Death Race (2008)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Paul W.S. Anderson

Writers (WGA):

Paul W.S. Anderson (screenplay)
Paul W.S. Anderson (screen story)

Release Date:

22 August 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Get ready for a killer ride.

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.

Plot Keywords:

Warden | 2012 | Armored Car | Murder | Car Cigarette Lighter

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jason Statham	...	Jensen Ames
Joan Allen	...	Warden Hennessey
Ian McShane	...	Coach
Tyrese Gibson	...	Machine Gun Joe Mason
Natalie Martinez	...	Elizabeth Case
Max Ryan	...	Pachenko
Jacob Vargas	...	Gunner
Jason Clarke	...	Guard Ulrich
Frederick Koehler	...	Lists
Justin Mader	...	Travis Colt
Robert LaSardo	...	Hector Grimm
Robin Shou	...	14K
Benz Antoine	...	Joe's Navigator #1
Danny Blanco	...	Joe's Navigator #2 (as Danny Blanco Hall)
Christian Paul	...	Joe's Navigator #3

Also Known As:

Death Race 3000 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

USA:111 min (unrated version) | 98 min (theatrical version)

Country:

USA | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44430) | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:18 | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 | Japan:PG-12 | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Germany:18 | France:U | Argentina:16 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Cité du Cinéma, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

4 tons of blank ammunition was used.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): One of the characters remarks that the .50 caliber bullets will go through the Tombstone in a few seconds. But a .50 caliber round wouldn't even make a dent in 6" of solid steel.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Film '72: (2008-09-23)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Grown Woman

Don't Listen to the Critics

I always hate it when all those high class critics from the newspapers and journals bash a film for not being what THEY want it to be and not looking at it for what its SUPPOSED to be.

The title is "Death Race" after all. No-one ever expected it to win any golden trophies in the first place. So what if the acting was a bit bland and the plot was a little weak. That's not was the movie is supposed th be about.

It's not a Martin Scorsese film where you sit back and think "Oh, that is very thought-provoking and I feel that I've truly learned something inspirational today." No. This is a film where you sit back, look at it, and think "Holy ****!! Did you see that ********** explosion?!"

This is a film where you have fun in. Don't worry if you walk away with nothing meaningful to talk about at the end. Go ahead and laugh at its stupidity. I guarantee you you'll still have a much better time that watching something like Capote