Review - Death Race 3: Inferno (2013)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. As we inch closer and closer to the release of season two of Twisted Metal, I think that it's a good time to jump back into the world of vehicular combat. Today, we're taking a look at 2013's Death Race 3: Inferno , directed by Roel Reiné once again, and seeing the returns of Luke Goss, Tanit Phoenix, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, Frederick Koehler, and Robin Shou, with the main newcomer here being Dougray Scott. Released direct-to-video by Universal, this movie is another prequel to 2008's Death Race, and serves as a continuation of 2010's Death Race 2.

       So, the movie starts off with R.H. Weyland talking about the success of Death Race, and the popularity of the masked driver Frankenstein. However, reports hint that another businessman, Niles York, looking to acquire two major assets from Weyland: Terminal Island and Death Race. And, it's during the contract signing that Weyland puts together York's plan: franchise the Death Race. How? Well, York plans to take Death Race global, hosting a new race in a new exotic prison, each with their own sets of challenges. Only one problem: Frankenstein. York initially rebuffs this problem, as he can have dozens of Frankensteins out there, and the fans won't tell the difference. But, as Weyland points out, Frankenstein has just won his fourth Death Race, and wins his freedom if he wins one more race. The fans know this, and they will abandon ship is York changes the rules. 

        Speaking of Frankenstein, what's he up to? Well, as we learned from Death Race 2, Frankenstein is actually Carl "Luke" Lucas, and he has been getting surgical treatment to restore his face and body from the burn scars he received in his epic crash, with Weyland putting up the money for Luke's treatment. But, Luke points out that it wasn't for any charitable reasons, and was only to keep Luke alive. Evidently, the burns became infected, and Luke would have died without treatment. Some time later, Luke is brought before York, who reveals that he, 14K, and their respective navigators and pit crews are being transferred to a prison located in the Kalahari desert in Africa, where both Luke and 14K will compete in the first ever Desert Death Race. But, to keep the fans watching, York wants Luke to lose, or else he and his companions will be killed. 

        So, Luke, Goldberg, Lists, Katrina, and 14K all arrive in Africa, where a riot ensues, and Luke's mask is knocked off, revealing his identity to his companions. Lists and Goldberg as both shocked, but Katrina is angry with him, despite the fact that he had previously hinted at who he was at the end of the last movie. Just saying. But, before the Death Race begins, the new producer and host, Satana, introduces something radical: a battle between sixteen women prisoners, including Katrina, for one of the ten spots for navigators in the Death Race. Lists does point out that Katrina's celebrity status puts her at a disadvantage. But, she does survive, and thus can still be Luke's navigator. 

      The cars in this race are much bigger, and are built more for endurance and less for speed. Also, the route for the race is sent to a tablet set up in each car, and each driver is implanted with a tracker, as there are no walls. However, as a deterrent from attempting escape, or starting too soon, the trackers can be used for missiles to lock on to the driver and eliminate them. Yikes. Lastly, it's all offensive weapons, and no defensive weapons at all. 

       So, Luke loses Day 1 of the Kalahari Death Race, and Goldberg ends up hurt in a fight after the race. Luckily, a nurse patches him up, and she turns out to be a fan of Goldberg. Nice. The next day, Luke reveals he "cut a deal," and reveals that a plan is in place. Unfortunately, we don't see the details of the plan just yet. Things get crazy during the second day of the Kalahari Death Race, and the Warlords of Kalahari end up getting a involved in the race, and Goldberg apparently dies. But, Luke still wins the race. The final day of the Kalahari Death Race is where York finally loses it, and does everything in his power to ensure Luke loses, and even makes plans to supplant Satana as host, and she makes a call to someone who knew York would try to screw her over. 

        The race is won by 14K, but Luke drives towards York, who is chained to the desk ensuring he doesn't escape. A massive explosion happens, and we later learn from Santana that both York and Katrina died in the explosion, but Frankenstein survived and would be transferred back to Terminal Island along with Lists and 14K. York's former assistant Prudence speaks with Hennessy, leaving the rebuilding of the Death Race in her hands, ensuring that Terminal Island is the permanent he for Death Race, and she also showcases a file for Coach, who was selected to be the new Pit crew chief for Frankenstein. Prudence is informed that Frankenstein is awake, but is ranting and raving. Lists confirms that the man is, indeed, Frankenstein, but the man continues to assert that he is Niles York and NOT Frankenstein. Okay, what the hell is going on here? 

      Well, to answer that, we see Luke and Katrina living a happy life together, along with Goldberg and the nurse, and they're all living off of a very generous amount of money from Weyland himself. So, we flash back to reveal the "deal" Luke was talking about was with Weyland. What was the plan? Stage the deaths of York, Katrina, and Goldberg, use the nurse to put Frankenstein's tracker into York, so the world will believe HIM to be Frankenstein, and thus Luke, Katrina, and Goldberg are free. Lists had that option as well, but decided that someone should stay behind that knows the full story. Also, we learn that the nurse was put in place by Weyland, and it was Weyland who told Santana to make sure York didn't leave the room before the crash. So, the plan wasn't to KILL York, but instead to pass on the curse of Frankenstein from Luke to York. 

       York takes on the mantle of Frankenstein, and swears revenge. Only one problem: Frankenstein is one win away from freedom, but the people behind Death Race will never let that happen. 

        So, Death Race 3: Inferno is an okay movie. It certainly fills in a few more plot gaps that weren't answered in Death Race 2, and helps make certain things make a lot more sense. The idea that Luke, as Frankenstein, was able to accumulate four victories in the Death Race, making him one more win away from freedom, but somehow died after a massive crash at the beginning of the first movie was a bit head-scratching to say the least. But, the idea of someone else becoming Frankenstein by the end kinda works, as it implies a concept Hennessy made in the original film: anyone can wear the mask, but not everyone can drive the car. I also like how they explain that Luke, Katrina, and Goldberg are living new lives, free and being funded by Weyland, which is also an explanation as to why Goldberg and Katrina weren't on Frankenstein's team in the first movie, with Ian McShane's Coach taking Goldberg's spot, and Natalie Martinez's Case taking Katrina's spot. 

       But, it's the performances I wanted to talk about. While the returning Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, and Tanit Phoenix all give great performances, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting more screentime with Tanit Phoenix as Katrina, it was the one major newcomer I want to focus on with Dougray Scott as Niles York. This was one of only a handful of performances I've seen from Dougray Scott, and is easily his most unlikable character. York is pegged as this unsympathetic, greedy, ambitious piece of shit, and Dougray Scott plays into that exceptionally well, showing how good he is at portraying villains on film. 

        The new main location of the Kalahari desert in Africa was also a neat change of pace. I mean, we've gone through two straight movies on Terminal Island, so a change of setting and an attempt to evolve the Death Race concept beyond the track of Terminal Island was necessary. And, the new model cars, all built predominantly for racing through the dunes of the desert, looked pretty badass. And, the new lineup of drivers that Luke and 14K are driving against were all pretty enjoyable, but not necessarily as outstanding as the drivers from Death Race 2. 

        All in all, Death Race 3: Inferno does its job well, as it fills in a few gaps left behind from the previous film, and finishes establishing the backstory into the start of the 2008 film. Definitely give this one a watch if you're already a fan of the previous two movies, but only if you've already seen both Death Race and Death Race 2. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys in the next review.