Death Race

Objective Rating (How much merit I think it deserves):
5.5/10
Subjective Rating (How much I personally like it):
6.5/10

Year made: 2008
Runtime: 111 minutes
IMDB page: here

Oh it's exciting, it's bloody, sparks flying everywhere. It's fatally pumped with testosterone, it makes Fast the Furious looks like a wimp. That's right, it's Death Race.

Plot: Man, does the plot even matter? It's an okay plot, but no one watches this kind of movie for the plot. Jensen is a blue-collar worker struggling to make ends meet. He gets framed for his beloved wife's murder and gets sent to jail, where the ultimate reality show takes place: Death Race. The inmates race really fast and dangerously armed and armoured cars. The one who wins 5 races gets to walk free. Of course, there's the slight hindering aspect that you might get your head shot off and crushed flat in the race, and the mortality rate per race is 64%. The femme-fatale warden pushes Jensen under the mask of Frankenstein, a legendary racer who died after winning his 4th race but is an audience magnet. Oh, did I mention the whole thing is aired over the internet to paying subscribers, and that's motivation for the warden to keep things interesting.

Cast: Whoa. I'm getting a mixed message here. Jason Stathem as Jensen, very fitting role. I really love Stathem; the guy's got a kind of rough charm, like in The Transporter or The Italian Job. Sinewy, lean, with a steely light gleaming in his eyes. He's built for this kind of movie. But then there's Ian McShane as Coach, the old-dude sage fixing cars and giving out advice. And then there's Joan Allen as the anything-goes warden who gets down and plays dirty for subscriber ratings. Oscar nominations and Golden Globes under those two heavyweights' belt... what's the movie trying to get at? That it's got character acting? Er... no. The "making-of" feature says it's not a B movie, that it's clearly an A movie because of the cast. I say it's trying to be an average A movie when it can be a superb B movie. I vote for the latter.

Production: crazy, crazy car stunts, with lots of horsepower and firepower. Some grisly deaths. There's not enough character development for you to actually care about any of these poor dudes with tattoos who get their guts shot open, but everything's realistic enough that you might cringe a bit. The cars and the guns are very sweet; chances are you'll love it if you are a guy, and you'll leave the movie theater (or the TV) early if you are a girl (why you were watching such a movie in the first place is questionable).

Truly a thrilling ride, a very solid B movie with some A-movie wannabe tendencies.