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Death Race 2

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Death Race 2
Home video cover
Directed byRoel Reiné
Screenplay byTony Giglio
Story by
Based onCharacters
by Paul W. S. Anderson
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn McKay
Edited by
  • Radu Ion
  • Herman P. Koerts
Music byPaul Haslinger
Production
companies
  • Universal Pictures Productions GmbH
  • Moonlighting Death Race Films C.C.[1]
Distributed byUniversal Studios Home Entertainment
Release dates
  • December 27, 2010 (2010-12-27) (United Kingdom)
  • January 18, 2011 (2011-01-18) (U.S. and Canada)
Running time
100 minutes
CountriesSouth Africa
Germany
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6–18 million[i]

Death Race 2 is a 2010 action film directed by Roel Reiné and written by Tony Giglio, who co-developed its story with Paul W. S. Anderson. A co-production between South Africa and Germany, it is the prequel to Anderson's 2008 film Death Race (which is itself a prequel to 1975's Death Race 2000) and the second installment in the Death Race franchise. The film stars Luke Goss as Carl "Luke" Lucas, a convicted cop killer sentenced to life in a for-profit, maximum security prison where he is forced to compete in the titular reality show to earn his freedom. Fred Koehler, Tanit Phoenix, Robin Shou, Lauren Cohan, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, and Sean Bean appear in supporting roles; Koehler and Shou reprise theirs from Death Race.

Death Race 2 was greenlit rather as a prequel that tells the origin story of franchise protagonist Frankenstein sans the directorial involvement of Anderson (who stayed on as co-producer instead) and appearance of Jason Statham. Reiné signed on to direct and began shooting in Cape Town, South Africa earlier in 2010. Universal Pictures released the film direct-to-video through its home entertainment division on January 18, 2011, although it set the earliest release date for the United Kingdom, December 27, 2010. The film received generally favorable reviews. A direct-to-video sequel, Death Race 3: Inferno (2013), was also directed by Reiné.

Plot summary

[edit]

Getaway driver Carl "Luke" Lucas attempts to rob a bank for crime boss Markus Kane. During the robbery, two officers coincidentally enter the building. Luke tells his accomplices to abort, but they refuse; Luke intervenes, but it results in the death of one of the robbers. Luke kills an officer and dumps off his accomplices to fulfill Markus's wishes. Luke is captured following a chase and sentenced to prison. Six months later, he is sent to Terminal Island. Markus orders a hit on him, convinced Luke will trade information on his crimes for immunity even though he vows never to do so.

Terminal Island is a for-profit, maximum security prison controlled by Weyland Corporation, which hosts "Death Match", a televised pay-per-view competition where two dangerous convicts are forced to fight to the death or submission. The prisoners are given access to weapons or defensive items to use by stepping on a marked plate in the arena. Death Match is hosted by September Jones, a former Miss Universe who lost her crown due to allegations of having a sexual relationship with the judges. She now works for Weyland Corporation owner Weyland to generate profit from the pay-per-view subscribers of Death Match. Luke meets Lists, Goldberg, and Rocco, as well as catches the attention of September after protecting the cowardly Lists from an attempted assault.

Luke rejects September's demand that he fight in exchange for privileges in prison and spurns her sexual advances. In retaliation, September chooses Lists to fight in a Death Match against a physically imposing black opponent, Big Bill, from whom Luke protected him. Luke intervenes by jumping into the arena, and convict ring girl Katrina Banks briefly assists him from outside the cage. A riot breaks out during the fight sparked by racial tension; convicts force their way into the arena, and some of them attempt to rape the female convicts. Katrina defends herself and the women, who are then evacuated. When guards intervene, Luke surrenders. He sparks up a conversation with Katrina, after which she asks whether he has a name; he replies, "Of course I do." Realizing Luke is still alive, Markus puts a $1 million bounty on his head, allowing some of the prisoners to kill him.

September launches an offshoot of "Death Match", which Weyland names "Death Race", where prisoners must win five races driving heavily-armed, reinforced vehicles over three days to earn their freedom; the female convicts are to play navigators for each racer. Luke manages to enter the race, with Katrina as his navigator and Lists, Goldberg, and Rocco his pit crew members. After winning the first race, Luke is congratulated by Weyland, who brings in Katrina as a prize. Once left alone, Luke and Katrina briefly banter with each other and have sex. Later, Katrina is brought to Markus, who offers her freedom if she kills Luke within 48 hours.

