I saw this last night with some hommies.
As far as remakes go, the only one that has ever impresed me was HALLOWEEN. most others sucked for me. But DEATH RACE looked interesting, possibly because it wasnt an entire copy of the original story. They do the story alot different, and they pull it off. I still think it wouldve been cool if Sylvester Stalone wouldve made a cameo, but it still blew my butt off. Go see it, dudes. It's pretty cool.
I've been waiting for someone to see this so I could get some more info on it. According to the trailers, the story looks like a massive bite off of The Running Man or The Condemned: tough guy hero gets framed for murder so he can fight for his freedom in a media hyped death sport, only to uncover proof of his innocence so that the ones responsible can pay for their crime in the end. Is there anything else to the story that the trailers don't show?
I'm not sure about this one. I'm not a big Statham fan (in fact, I don't like him at all). I'll probably wait for the DVD unless I hear tons of good reviews.
Quote from: The Burgomaster on August 25, 2008, 11:22:49 AM
I'm not sure about this one. I'm not a big Statham fan (in fact, I don't like him at all). I'll probably wait for the DVD unless I hear tons of good reviews.
See
The Bank Job. He doesn't act like a gangster/soccer hooligan. It was refreshing.
Wait, isn't this a sequel?
IMDB says that: "Follows Death Race 2000 (1975)"
Quote from: Cthulhu on August 25, 2008, 03:39:55 PM
Wait, isn't this a sequel?
IMDB says that: "Follows Death Race 2000 (1975)"
Nah. Its a completely different set-up with a few charecters who have the same names as the original.
Quote from: KYGOTC on August 25, 2008, 10:01:58 AM
I saw this last night with some hommies.
As far as remakes go, the only one that has ever impresed me was HALLOWEEN. most others sucked for me. But DEATH RACE looked interesting, possibly because it wasnt an entire copy of the original story. They do the story alot different, and they pull it off. I still think it wouldve been cool if Sylvester Stalone wouldve made a cameo, but it still blew my butt off. Go see it, dudes. It's pretty cool.
Good to see someone else appreciating the Halloween remake. I did like the TCM remake, but it seems I'm in the sole minority there. :buggedout:
Quote from: The Burgomaster on August 25, 2008, 11:22:49 AM
I'm not sure about this one. I'm not a big Statham fan (in fact, I don't like him at all). I'll probably wait for the DVD unless I hear tons of good reviews.
All the movies I've seen him advertised for looked absolutely dreadful. Don't know why that dude gets put in movies.
Quote from: Oldskool138 on August 25, 2008, 03:34:31 PM
Quote from: The Burgomaster on August 25, 2008, 11:22:49 AM
I'm not sure about this one. I'm not a big Statham fan (in fact, I don't like him at all). I'll probably wait for the DVD unless I hear tons of good reviews.
See The Bank Job. He doesn't act like a gangster/soccer hooligan. It was refreshing.
Jason Statham is a terrible actor, every film is the same and he can only play one type of character. Don't expect him to try and shake the accent either any time soon. I wonder how many times he'll kick people in slow-mo during Deathrace?
Quote from: circus_circus on August 25, 2008, 09:01:00 PM
See The Bank Job. He doesn't act like a gangster/soccer hooligan. It was refreshing.
Jason Statham is a terrible actor, every film is the same and he can only play one type of character. Don't expect him to try and shake the accent either any time soon. I wonder how many times he'll kick people in slow-mo during Deathrace?
[/quote]
He only kicks one guy in Bank Job...and it's at the end.
Quote from: AnubisVonMojo on August 25, 2008, 10:33:07 AM
I've been waiting for someone to see this so I could get some more info on it. According to the trailers, the story looks like a massive bite off of The Running Man or The Condemned: tough guy hero gets framed for murder so he can fight for his freedom in a media hyped death sport, only to uncover proof of his innocence so that the ones responsible can pay for their crime in the end. Is there anything else to the story that the trailers don't show?
Actually, i was describing the movie to my step-dad and he also brought up "The RunningMan". Huh. Ill have to go see that.
As for your question, there is a little more. The warden makes him assume the identity of the track favorite (who died in his last race) to keep ratings up.
