Death Race 2000

Death Race parodies so many things it's hard to know where to begin. America-centrism (the government blame the French for everything), professional sports, pro wrestling (the drivers are badly acted "theme" types), Big Brother, and just about everything else you could name. At the same time it panders to the blood lust of the audience with cartoon violence. Sylvester Stallone is hilarious as a driver with the mannerisms of a 30's gangster, practicing on his accent for the Rocky movies. A must -see.

Death Race 2000 is, without a doubt, a camp masterpiece. Paul Bartel's energetic direction and jet black humor speed the proceedings along like the racers' custom-made autos. The photography is razor sharp, done in vivid color that beautifully captures the landscapes, rushing roads, and splatters of blood. The phenomenal cast turns in spirited performances all around, with the top prize taken by the exquisite Mary Woronov as sexy cowgirl Calamity Jane Kelly. Whether gyrating on a dance floor or going after a matador in her Bull car, she effortlessly steals every scene she's in. The only flaw in the movie (and it's a minor one) is the resistance; with so many colorful characters and hilarious dialogue and situations, you really don't care one way or the other about Thomasina Paine and her opposition forces. Still, this low-budget (about $300,000) New World opus is an audacious, wildly funny, gorgeously garish delight and an essential classic. "Go for the baby, the baby!"

Just exactly when bad taste ceases to be funny and becomes plainly cruel is a personal thing. However I have tried this film on a few friends and they did not enjoy it. That said I had rented the old VHS from the art-house vid shop 3 times before purchasing a cheap DVD copy when it popped up.

Personally I thought some of this was laugh out loud funny and other parts frankly embarrassing to watch.

I highly recommend Deathrace 2000 but take no responsibility should you decide to watch it! Tim

"Death Race 2000" is a low budget genre melting pot from 1975 starring David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone as two of five feuding race car drivers competing in a futuristic sport that is won based on racking up points from killing pedestrians and others. Based on a 1956 short story, it's a highly satiric sci-fi actioner that uses ironic and downright sadistic touches to examine America's abhorrent fascination with violence.

The ridiculously contrived and outlandish futuristic setting was put into heavy rotation during the mid-70's in several other films ("Westworld"; "Soylent Green"; "Logan's Run") as a means to tell downbeat and cynical stories that allowed the audience to escape their own reality, but still experience a certain catharsis.

In the case of "Death Race 2000" the results are a mixed bag, as the over the top material races from dark comedy to "Sleeper"-like sci-fi to undercooked romance and back again. It works because of the tongue-in-cheek direction of Paul Bartel, who would go on to helm the brilliant dark comedy "Eating Raoul". The whole thing is great fun, and has a surprising innocence underneath all of the mostly cartoonish violence.

This said, the main gripe would have to be the inconsistent pacing, as the race and the story took breaks between laps, which leaves the viewer peeking at their watch.

'Mad Max' meets the 'Running Man' and they both drive over miss Daisy. 'Death Race 2000' is a disconcerting smithereen job, but also fun. It is unprobable to say the least: 'Frankenstein' as the embodiment of national virtue? Nice thought over a dose of mescaline maybe. With unbelievable music too. Everything seems 2 B possible: ethical correct splatter comedies? You've got it. The acting in this supposed SF (caricatures of the immoral society of the future) is absolutely horrible (apart from Carradine and Griffeth). Add some black humor and non-existing emotions and you have Death Race 2000: the obscure cult flick in which Sly gets slapped around some as driver Machine-Gun Joe Viterbo. And retrospectively one of his best roles, besides 'First Blood' and 'Rocky'.

Luckily there was room in the rating for some graphical splatter and nudity, which is why this has become a cult movie. And fat chance the uncut version will be banned where I live. It is more than questionable if the story is really about the fear of America becoming that chauvinistic and drenched in bloodlust. I get the impression that most of it is just a glorification of violence. But in a more thoroughly humorous way than e.g. Wild Bunch (1969) et al. Imagine the American president has a summer house in Peking, or driver Mathilda the Hun has a nazi-navigator Herman the German...

DR2k was appropriately filmed by the great cinematographer Tak Fujimoto (Badlands, Silence of the lambs, Sixth Sense, and last but not least Ferris Bueller's day off). Good for Paul Bartel that he made Death Race 2000 before George Miller made Mad Max (1978), because it would have been a completely obsolete cartoon otherwise: something like Evil Knievel vs Dick Dastardly. Nevertheless DR2k is quite enjoyable. This movie may be inspired by 'the Cars that ate Paris' (Weir, 1974) and seemed to have inspired 'Carmageddon' (VG) and Mad Max of course. Guys, it's been real. Jesus Chrysler, I'd almost rate this 6/10.