Death Race
By Ed Hulse -- Video Business, 11/10/2008
UNIVERSAL |
Street: Dec. 23
Prebook: Now
> Adrenaline-charged film boasts good cast and sequences.
A reworking of the Roger Corman-produced 1975 schlocker Death Race 2000, pedal-to-the-metal popcorn movie Death Race establishes a new record for high-octane, pyrotechnic thrills. It’s 2012, and with the U.S. economy in shambles, prisons are operated for profit by corporations whose CEOs double as wardens. One such capitalist (Joan Allen) broadcasts no-holds-barred car races via pay-per-view TV and offers unjustly imprisoned Jason Statham his freedom if he’ll drive for her and win the grueling three-day race that’s expected to generate tens of millions in revenue. Director Paul W.S. Anderson injects the elaborate race sequences with heavy doses of testosterone, and whenever a fiery crash bursts on screen (roughly every 10 minutes) one can’t help but wonder how the stunt drivers walked away unhurt. Both R-rated and unrated versions are available.
Shelf Talk: Death Race is the latest entry in a sub-genre that dates back to 1932’s The Most Dangerous Game but kicked into high gear with the aforementioned Corman film, which spawned numerous reworkings, including 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger-vehicle The Running Man. There’s also a built-in audience from fans of Statham’s previous starrers, including the Transporter movies and Crank.
Action, color, R/NR (language, violence, gore), 105 min./111 min., PPV 29 days, DVD $29.98, BD $39.98Extras: commentary, featurettes
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
First Run: W, Aug. 2008, $36.1 mil.
