Death Race

August 22nd, 2008







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Death Race

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Still of Jason Statham in Death RaceDeath RacePaul W.S. Anderson at event of Death RaceDeath RaceDeath RaceStill of Joan Allen and Jason Statham in Death Race

Plot
Ex-con Jensen Ames is forced by the warden of a notorious prison to compete in our post-industrial world's most popular sport: a car race in which inmates must brutalize and kill one another on the road to victory.

Release Year: 2008

Rating: 6.5/10 (71,204 voted)

Critic's Score: 43/100

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

Stars: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson

Storyline
In 2012, amid economic chaos and high unemployment, Americans watch by the millions as criminals with life sentences race armored cars on Terminal Island. Two-thirds of the combatants die but the winner may earn his freedom. On the day he loses his job, steelworker Jensen Ames is arrested for his wife's murder. Sent to Terminal Island, he's offered an out by the steely and manipulative Warden Hennessey - race as the popular mask-wearing (but now dead) champion, Frankenstein, or rot in prison. Jensen makes the bargain. As the three-stage race approaches, he realizes that the whole thing may be a set up - can an anonymous man behind a mask get revenge and win his release?

Writers: Paul W.S. Anderson, Paul W.S. Anderson

Cast:
Jason Statham - Jensen Ames
Joan Allen - Hennessey
Ian McShane - Coach
Tyrese Gibson - Machine Gun Joe
Natalie Martinez - Case
Max Ryan - Pachenko
Jason Clarke - Ulrich
Fred Koehler - Lists
Jacob Vargas - Gunner
Justin Mader - Travis Colt
Robert LaSardo - Grimm
Robin Shou - 14K
Benz Antoine - Joe's Navigator
Danny Blanco Hall - Joe's Navigator
Christian Paul - Joe's Navigator

Taglines: Get ready for a killer race.



Details

Official Website: Official site | Official site [France] |

Release Date: 22 August 2008

Filming Locations: Cité du Cinéma, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office Details

Budget: $45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: RUR 85,534,049 (Russia) (14 September 2008) (427 Screens)

Gross: $74,564,910 (Worldwide) (14 January 2009)



Technical Specs

Runtime: USA: (unrated version)  | (theatrical version)



Did You Know?

Trivia:
It took Paul W.S. Anderson over 13 years to get his adaptation on to the big screen.

Goofs:
Continuity: In the last race Machine Gun Joe' and Jensen Ames' head lights change. One shot Jensen Ames head lights are out while Machine Gun Joe has-his head lights on and vice versa. also At one shot you see that Machine Gun Joe has one head light out and in another shot he has both head lights on same with Jensen Ames head lights

Quotes:
[first lines]
Case: [while being shot at during Death Race] Damn it!



User Review

who needs a plot when there's explosion and mayhem?

Rating: 7/10

2012 the economy has hit bottom, broke through and has kept on descending. Along the way prisons have been handed over to the private sector that have chosen to make a profit by broadcasting gladiatorial style death matches starring the inmates, with the reward to the inmates after 5 victories – FREEDOM Enter Jensen Ames (Jason Stratham) a recently unemployed steel worker and former race car driver who lost his license but no matter how bad things are, he's a happy man as long as he has his family.

That is, until he's set up for the murder of his wife, imprisoned, and forced to compete in Death Race if he ever hopes to see his daughter again.

But enough of the plot! A paragraph blurb at the start and 8 minutes of character development is pushing the limits of this flick and that's not why a person would see a W.S. Anderson/Jason Stratham action flick and besides, a plot would allow "plot holes" and who needs to deal with that headache? The rest of the movie takes place in the 3 days of Death Race. The first 2 days are competition/elimination rounds reminiscent of Mario Kart as if it was designed by some rogue member of GTA on a disgruntled day but who loved the hidden short cuts and power-ups.

Amongst all the adrenaline filled action, Anderson makes sure to toss in the occasional character development or when he's feeling really daring he'll toss in some pseudo-dramatic realization our hero comes across which helps remind the movie-goer that the movie has a plot rather than just a string of explosive action sequence. All of this is done with the utmost use of cliché and designed to inspire the excitable little 12 year old boy in many of us to stay riveted in our seats as we wait for Jensen to strike with angry revenge for all he's been through.

The movie is everything a modern day movie aficionado should not like. It's brainless, sexist, ridiculously violent, and lacks any redeemable qualities. These are also all the reasons why I had so much fun with the movie. I went seeing what I expected and that's exactly what I wanted to see!





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