During the second race, all Luke's opponents but 14K, a member of the triad whom Luke saved from getting killed by another racer, attempt to kill him to earn Markus' bounty, prompting Katrina to reveal him the truth about her offer. In the latter stage of the race, Luke ejects Katrina from the car after discovering it was sabotaged by one of his pit crew members. Defenseless, he gets blown up by Big Bill's heat-seeking missile; Big Bill's navigator fatally stabs her partner after he kills his own pit crew and grabs her by the throat. Katrina and Luke's pit crew fail to save Luke from the burning car, leaving him engulfed in flames. Unbeknown to everyone but September, Luke survives albeit badly burnt; she coerces him into joining the race in a mask under the moniker "Frankenstein".

As the last race begins, a triad assassin executes Markus in his mansion as 14K's favor to Luke, Lists fatally stabs Rocco for sabotaging Luke's car, and Luke backtracks and runs over September, killing her. Intrigued by his new identity, Katrina then asks Luke whether he has a real name, and he replies, "Of course I do." She smiles as they get back to the race.

Cast

[edit]
  • Luke Goss as Carl "Luke" Lucas / "Frankenstein", a getaway driver convicted of killing a cop in a botched bank robbery and sentenced to life in a maximum security prison called Terminal Island[2]
  • Fred Koehler as Lists, a member of Luke's pit crew.[3] Koehler previously played the role in Death Race.[1]
  • Tanit Phoenix as Katrina Banks, Luke's track and romantic partner[4]
  • Robin Shou as 14K, a role previously played by Shou in Death Race[1]
  • Lauren Cohan as September Jones, a television producer who is the creator and host of "Death Race" and its precursor "Death Match"[2]
  • Danny Trejo as Goldberg, a Mexican-Jewish prison mechanic who is a member of Luke's pit crew[3]
  • Ving Rhames as Weyland, the founder of Weyland Corporation and owner of Terminal Island[5]
  • Sean Bean as Markus Kane, Luke's crime boss[2]

Additional members of the cast include Patrick Lyster as Warden Parks, DeObia Oparei as Big Bill, Hennie Bosman as Xander Grady, Joe Vaz as Rocco, Danny Keogh as Dr. Klein, Warrick Grier as Calin, and Tanya van Graan as Holly.[6]

Production

[edit]

A prequel to writer-director Paul W. S. Anderson's 2008 film Death Race (which is itself a prequel to 1975's Death Race 2000[7]) was put in development by August 2009, with screenwriter Tony Giglio tasked with expanding on Anderson's idea of an origin story for its main protagonist Frankenstein.[8] Giglio's script was greenlit by Universal Pictures in November 2009.[9] Neither Anderson nor actor Jason Statham returned for the prequel (tentatively titled Death Race: Frankenstein Lives) due to other commitments, though Anderson stayed on as producer with Jeremy Bolt and Mike Elliott.[8][10][11] Dutch director Roel Reiné signed on to direct in December 2009.[12] On March 2, 2010, it was reported that Reiné had begun shooting Death Race 2 on location in South Africa and Sean Bean had joined its cast of Luke Goss, Lauren Cohan, Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo, and Frederick Koehler.[13] The film was a co-production between Germany and South Africa,[1] enjoying tax breaks for having been shot in the latter location.[3]

A newly-bought Ford Mustang for Death Race 2 was rebuilt as how it originally appeared in the first film (pictured) for continuity purposes.

Shooting lasted 30 days in Cape Town on a $6–18 million budget; Reiné acted as camera operator on certain action scenes.[3][5][i] An abandoned cement factory near the slums outside Cape Town was utilized to stand in for the prison,[3][15] and Goss stated that a freeway was shut down for about five hours to allow shooting of his daytime hot pursuit sequences.[17]: 03:24–03:31  The car stunts were staged as realistic as possible.[3] According to Goss, he and Reiné decided that some shots of his driving sequences be filmed as he actually drove the cars, citing the 1968 film Bullitt as an influence.[17]: 03:16–03:23  Newly-bought units of three of the cars (including a Ford Mustang) from the first film were torn apart and then rebuilt by the filmmakers as how they originally appeared for continuity purposes.[3]

Release

[edit]

Universal released the film direct-to-video through its home entertainment division on January 18, 2011,[18] although it set the earliest release date for the United Kingdom, December 27, 2010.[4] Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain R-rated and unrated versions as well as bonus material including featurettes on the cars, stunts, and canonicity of the film, deleted scenes, and a feature-length commentary by director Roel Reiné.[16][18] According to The Numbers, home video sales for the film have totaled $8.4 million in the United States and Canada,[19] with 218,000 ($4.04 million) DVD copies sold in its opening week, making it a decent debut for a straight-to-DVD release. In contrast, 50,000 Blu-ray copies were sold on the same week.[20] Universal released a double feature collection comprising the film and Death Race on October 9, 2012.[21] All four films in Universal's Death Race franchise were released in a collection on October 2, 2018.[22]

