Today’s quick review: Death Race. In the near future of 2012, one of the most popular sports is a deadly race between death row inmates. Given weapon-laden cars and pitted against each other in a merciless race track of lethal obstacles, those prisoners who can survive the track and outrace their competition are given their freedom. When the sport’s most popular racer, the mask-wearing Frankenstein, is killed in a crash, Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) is given the chance to take up Frankenstein’s mantle for what would have been Frankenstein’s last race before freedom. Falsely imprisoned for his wife’s murder and hoping to see his child again, Ames accepts the challenge and sets about trying to win the most deadly event of his life.
Death Race is a racing-based action movie centered around a prison death game. The premise is pure action fodder, and plot exists solely to support the race scenes. There are a few plot twists along the way; none of them are particularly surprising, but they are enjoyable nonetheless. Jason Statham plays his typical character: a tough-as-nails action hero with a rocky exterior and a kind heart. Jensen Ames is not as interesting or as memorable as Statham’s character Frank Martin from The Transporter, but he gets the job done. The action of Death Race is actually rather impressive. The races have a nice progression to them, racing and combat are blended well, and the array of traps and surprises in the tracks give the races a sense of dynamism and peril.
Death Race is a surprisingly fun action movie with creative stunts, an uncommon take on the death game genre, and a strong lead in the form of Jason Statham. Watch it when you’re in the mood for cars, violence, and Jason Statham. Skip it if you dislike violence, far-fetched premises, or thin plots. For your fix of popcorn action, look no farther.
6.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for fun execution of a simple premise.