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Death Race (2008 film)

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Death Race
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPaul W. S. Anderson
Written byPaul W. S. Anderson
Produced byPaul W. S. Anderson
Jeremy Bolt
Roger Corman
Paula Wagner
StarringJason Statham
Joan Allen
Tyrese Gibson
Ian McShane
Natalie Martinez
Music byPaul Haslinger
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
August 22, 2008
Running time
105 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$45 million
Box office$74,947,577

Death Race is a 2008 science-fiction-action film produced, written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. The film is a remake of the 1975 film Death Race 2000, based on Ib Melchior's short story "The Racer", and stars Jason Statham in the lead role. The remake had been in development since 2002, though production was delayed by disapproval of early screenplays 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.

Plot

In 2012, the United States economy collapses and sends unemployment and crime rates through the roof. The imprisoned population is so vast that private companies are hired to contain them. In Terminal Island Prison, "Death Race", a gladiator-like fight-to-the-end competition is held to raise funds.

The film begins six months before by showing a race near its end. Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson) and a famous masked driver known as Frankenstein (original Death Race 2000 star David Carradine) engage in a bloody battle in which Frankenstein wins, but at the cost of heavy injuries and eventually death. Six months later, Jensen Ames (Jason Statham), an ex-racecar driver, is framed for his wife's murder. Ames is sent to Terminal Island Prison where he immediately becomes enemies with an Aryan brotherhood gang, led by Pachenko (Max Ryan). He is taken to Hennessey (Joan Allen) who tells him that the gang will kill him without her help. Thus he is coerced by the warden to become the new driver of late Frankenstein's car. The warden tells Ames that she knows about his baby daughter left in foster care. She also states that prisoners are freed upon winning five Death Races, but since the legendary Frankenstein had 4 wins at the time of his death, he would only require a single win. He agrees to race.

"Death Race" consists of three different stages. The first stage is an elimination round with the sole goal being to come out alive and to eliminate as much of the competition as possible. In each race, there are three activation switches, Swords, Shields, and Death Heads. These power-ups are in the form of lights on the ground that are activated when passed over by a car. Swords activate offensive weapons, shields activate defensive weapons, and death heads activate a spiked wall that impales the car and the racers inside. The wall then goes back into the ground, killing anyone inside. In the first race, Grimm is killed by Joe by being struck as a "pedestrian", resulting in a gruesome "head-exploding" shot. Jensen survives the race, killing one racer but coming in last place after Machine Gun Joe rammed into his car. It is then revealed that Hennessey had Pachenko murder Jensen's wife and frame him for it, in order to bring him to Terminal Island and make him the new Frankenstein. During the second race, the goal is again to survive. Hennessey plots against Frankenstein, hoping to use his popularity to keep ratings up. The race starts and much to the dismay of the racers, a gigantic 18 wheel tanker armed with a tank turret, called the Dreadnaught, is released. After killing multiple racers, the truck is destroyed when Joe and Ames team up to activate a Death Head that destroys the Dreadnaught.

In the third stage, Joe and Ames must race one final time to the winner. Prior to the race Hennessey has a bomb planted under Frankenstein's car, and then manipulates the race to favor Joe. However, her plans are ruined when Joe and Ames escape, blowing an opening in a weakened section of the prison wall which Jensen had found while studying footage of Grimm's death. Hennessey sends all her police force in pursuit and succeeds in capturing Frankenstein's car. However, Ames had escaped from his car, leaving his navigator Case (who had already received her walking papers) at the wheel, dressed up in his costume. Joe and Ames hitch a ride and escape to Miami. Meanwhile, using the bomb from Frankenstein's car, Jensen's crew chief Coach kills both Hennessey and Captain of the Guards Ulrich, then turns to the camera and breaks the fourth wall, saying, "I love this game". Six months later, Ames has his daughter back and Joe is working on living a clean life free of crime. As the two work on a car in their new home, a car pulls up and Case steps out to join the two.

Cast

  • Jason Statham as Jensen Ames, a prisoner coerced to drive in the arena, taking the name "Frankenstein" from the man who came before him.[1][2]
  • Joan Allen as Hennessey, the sadistic prison warden.[2]
  • Tyrese Gibson as "Machine Gun Joe" (Joseph Mason), a sociopathic racer who looks to use Death Race as an means to escape from prison. He is unique as he alone uses male navigators, because his navigators are often killed leading to falling ratings due to women being killed.[2]
  • Ian McShane as Coach, Frankenstein's loyal head mechanic.[2]
  • Natalie Martinez as Case, Frankenstein's navigator.[3]
  • Jacob Vargas as Gunner, Frankenstein's car repairman.
  • Frederick Koehler as Lists, another member of Frankenstein's pit crew and a compulsive data collector.
  • Jason Clarke as Ulrich, Hennesey's right hand man.
  • Robert LaSardo as Grimm, a certified psychopath driving in the race. Had three consecutive life sentences, killed six men off the track and another thirteen on it. Nicknamed the "Grim Reaper".
  • Justin Mader as Travis Colt, a disgraced ex-NASCAR driver seeking to rebuild his career by winning the race.
  • Robin Shou as 14K, a tenth-generation Triad, sent to business school, held a degree from MIT, and killed four men off the track.
  • Max Ryan as Pachenko, a rival driver Ames clashes with several times, responsible for killing Ames's wife, killed nine men on the track and unknown off.
  • David Carradine as Frankenstein, the most popular driver in the history of Death Race. (cameo voice-over, reprising role in original 1975 film Death Race 2000) He has apparently crashed so many times that he has to wear a mask to cover his disfigurements. He possesses an almost reckless desire to win, leading him to take risks in his final race, that ultimately led to his death on the operating table. In his career he killed 20 men on the track or a mortality rate of 62.2% per race.

