Death Race 2008 Review

Written by: vxtq   

Sort of a remake of the Roger Corman effort "Death Race 2000" this features prisoners in a contest which consists of a race which involves armored vehicles armed with weapons which the drivers acquire usage of during the race.  Win five races and the prisoner wins their release from jail.  Jason Statham stars as a wrongly convicted man (clearly set up) who also happens to be a former racer out in the real world.  He only has to win one race and he's free, since he is asked by the warden to play a character named Frankenstein who wears a mask and viewers love, who has already won four races. 

This film is pretty easy to review, because it comes down to two things.  Any time there is action on the screen of either the racing, fighting or explosions variety it's awesome.  Anytime it turns to dialog it's not much going on, as the viewer waits for the next action sequence.  The film has some blood and at least one gore shot, but nothing too extreme.  I've always liked Jason Statham and he's as charismatic as ever, and a great casting choice here. 

The supporting characters are pretty generic as is the initial plot setup, but Tyrese Gibson once again won me over (yeah I actually liked 2 Fast 2 Furious, I know, I know) with his tough tude, which became more intense during the second half.  If you're looking for a film with deep meaning, and characters with arch look elsewhere.  If you might enjoy a high octane actioner with a splash of blood you might like this.