"There goes the baddest ass in the yard." – "Death Race" Review

“Death Race”
2008
*** out of ****
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Cast: Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Joan Allen

I don’t understand the hate with Paul W.S. Anderson. He’s not one of the greatest filmmakers ever, and his films aren’t very good when it comes to the plot, but they are a lot of fun and the action sequences are particularly well done. “Death Race” is no exception to this one. It’s silly, it’s stupid, and it’s entertaining. It is the summer movie that no one even cared to watch. Sorry if I say that it is more enjoyable than “The Dark Knight” is.

Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) comes home from work everyday to his wife (Janaya Stephens) and baby daughter, but one day, as he jumps in the shower, he finds his wife dead and gets knocked out cold by the killer. When he wakes up, cops arrest him and he’s framed with the murder of his wife. He is sent to Terminal Island, the world’s toughest prison ever. This prison hosts the single biggest event since the Hot Dog Eating Competition called Death Race, where cars race against all of each others and have to try and knock all of them off before they get knocked off. In order to get your freedom, you must win five tournaments.

Now, in order to keep ratings up, Warden Hennessey (Joan Allen) takes it upon herself to try and get Ames into the driver’s seat and play as the masked Frankenstein. The original Frankenstein died in the last tournament, but since he was such a popular character, she tells Ames that all he has to do is compete in one tournament and he will have his freedom.

That’s pretty much it when it comes to plot. The movie is called a “remake” of the 1970s cult classic, but in all honesty, this film is the farthest thing from it. Whereas “Death Race 2000” was about running over pedestrians with cars, this “Death Race” is completely different… where it is more of a race than just running people over.

This review will be very short because I really don’t know what to say about the film. A lot of the film is fun, but it isn’t very easy to review or analyze. There are some scenes in the movie that are really fun to watch and there are some scenes that are a little bit out there. Jason Statham is the best action hero that we have working today and I really enjoy seeing him on-screen. “Death Race” is a lot of fun, even though it doesn’t pack the biggest punch in the end.