Owen Clachers: the guy who just get the coffee for the all the other cast members Soo Bin Lee: same as owen

Cars

The cars in the movie are real vehicles that have been heavily-modified with armor plating, machine guns and defensive weapons

Production

In March 2002, 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 at the time distributed the original on television) 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.[5] 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.[6] 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."[7] 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.[8]

In April 2007, actor Jason Statham entered negotiations to star in Death Race, with production slated to begin in late summer or early fall.[8] 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.[9] Filming on Death Race began in Montreal in August 2007.[2]

Release

The film was originally scheduled for release on September 26, 2008, but was moved to August 22.[10]

Reception

The film has received mixed reviews from critics. It currently holds a 42% "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes,[11] and a rating of 41 out of 100 on Metacritic.[12]

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."[13] Keith Phipps of The Onion's 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."[14] 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.[15] Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle called Death Race "one of the most boring drags of all time."[16]

Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle called the film "an ill-advised and severely wussified remake."[17] 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."[18] 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."[19] 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."[20]

Music

The score to Death Race was composed by Paul Haslinger who recorded the string portion of his score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage.[21]

"Click Clack" by Slim Thug is also featured in the film.

The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on August 19, 2008.[22]

Blu-ray / DVD Release

The DVD and Blu-ray was released in America on December 21st, 2008. There was also an Unrated edition released. The Blu-Ray version of the movie features a Digital Copy of the film.

Similarities to the original

  • Frankenstein wears a mask and black leather jumpsuit. When outside his car he never removes his mask.
  • Like Matilda The Hun, there is a character with a fascist theme.[23] Pachenko is leader of a white power skinhead gang who wears a swastika and a Confederate flag.
  • All but two of the cars have a female navigator[24] (one contestant drives alone while Joe's navigators are men).
  • Frankenstein's navigator is under orders to stop Frankenstein winning the race in both versions.[25]
  • There is more than one Frankenstein. When the original dies a replacement is trained to take on his role.
  • Machine Gun Joe kills members of his own pit crew.
  • Frankenstein's navigator disguises herself in his costume to deceive the authorities.
  • In both films there is an authoritarian tyrant: Mr. President (original) and Hennesey (remake) who get killed by Frankenstein at the end.[26] Both their deaths involve a bomb; in the original Frankenstein planned to kill the president with a grenade while in the remake Ames sends Hennesey the explosive she planned to kill him with before his last race. Ultimately it is Coach who detonates it in revenge for tampering with his car.

Prequel

A prequel is in development. Writer Tony Giglio is already slated to write the prequel, with director Paul W.S. Anderson returning. Anderson will begin work on it after he is finished with Resident Evil: Afterlife.[27]

References

  1. ^ "First Look: Death Race Battle Scene". 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-05-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e Borys Kit (2007-08-08). "Buckle up: Allen joins Uni's 'Race'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-09-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Borys Kit (2007-08-21). "The 'Race' is on for Martinez". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-09-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ The Cars of Death Race part 2, IGN (Jan 30, 2008)
  5. ^ Patrick Lee (2002-03-18). "Paul W.S. Anderson reanimates a game group of zombies in Resident Evil". Sci Fi Wire. Retrieved 2007-09-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Calum Waddell. "August 17: Roger Corman's DEATH RACE 3000 update". Fangoria. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
  7. ^ Stax (2006-06-28). "Castlevania, Death Race Buzz". IGN. Retrieved 2007-09-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ a b Borys Kit (2007-04-23). "Statham in 'Death Race' driver's seat". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-09-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Paul WS Anderson talks Death Race". Total Film. 2007-07-31. Retrieved 2007-09-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Death Race Rescheduled for this Summer". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  11. ^ Death Race, Rotten Tomatoes
  12. ^ Death Race, Metacritic
  13. ^ Death Race review, Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
  14. ^ Death Race review, Keith Phipps, The A.V. Club
  15. ^ Death Race review, Robert Koehler, Variety
  16. ^ Death Race review, Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
  17. ^ Death Race review, Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
  18. ^ Death Race review, Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
  19. ^ Death Race review, Nathan Lee, The New York Times
  20. ^ Death Race review, James Berardinelli, ReelViews
  21. ^ Dan Goldwasser (2008-08-01). "Paul Haslinger scores Deaf Race". ScoringSessions.com. Retrieved 2008-08-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Death-Race-Paul-Haslinger/dp/B001DWGBYI/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1218504741&sr=8-15
  23. ^ http://www.nickschager.com/nsfp/2008/08/death-race-2000.html
  24. ^ http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv-entertainment/film/film-reviews/2008/09/26/film-of-the-week-death-race-115875-20752751/
  25. ^ http://www.badmovies.org/movies/deathrace2k/
  26. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/death_race/
  27. ^ http://screenrant.com/death-race-prequel-ross-21348/
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