Death Race 2000

Stallone's acting actually steals the show -- he's an above-average actor in a far below-average move. He even makes it look credible when skinny-armed, slow-moving Carradine, who punches like a 12 year old girl, beats him up.

...Actually, the movie's dialogue, sets and acting are very, very amateurish. ... The satire is thin, the humor is virtually non-existent (except for some pretty hard and well-justified whacks at the media), and characters have not the slightest bit of depth or logic. There are a lot of scenes involving gratuitous nudity (exclusively of women) and characters will sleep with their mortal enemies, try to kill them and then (literally) five minutes later embrace them lovingly, etc. I particularly like the scene where a saboteur tries to drive Frankenstein off a cliff and, as soon as he stops her, he gets out of the car (leaving her in control of the car), walks to the edge of a cliff directly in front of the car, and stand there contemplating the universe. Instead of finishing the job and killing him, the saboteur follows him and gives him a hug.

That said, the cars themselves are very imaginative and there is good action. Some of the special effects are well above par for a B-grade movie like this one. And, for all the terrible acting, [bad] script and silly plot, there is just enough fun in it to make your typical low-brow action-loving American, such as myself, sit still through 90 minutes of it. On the other hand, my wife, who is not a non-low-brow, non-action-loving American, found it utterly to lack redeeming value.


A bad film, unless you like that sort of thing.   November 17, 2003
Jason Robey (Silver Spring, MD USA)
15 out of 34 found this review helpful

This is a very silly movie that hasn't aged well since its release in 1975. It has aspirations of being a clever social satire, but it's really just low-brow entertainment, often not too far removed from the "Skinimax" flicks of the late-80's. That may be a good thing if you're into cult flicks and B-movies, but for most viewers this is too cheesy to even be mildly amusing.

In "Death Race 2000", David Carradine stars as national hero and veteran racer Frankenstein, while Sylvester Stallone plays Machine Gun Joe Viterbo, his biggest competitor. They compete against three other drivers in a transcontinental road race where extra points can be earned by running over pedestrians. One by one, the five cars fall victim to a group of rebels who are intent on putting a stop to the gruesome sport.

The violence, of which there is very little, is played for comedic effect. However I think the intended reaction was more along the lines of "oh man, that was BRUTAL, haha!" rather than "oh man, that looked so cheap, haha!" Low budget film-lovers rejoice! This is your movie.

Interested parties should be prepared for Carradine's "dominatrix" outfit, complete with mask and cape. I think it was supposed to make him look sinister, but instead he comes off looking rail-thin and ridiculous. Stallone, in a supporting role as a stereotypical Italian tough guy, steals the movie.

The beautiful supporting actresses also overshadow the star, Carradine. Anyone familiar with producer Roger Corman knows that, in his world, fast cars and gratuitous violence go hand in hand with bare-breasts and the occasional catfight. "Death Race 2000" is no exception.

If you've seen this before and decided it's your type of film, then this is definitely version to get. Stay clear of the 1998 release by Digital Multimedia, a very poor transfer with blurry, grainy images and an ever-present hiss. This 1999 release by New Horizons looks infinitely better and the sound has been digitally re-mastered. It also has a few extras, like the theatrical trailer, bios and an interview with producer Roger Corman.


"Chicken in a basket?" "No, they're Chicken in a Casket!"   August 12, 2006
Kenneth M. Pizzi (San Mateo, CA United States)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

So these are the words of Calamity Jane, a contender in Roger Corman's low budget farce, "Death Race 2000." It is interesting that Amazon paired Corman's film with Norman Jewison's "Rollerball" and for good reason: one movie is pure satire and played strictly for laughs while the latter is a far more serious and somber commentary on the media, America's love affair with violence steeped in what we call "sport," and the cult of celebrity. Both films explore these themes quite differently, yet both are entertaining as they are disturbing.

As a black comedy, "Death Race 2000" is more or less a cheaply made exploitation flick (budgeted at approximately $300,000), that never pretends for an instant to be anything more than a satire of the future and a parody of "Rollerball"--a far more ambitious, absorbing and expensive film.

Corman's film depicts a "game"--the Transcontinental Death Race--designed to cater to society's need to channel its aggression and hostile impulses as sort of a 21st century equivalent of the Roman circus offering spectators both entertainment and a catharsis in its more manic and kinetic moments.

Yes, the film is crazy--from the attack on Frankenstein by the French Air Force to Thomasina Paine (hilarious!) and her revolutionaries' thwarted attempts to assassinate "Mr. President" and end the Transcontinental Death Race once and for all. While the special effects in Corman's film are decidedly low-rent, save for some interesting matte paintings injected at the beginning of the film, the cars themselves, customized by car designer James Powers, are both creative and imaginative. The film, for the most part is amusing and very funny. The "Real Don Steele" is terrific as the commentator with one-liners that will leave you laughing.

While Carradine's "Frankenstein" looks utterly ridiculous in a plastic helmet and a vinyl body suit, a pre-Rocky, Sylvester Stallone steals the show and seems far more comfortable in the role of "Machine-Gun Joe Viturbo." Stallone would be a household name a year later with "Rocky" released in 1976. Before he assumed his US Senate seat representing his home state of Iowa, a bespectacled Fred Grandy, preceding his "Love Boat" debut on ABC, also manages some laughs as "Herman the German."

This DVD release with its extras and commentary is a vast improvement over the Digital Multimedia release that looks like it was pirated-off someone's VHS copy recorded in EP mode. For Corman fans, this would appear to be the release to shoot for. And according to IMBD, Corman is presently working on a big budgeted sequel due out sometime in 2008.


Great movie, *AWFUL* DVD   September 28, 1999
Geoffrey Kidd (Berkeley, CA USA)
9 out of 13 found this review helpful

Whoever did the transfer of this edition should be forced to watch it over and over without possibility of parole. The picture is "ghost"-ridden and, in some places, looks overexposed. Toward the end of the movie, the sound loses synchronization with the picture. Avoid this edition at all costs. It's bad enough to make you want to give up DVD as a medium.