifecta Entertainment & Media is an American entertainment company founded in 2006. The company's founders previously held jobs as executives at MGM Television. Trifecta is primarily a distribution company and also handles advertising sales in exchange for syndication deals with local television...
) based on a script by J. F. Lawton
J. F. Lawton
Jonathan Frederick Lawton , born on August 11, 1960 in Riverside, California, is an American screenwriter, film producer and film director...
. The remake would be produced by the producer pair Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
and Paula Wagner
Paula Wagner
Paula Wagner is an American film producer and film executive.-Early career:Wagner began her career at Creative Artists Agency. In 1993 she launched Cruise/Wagner Productions with her former CAA client Tom Cruise. C/W's first film, Mission: Impossible, was an international hit that brought the...
. Anderson described the remake as a riff on the first film. "It's not a straight remake at all. The first movie was an across-America race. This will be an around-the-world race. And it's set further in the future, so the cars are even more futuristic. So you've got cars with rockets, machine guns, force fields; cars that can split apart and re-form, a bit like Transformers. Cars that become invisible," the director explained. Comingsoon.net reported that "Paul saw his film almost as a prequel if anything; almost the genesis of the Death Race," though the film is referred to primarily as a remake in reviews and marketing materials.
Two years later, Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
, the producer of Death Race 2000, elaborated that he had an option agreement with producer Tom Cruise, and that Cruise would portray the lead role. The director said that Cruise had not been happy with the first two screenplays and that a third one was underway. In June 2006, producer Jeremy Bolt
Jeremy Bolt
Jeremy Bolt is a British film producer who often works with Paul W. S. Anderson at Impact Pictures.Since creating Impact Pictures with Paul WS Anderson in 1992, producer Jeremy Bolt has produced the majority of Anderson’s movies...
reported that Anderson would direct the remake of Death Race 2000 after completing Resident Evil: Extinction
Resident Evil: Extinction
Resident Evil: Extinction is a Canadian-British 2007 science fiction action horror film also categorized as a doomsday and zombie film, and is the third installment in the Resident Evil film series, which is based on the Capcom survival horror series Resident Evil...
(2007). The producer described the remake's new tone: "We've basically taken the idea of reality television and extended it twenty years. So it's definitely a comment on society, and particularly reality television, but it is not as much a parody or a satire as the original. It's more straight." The following August, Paramount ended its relationship with Cruise/Wagner Productions
Cruise/Wagner Productions
Cruise/Wagner Productions is an American independent film production company. The company was founded by actor Tom Cruise and former casting agent Paula Wagner....
, and Death Race was placed in turnaround. According to reports, when the project was discovered available, Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
acquired it. Cruise and Wagner resumed their roles as producers, and Anderson returned to write and direct the film.
In April 2007, actor Jason Statham
Jason Statham
Jason Statham born 12 September1967) is an English actor and former diver, known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Revolver, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels...
entered negotiations to star in Death Race, with production slated to begin in late summer or early fall. Anderson described that Death Race would take place in a prison, and that the film would be "super-violent" like its predecessor. "It has little echoes of the original – a lot of people get run down, but rather than having the points system, which had no pay off anyway, it's a pure race. It's more like Gladiator
Gladiator (2000 film)
Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays the loyal Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed...
, with the last person standing – or driving, winning," explained the director. Filming on Death Race began in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in August 2007.
Release and reception
The film was originally scheduled for release on September 26, 2008, but was moved to August 22, 2008.Critical reception
The film has received generally mixed reviews from critics. It currently holds a 42% "Rotten" rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, and a rating of 41 out of 100 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
Robert Koehler of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called Death Race "as hard as metal and just as dumb" and criticized it for removing the humor of Death Race 2000. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gave the film half a star (out of four), calling it "an assault on all the senses, including common." Keith Phipps of the A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
said the film is "ideal for those who want to watch a bunch of cars blow each other up, without having to think about it all that much." Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
called Death Race "one of the most boring drags of all time."
Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
called the film "an ill-advised and severely wussified remake." Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
gave the film one and a half stars (out of four), calling it "junk" and saying that "the chases are pretty cool, but there's absolutely nothing else to see." A positive review came from Nathan Lee of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, who said that "the movie is legitimately greasy, authentically nasty, with a good old-fashioned sense of laying waste to everything in sight." James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
of ReelViews awarded Death Race a score of two and a half stars (out of four), saying that it's "weak when it comes to things like plot, character, and acting, but it's very good at provoking visceral reactions."
Home media
The DVD and Blu-ray were released in the United States on December 21, 2008. There was also an unrated edition released. The Blu-ray version of the movie features a Digital CopyDigital copy
Digital Copy provides consumers who purchase a film on DVD or Blu-ray Disc with an additional, digital copy of the movie for devices capable of operating with a file in contrast to a DVD.-Features:...
of the film. In the DVD commentary, Anderson further elaborates on his thought of the movie as a prequel more than a remake.
Music
The score to Death Race was composed by Paul HaslingerPaul Haslinger
Paul Haslinger is an Austrian-born composer and musician currently based in Los Angeles, California.- Life and career :...
who recorded the string portion of his score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony
Hollywood Studio Symphony
The Hollywood Studio Symphony is the credited name of the symphony orchestra behind many major soundtracks, including The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Sucker Punch, Jurassic Park 3, Last Samurai, Pirates of the Caribbean, We Are Marshall, Spider-Man 2, Lost and The...
at the Sony Scoring Stage.
The soundtrack was released on August 19, 2008.
Prequel
A prequel to the film, Death Race 2, went through production in South Africa. The film, directed by Roel ReinéRoel Reiné
Roel Reiné is a Los Angeles-based Dutch film director.-Death Race: Frankenstein Lives:The Dutch filmmaker becomes the director seat for Death Race: Frankenstein Lives , an official sequel to Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race...
, stars Luke Goss
Luke Goss
Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...
, Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
, Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
, and Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo
Dan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...
. It was released direct-to-DVD
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
.