Loosely based on the 1975 cult classic Death Race 2000, Paul WS Anderson’s new film is a turbo-charged action-thriller set in a bleak future in which the prison population is spiralling out of control and reality programmes continue to dominate television and the internet.
Doting family man Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) is framed for the slaying of his wife and ends up in Terminal Island maximum-security prison, run by no-nonsense warden Hennessy (Joan Allen).
She presides over Death Race, a pay-per-view battle for survival in which inmates are given the chance to race for their freedom by simply winning five three-lap showdowns on the island’s specially contructed course.
All the vehicles are equipped with shields and weapons, including machine guns and cannons, which are activated by driving over lit squares dotted around the course.
Hennessy offers Ames his freedom if he agrees to race as the mythical masked driver Frankenstein against three-time champion Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson), Pachenko (Max Ryan), Travis Colt (Justin Mader), Grimm (Robert LaSardo) and 14K (Robin Shou).
Ames reluctantly agrees and prepares for the big day, aided by lead mechanic Coach (Ian McShane), pit crew Lists (Frederick Koehler) and Gunner (Jacob Vargas), and sassy navigator Case (Natalie Martinez).
Unbeknownst to the prisoners, Hennessy doesn’t intend to allow any of them to go free, bending the rules with the help of her assistant Ulrich (Jason Clarke) to ensure maximum carnage and record viewing figures as the race streams live over the internet.
- Release Date: Friday 26 September 2008
- Certificate: 15
- Runtime: 104mins
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