Quote from: KYGOTC on August 26, 2008, 12:12:39 AM
Quote from: AnubisVonMojo on August 25, 2008, 10:33:07 AM
I've been waiting for someone to see this so I could get some more info on it. According to the trailers, the story looks like a massive bite off of The Running Man or The Condemned: tough guy hero gets framed for murder so he can fight for his freedom in a media hyped death sport, only to uncover proof of his innocence so that the ones responsible can pay for their crime in the end. Is there anything else to the story that the trailers don't show?
Actually, i was describing the movie to my step-dad and he also brought up "The RunningMan". Huh. Ill have to go see that.
As for your question, there is a little more. The warden makes him assume the identity of the track favorite (who died in his last race) to keep ratings up.
Thanks for the update K. Ah, so they did keep
something from the original
Death Race intact after all.
I just saw this on DVD. Its a pretty good popcorn flick and the car races are quite brutal. The film sported many decent names like Ian McShane and some I haven't seen in awhile like Robin Shou (Mortal Kombat). Relative newcomer Natalie Martinez is some rather nice eye candy. Although this film will probably be forgotten by yours truly in a few years, for now it supplied me with some mindless fun on a Saturday night.
Worth mentioning that that's David Carradine in the opening as Frankenstein (well, at least his voice). Nice cameo.
I thought it was an entertaining film. It's trash, but enjoyable trash.
I hated it. I have no problem with anybody turning the original into a silly popcorn flick, but by jettisoning all the humour they threw away all the fun too.
And the camerawork during the action scenes... it was as bad as the reality-TV mannierisms they wanted to poke fun at.
As for Statham, there are worse non-actors out there, but he just seems incapable of displaying any emotions.
QuoteAnd the camerawork during the action scenes... it was as bad as the reality-TV mannierisms they wanted to poke fun at.
Yeah I forgot to point out the obnoxious shaky camera thing thats is so Hollywood these days.
Saw it in the theater during the summer. I was disappointed almost all the way around, they defanged the movie by taking out the satire of the original. I knew the points were being removed from the remake, but much of the black comedy of the original came from those bits as well.
I was hoping for a trashy fun violent exploitation flick, and some big names slumming a bit & hamming it up fro a paycheck. There was noise, car crashes, and explosions (all boring and badly shot), and McShane and Joan Allen went through the motions but never quite rose to the scene-chewing challege.
The remake either needed to play with the satire of the first one by updating it for our times (the airwaves are filled with tons of Juniors now, look at Ryan Seacrest or Billy Bush) or go full on over the top with sex, violence, gore, swearing, and general bad behavior. Come on you're remaking a Corman-produced film from the 70s, it's going to be a bit grubby and trashy by default.
I give them credit for the Carradine "cameo", and Statham can be a decent if predictable action star, not a great actor but he has made some flicks. See The Bank Job, Crank, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and the first Transporter flick (haven't seen the sequels). He was also cool in his small role in The Mean Machine, mostly for his fantasy sequence during the game.
Watched this last night and thought it was pretty good. :smile:
I don't have a problem with Statham and thought he was decent in this movie.
The reason for him being framed was actually plausible and made sense.
Like Darksider said, the races were pretty brutal. The shaky cam gets out of control sometimes, though. So be prepared for that.
It does have some good action sequences.
Like the scene when Hennesy unleashes that Dreadnought truck on them... Simply awesome!
So 14K was Robin Shou! When I watched the movie, I kept thinking, "I know I've seen that guy in a movie before!" but couldn't place him or remember his name.
Yep, that was Liu Kang behind the wheel. :teddyr: He looks different with a shaved head.
I almost felt bad for his navigator. She dies one of the most grisly deaths in the whole movie.
Frankenstein's mask looked cool!
(http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/5202/22race600pm9.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
This was a good movie. Not great, but good.
As a whole, it feels somewhat lacking but it does have some kickass individual scenes.
The vehicles all look cool and the acting is good.
I'd definitely recommend it and give it 3 out of 4 stars. :thumbup:
Quote from: Cthulhu on August 25, 2008, 03:39:55 PM
Wait, isn't this a sequel?
IMDB says that: "Follows Death Race 2000 (1975)"
It's now listed as "Version of". The original script was a sequel titled
Death Race 3000. The writer/director said it was a prequel set 15 to 20 years before even though it's set after 2000.
It was grittier, but lacks that great dark humour of the original. I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't go overboard with the CGI, the shaky cam, choppy edits were annoying as hell though.