Review - Death Race (2008)

    Hey guys, Chuck here. For today's review, let's talk about the 2008 film Death Race. Directed by Alien vs. Predator and Mortal Kombat director Paul W. S. Anderson,  Death Race was based on Roger Corman's 1970's cult film Death Race 2000, a film about a cross-country road rally where drivers mowed down pedestrians to rack up points. The 2008 film, however, focuses on a track race on an island penitentiary where imprisoned convicts drive around the track and shoot at each other. Hence, the film takes just as many cues from the vehicular combat video game series Twisted Metal, specifically the PS2 game Twisted Metal Black, as it does from Death Race 2000. 

    The movie opens with a text that states that in the future, after the American economy collapsed, crime rates spiraled out of control, and the criminal justice system reached a critical breaking point, which led to federal penitentiaries being run by private corporations for profit. At one such facility, Terminal Island, a series of extreme cage fights were staged between the prisoners and aired online to create a ratings sensation. The prisoners were the modern gladiators, and the island was their coliseum. Unfortunately, the modern audience grew bored with the fighting and demanded more, which led to the creation of the Death Race, where if a driver wins five races, he wins his freedom. We start off during the final stage of a Death Race, where the sport's star driver, Frankenstein, is driving to win, despite the warnings of his navigator Case, and the fact that his defensive weapons aren't working. Meanwhile, his racing rival, Machine Gun Joe, is in pursuit, trying to keep Frankenstein from winning. Frankenstein, after dropping something called the "Tombstone," has his fuel tank hit by a missile from Joe's truck, killing Frankenstein unbeknownst to the fans. But, we'll get back to that later. 

    We then meet our protagonist, Jensen Ames, who is out of work after the steel mill he was working at shuts down. Jensen returns home to his wife, Suzy, and their newborn daughter, Piper. Jensen is later knocked out by a masked assailant, who killed Suzy and framed Jensen for her murder, leading him to be arrested, with Piper being placed in a foster home. Six months pass, and Jensen is transferred to Terminal Island, where the Warden, Hennessey, and her personal lapdog, prison guard Ulrich, want him to drive in the Death Race as Frankenstein. This is due to the fact that the other Frankenstein died on the operating table after the race we saw at the start of the movie. In Frankenstein's absence, the viewership has been down by half, and with it the corporation's profits. Jensen agrees, as winning guarantees his freedom. Jensen then meets his pit crew, consisting of Coach, Gunner, and Lists. Coach shows him all of the different aspects of the car he'll be driving, such as the NOS tank, the two mini-guns on the hood, and a six-inch solid steel shield on the back of the car called the "Tombstone." Lists runs down the list of other drivers, including 14K, Hector Grimm, Travis Colt, and Pachenko, along with Machine Gun Joe, who refers to Jensen as "Igor." 

    The first day of the race arrives, and Jensen meets Case. There are some setbacks, however, as both the defensive and offensive weapons were sabotaged. Grimm, Colt, and a driver named Siad all die during this round, and Jensen becomes distracted when Pachenko makes the exact same hand gesture as the masked assailant that killed Suzy, causing Jensen to lose the race. That evening. Jensen confronts Pachenko about the frame, and it is revealed that Hennessey and Ulrich  put Pachenko up to it so that Jensen could be brought to Terminal Island to drive as Frankenstein. On the second day of the race, Case reveals that Hennessey had her sabotage the weapons on the car to set back both Jensen and the other Frankenstein, so that Frankenstein could keep racing, thus boosting the ratings. Jensen then pursues Packenko, forcing him to crash and then stepping out of the car to snap his neck. Hennessey then releases a war rig called the Dreadnought, which kills three more drivers: 14K, Carson, and Riggins. Jensen then teams up with Joe to activate a snare trap called a death head to destroy the Dreadnought, enraging Hennessey, but pleasing the other inmates. This sets up the final race as a one-on-one race between Jensen and Joe. Coach, meanwhile, finds a structural weakness on the track, which Jensen and Joe can use to escape. Hennessey, meanwhile, has Ulrich plant a bomb on Jensen's car, determined to keep him from winning, despite already signing his release papers in the event that he wins the race. 

    During the final race, Hennessey and Ulrich do everything they can to keep Jensen from winning, and as soon as they realize that both Jensen and Joe are making their escape, Hennessey tries to detonate the bomb. However, Coach found and removed the bomb, enraging Hennessey further, and she orders the helicopters to pursue the drivers. Case takes over for Jensen behind the wheel of the car while he and Joe hop aboard a freight train to freedom. Jensen agrees to meet Joe in Miami once he retrieves Piper from her foster parents. Hennessey receives a box containing the bomb, as well a photo of Piper's foster father with the words "Warmest regards. Your monster" written on it, only for the bomb to be remotely detonated by Coach, killing Hennessey and Ulrich. Six months later, and Jensen and Joe are fixing cars in Mexico, with Piper in hand. Case arrives, and Jensen introduces her to Piper, ending the movie with a narration where Jensen sees his daughter as his chance for something better, and he's not going to give that chance up. 

    Death Race is far from a perfect film. However, it is one of the few Paul W. S. Anderson projects that I legitimately enjoy. The performances by Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Natalie Martinez, Joan Allen, Jason Clarke, Ian McShane, Robert LaSardo, Max Ryan, and so forth were really good, and the racing scenes were the main highlight of the film. However, I do feel that giving the film a tone more in line with the game Twisted Metal Black, as opposed to the campy tone of the original Death Race 2000, may have thrown some fans off. As far as action movies go, this is one that's fun to just shut off your brain for a while and enjoy, but not one that's really a must-watch. I'm going to give Death Race a 3.75/5. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time.