Sequel

[edit]
Main article: Death Race 3: Inferno
Further information: Death Race (franchise)

The worldwide reception to Death Race and its prequel prompted Universal to enter production on Death Race 3: Inferno, the direct-to-video sequel to Death Race 2 and third installment in the Death Race franchise. Reiné and screenwriter Tony Giglio returned for the sequel, as did Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, Fred Koehler, Robin Shou, and Tanit Phoenix alongside series newcomers Dougray Scott and Hlubi Mboya. Shooting took place in Cape Town, South Africa later in 2011.[23] The film was released on January 22, 2013.[24]

Critical reception

[edit]

Between the relentless bloodbath and the thrilling lack of logical consequences, Death Race 2 never fails to astonish and entertain.

—Debopriyaa Dutta, /Film[25]

The film received generally favorable reviews upon its release.[26] While scoffing at the idea of "prequels to remakes", Salon.com insisted it was still "better than it has any right to be".[10] Many reviewers said the film was better than Death Race,[a] with Dread Central and IGN describing it as a worthy prequel that improves upon its Paul W. S. Anderson-directed source material.[7][16] Contrarily, Total Film said the film made his "look like an overlooked cult classic"[29] and the Daily Mirror found it rather "[b]rimming with guns, girls and growling engines" that car enthusiasts are bound to enjoy it more than a wider audience.[30] "[T]his movie", said the Winnipeg Free Press, "is no Death Race".[31] Despite the criticism, the action scenes were singled out by most for further praise,[26] with their quality described as "solid"[10] and "nicely staged".[32] Unlike those of "Death Race", the set pieces of its precursor "Death Match" received good reviews: Den of Geek found them to be "exhilarating"[4] and Total Film among the film's "guiltily enjoyable moments".[29] Even so, DVD Verdict found the film "guilty" of "running on empty" and The A.V. Club boring and amateurish; they agreed it was ultimately "a waste of time".[2][33] Other reviewers were more positive, considering it to be an entertaining full-bore action film, notwithstanding issues with the narrative in terms of plot, character, and originality.[b]

Screen Daily and IGN complimented the casting,[16][32] and most singled out the supporting cast for further praise.[26] Luke Goss, who was credited by DVD Talk with "supply[ing] the picture with a minuscule sense of personality" in "a thankless role",[5] was considered to be an attractive screen presence and a worthy successor to Jason Statham by several others.[c] Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, and Sean Bean were credited by some with keeping the film entertaining.[4][28][34] Even so, The Record said they delivered "scenery-chewing turns",[35] and Screen Daily deemed Trejo and Rhames' casting nothing more than cameo appearances.[32] Likewise, Den of Geek felt that Tanit Phoenix and Lauren Cohan would have done more if the film had only treated its female characters to some decent arcs; "I think what's more of a shame, though," said they, "is that the female cast wasn't given the same attention as the males."[4] Total Film said the acting was "awful", but that Bean at least "provides welcome respites from all the prison-based dullness".[29] DVD Talk commented that the goal of the film is to show not acting prowess but bloody violence, guns, and women as sexual objects, citing Cohan's "agonizing, cleavage-popping performance" in a promiscuous role as an example.[5]

