Friday, January 13, 2017

Death Race 2000


Date of Release: 1975
Director: Paul Bartel
MPAA Rating: R

In a dystopian America, the national sport is "The Transcontinental Death Race." This event is a brutal game where drivers get points for running over innocent people. The most famous racer of them all is Frankenstein, whom is a very mysterious man that has a face unknown to everyone except his navigator Annie. Throughout, a resistance attempts to kill the drivers, in order to have the race abolished in the future.

The film was produced by cinema legend Roger Corman, it was directed by Paul Bartel, and it stars David Carradine, Sylvester Stallone, Simone Griffieth, and Sandy McCallum.

"Death Race 2000" is a simple film on the surface. It looks and feels like a campy comedy, and it will fill you with laughter on many occasions. But like "South Park," this humor is used to entertain viewers while portraying deep political messages. As brutal and unnecessary the violence may seem, it all is used appropriately to show what the world will become if we let a totalitarian government take over. It also shows the hypocrisy of the resistance, because they kill to stop killing. All of this is successfully portrayed with great direction by Bartel, wonderful acting by the leads, and the supporting actors that perform as the spectators, because their obsession with the race satirically shows how desensitized the people of the world have become. This film is endlessly interesting, and it has great rewatch value.

Overall, there isn't really anything to dislike about "Death Race 2000." It is a hilarious and extremely effective film that proves to be a great example of the golden age of exploitation films. I highly recommend this movie to any fans of cinema, because it is a gem that should never be forgotten.

Grade: 10/10

No comments:

Post a Comment