Apparently the year 1975 was the year for futuristic dystopian action sports films, with both Roger Corman's Death Race 2000 and Norman Jewison's Rollerball being released that year. I will be checking out Rollerball sometime, but what is interesting is that the two similar movies were released back then, and in the last decade both of them have received remakes. However, while the remakes kept the gladiator style action sports idea, both threw away what really makes their original counterparts work, the dystopian society that underlies these televised sporting matches to the death.
Death Race 2000's premise is a transcontinental american road race, taking America's love for speed and cars, and combining it with their love of violence. When you look at the movies being made now, and back in the 70's, the idea of the Death Race isn't far fetched at all, with mankind's love for televised violence. Because, while the 5 driver and navigator pairs race across America, they score points as they rundown innocent pedestrians, with more points being allotted based on age of the victim. The race is deadly to both it's drivers and innocents, but the Death Race is also a symbol of American values and society in the year 2000, and the bloody gladiatorial race keeps the nation satisfied in a world not much like our own.
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| You mess with the bull and you get the front bumper. |
So, how different is a society that watches vehicular slaughter for entertainment? Well, apparently sometime in the 70's, the government collapsed and a single party took over creating a seemingly fascist police state, the United Provinces, lead by a Mr. President. While not too much information is given as to the actual economic state, or the state of freedom in the United Provinces, there are plenty of remarks on the global state of things, and things do not seem good. However, a group of rebels are determined to change things, and they are going to use Death Race 2000 to do it.
The best thing about Death Race 2000 is that you can get both an action packed B-movie about a violent road race as well as a thinking man's movie about politics and dystopian societies. Sure, it might give you a little more of the first, but the entire story is generally driven by the nation's struggle for freedom. However, just because you are intrigued by the idea of a movie along the thoughtlines of 1984 and the like, doesn't mean you are going to enjoy Death Race 2000. There is a reason it is simply a well loved cult classic. Many people watch Death Race 2000, and proclaim it to be terrible and a waste of their time, glorifying mindless violence, and coated with ridiculous acting, and nonsense. While Death Race 2000 may have the latter two, it certainly isn't the first two, and anyone who thinks so clearly didn't watch it with an open mind.
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| Just wait until you meet his bride. |
Because, as much as the themes of Death Race 2000 may be exceptionally intelligent for a movie of it's kind, it is still a drive-in B-movie in most aspects. The action is ridiculous, and over the top, the acting is of varying degrees but cheesy, the violence is excessive and bloody, and they even manage to fit in a bunch of beautiful women with some nudity and a couple sex scenes. Yet, this movie doesn't get to the point of being exploitative, and remains a cult B-movie favourite. If you take even a minute just to read the IMDb forums, you can find people who think this movie is trash, or sadistic or that it just sucks. Then there are those well-worded individuals who jump to it's defense with statements like "Those who question the value of Death Race 2000 don't like puppies, flowers, or apple pie." Personally, I love all those things, and I love Death Race 2000.
There were really only a couple good things about the Death Race remake. It had the death race, it had Frankenstein, it had action and it had Jason Statham. Well, Death Race 2000 has all that and so much more. The characters are so much better as over the top B-movie characters than as prison inmates. You have Frankenstein, the scared racing machine played by David Carradine (the Bill in Kill), who is more than he appears and his new navigator Annie, played by Simone Griffeth, who is more than just a redhot sexpot. There is also Matilda the Hun (a Nazi), Calamity Jane (a cowgirl), and Nero the hero (a Roman). Then there is our lead antagonist racer, Machine Gun Joe Viterbo (a gangster) played by none other than Sylvester Stalone. That's right, finally a name you all recognize. It doesn't matter if you know them or not however, they all play their characters great, if full of B-movie cheese.
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| Not what you were expecting was it? |
In the end, Death Race 2000 is a movie you are either going to understand and enjoy, or you're going to consider just another B-movie that you don't like based on things like budgets and cheesyness. In my eyes however, Death Race 2000 has it all: action, dark comedy, political satire, sci-fi elements, romance, and racing, there isn't anything missing from this movie except more love for it. I personally think the biggest step anyone can take while watching movies is to understand and appreciate B-movies for what they are, not just compare them with the hit and miss successes of the Hollywood A-list. That way, whenever Hollywood fails to put out something decent, you have entire decades of cult classics and great B-movies to watch and enjoy in a way you just can't with the A-list ones.
Link:
Death Race 2000 IMDb
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