Screen Daily found the film's production values spectacular for a direct-to-video release,[32] while ComingSoon.net criticized them as shoddy.[37] Grantland said the film was akin to "watching someone else play Dreamcast, poorly", finding "Death Match" in particular video game-like yet underwhelming in terms of presentation and production design.[38] Den of Geek acknowledged that the film "still had moments of unfinished effects, ... but, if anything, it added to the B-movie charm",[4] and Fearnet said it was "quite a bit better than what normally passes for a 'DTV sequel'".[34] HorrorNews.net found the editing "top notch" and the soundtrack "pretty bad ass".[36] DVD Talk wrote: "The most impressive aspects to director Roel Reine's film are the stunt work and crisp cinematography, giving fans of the first film another round of brutal races and beatings, only this time the picture appears to embrace its feral nature with a little more spunk."[5] ComingSoon.net felt that Reiné abandoned plot for stunning visuals,[37] while IGN credited him with making the film look slick and more expensive than it actually is on Blu-ray.[16]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b While Reiné quoted the film's budget at 10% of its predecessor,[5] sources have reported conflicting estimates: $6 million or less (The Numbers),[14] $7 million (The Hollywood Reporter),[15] and $18 million (IGN).[16]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[4][5][7][27][28]
  2. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[5][7][10][14][34][35][36]
  3. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[4][28][29][32][36]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Miska, Brad (October 6, 2010). "'Death Race 2' Comes Unrated on DVD/Blu-ray This January". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Modell, Josh (January 26, 2011). "Death Race 2". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "How To Make A Death Race". Total Film. Future Publishing. December 27, 2010. pp. 1–8. Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Bowles, Duncan (December 15, 2010). "Death Race 2 review". Den of Geek. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Orndorf, Brian (January 18, 2011). "Death Race 2 - Unrated". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on January 16, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "Death Race 2 - Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Barton, Steve (January 22, 2011). "Death Race 2 (Blu-ray / DVD)". Dread Central. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Rotten, Ryan (August 11, 2009). "EXCL: Death Race Prequel is in the Garage". Shock Till You Drop. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  9. ^ Rotten, Ryan (November 13, 2009). "Update: Universal Gives Green Light to Death Race 2". Shock Till You Drop. Archived from the original on November 14, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d Calhoun, Bob (January 22, 2011). "The "Death Race" prequel that's better than it should be". Salon.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Miska, Brad (November 13, 2009). "Movies 'Death Race: Frankenstein Lives' Begins Casting". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  12. ^ Turek, Ryan (December 7, 2009). "EXCL: The Death Race 2 Director is…". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  13. ^ Kit, Borys (March 2, 2010). "Bean Straps into 'Death Race 2'". The Hollywood Reporter. Vol. 413. p. 13. ProQuest 235466424.
  14. ^ a b Strowbridge, C. S. (February 2, 2011). "Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Death Race 2". The Numbers. Archived from the original on June 21, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Lewinski, John Scott (May 2010). "Out of Africa". The Hollywood Reporter. Vol. 414. p. 47. ProQuest 324953514.
  16. ^ a b c d e Shaffer, R. L. (January 20, 2011). "Death Race 2 Blu-ray Review". IGN. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Death Race 2 - On Set Interviews". IGN. January 15, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  18. ^ a b McCutcheon, David (October 6, 2010). "Death Race Lives On". IGN. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  19. ^ "Death Race 2 (2011)". The Numbers. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  20. ^ Strowbridge, C. S. (February 1, 2011). "DVD Sales: New Release Takes Top Spot". The Numbers. Archived from the original on June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  21. ^ "Death Race / Death Race 2 Double Feature [Blu-ray]". Amazon. ASIN B008R65XVA. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  22. ^ Miska, Brad (August 2, 2010). "Home Video 'Death Race: Beyond Anarchy' is Finally Coming Out". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  23. ^ Lane, David (December 13, 2011). "Death Race 3 Begins Filming in South Africa with Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, and Ving Rhames". Collider. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  24. ^ Miska, Brad (November 8, 2012). "'Death Race 3: Inferno' Dated For Home Video; Trailer and Art". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  25. ^ Dutta, Debopriyaa (June 23, 2024). "The Correct Order To Watch The Death Race Franchise". /Film. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  26. ^ a b c Malone, Alicia (December 29, 2010). "Exclusive: Death Race 3 revving up!". Moviehole. Australia. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  27. ^ Kirkland, Bruce (January 30, 2011). "Guilty pleasure; Direct-to-DVD prequel Death Race 2 is better than it has any right to be". The Ottawa Sun. Canada. p. E2. ProQuest 2215579903.
  28. ^ a b c Weeks, Isaac (January 18, 2011). "Death Race 2 Movie Review". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  29. ^ a b c d Geary, Dan (February 2011). "Bland Theft Auto". Total Film. No. 176. United Kingdom: Future Publishing. p. 138. ISSN 1366-3135. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024.
  30. ^ Edwards, David (December 31, 2010). "Death Race 2 DVD review: Revved up bid for freedom". Daily Mirror. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  31. ^ "Death Race 2: This Sequel to the Superior 2008 Edition". Winnipeg Free Press. Canada. January 20, 2011. p. E4. ProQuest 845331071.
  32. ^ a b c d e Adams, Mark (January 21, 2011). "Death Race 2". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  33. ^ Johnson, David (January 17, 2011). "Death Race 2 (Blu-Ray)". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  34. ^ a b c Weinberg, Scott (January 7, 2011). "DVD Review: 'Death Race 2'". Fearnet. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  35. ^ a b Longsdorf, Amy (January 21, 2011). "New on DVD". The Record. p. G10. ProQuest 845788688.
  36. ^ a b c Halen, Adrian (January 1, 2011). "Film Review: Death Race 2 (aka Death Race: Frankenstein Lives) (2010)". HorrorNews.net. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  37. ^ a b Brevet, Brad (January 18, 2011). "Blu-ray Review: Death Race 2 (Unrated)". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  38. ^ Silvestri, Max (December 21, 2011). "We Found It on Watch Instantly: Death Race 2 With Ving Rhames". Grantland. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023.
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