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Released By: Universal Studios
Released On: 01/18/2011
Directed By: Roel Reine
Cast: Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, Sean Bean, Ving Rhames, Lauren Cohan
The Film:
Ugh. Few things get the old hackles raised like a Direct-To-Video sequel, especially when it's a sequel to a film that I quite enjoyed. Death Race, the remake of the Roger Corman classic Death Race 2000, was a fun, testosterone-filled throwback to the eye-candy action films of the 1980s that I grew up on. So when I received DEATH RACE 2, the theatrically unreleased prequel, I was not pleased. Once in a blue moon, though, I am wrong, and this was one of those times. Despite the lack of favourites Jason Statham and Ian McShane, Death Race 2 brings back the elements that made the first film so popular, as well as throwing some new ones into the mix.
Not to spoil anything, but with the way Death Race ended, a sequel would have been idiotic and lacking in credibility; a prequel, however, gave the filmmakers a chance to expand on the story in the original film and come up with some interesting ideas of their own. It is still 2012, as it was in the first Death Race film. Prisons are still privatized, and still responsible for a good chunk of the entertainment on television. A riot at Terminal Island Penitentiary is broadcast live, and the ensuing mayhem brings in a huge chunk of the ratings, inspiring television personality September Jones (Lauren Cohan) to approach Weyland Corporations' CEO (Ving Rhames) with the concept of Death Match; a gladiator-type battle between inmates. Familiar to fans of the Death Race are hidden sensor pads that, when triggered, give the fighters access to a variety of curious and devastating weaponry.
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the vicinity, crime boss Markus Kane (Sean Bean) is working out the details of a bank robbery that will take place with Carl Lucas (Luke Goss) at the helm. Unfortunately for Carl, his track record of getting away clean with no casualties is muddied by the ill-timed arrival of the police, some trigger-happy accomplices, and a sack of grenades. He is convicted and sent to (you guessed it), Terminal Island Penitentiary with Lists (Frederick Koehler, reprising the role) and ends up on work detail with a lug named Rocco and a scary con named Goldberg, (Danny Trejo) the “last of the Mexican Jewsâ€. Against the Warden's wishes to keep Lucas out of the public eye to protect him from Markus Kane, September puts him in the televised Death Match, which ends in another murderous riot. Realizing that her career with Weyland Corporation may be over, September proposes a “safer†competition….the Death Race.
The crew involved with the creation of Death Race 2 did a fantastic job, and their love for the first film really shows. Similar soundtrack cues, set pieces, actors and of course, the cars make an appearance in the film. The same fast-moving sequences are here, stopping short of being incomprehensible, as are the same explosive if sometimes unrealistic stunts, including a mid-race prison shanking. In addition to Frederick Koehler's return, Robin Shou also provides an encore performance as 14K, and the look of the film is aesthetically so similar to the first film, despite being filmed in South Africa, that it's almost like a warm, kickass safety blanket. It's hard to imagine a better cast of players, and Luke Goss, Danny Trejo and company will have you wondering, “Statham Who???†by the end of the film.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Universal Blu-Ray of Death Race 2 comes with a 1.78:1 anamorphic picture, and looks great for the most part. Though there are a few darker scenes that suffer from an obvious shimmering effect, they are few and far between, and the rest of the film displays a good balance of colours and contrast while remaining sharp throughout. The DTS-HD 5.1 audio track matches the quality of the picture with a lot of action in the surrounds and enough explosions to send the sub thumping across the floor. Dialogue, effects, and score, are mixed well and don't suffer from any issues.
Universal has also provided some pretty fancy extra features with the disc, in addition to it being provided with a DVD and digital copy of the film. First up are the Deleted Scenes, which run about 5:46 and don't really add anything worthwhile to the story. It is worth noting that the Unrated version of the film runs 1 hour and 41 minutes, approximately 2 minutes longer than the R-Rated version, which cuts a few scenes involving nudity, but nothing extreme.
The Deleted Shots Montage is a bit different, in that it's a compilation of clips assembled by Director Roel Reine with music, and as he explains in the introduction, something that he just likes to do with his films.
The Race Begins: The Evolution of the Death Race features interviews with the cast and crew and covers topics such as Paul Anderson's influence on the film, Roger Corman's Death Race 2000, and Roel Reine's directing techniques. It runs just over 6 minutes.
Cheating Death: The Stunts of Death Race 2 features approximately 10 minutes of on-set interviews with Reine and the stunt crew, as they run through some of the tricks that they used to pull off the more intricate action sequences.
Fast Cars And Firearms: The Cars of Death Race 2 is a 7 minute piece on the analysis of the vehicles used in the film, as well as the first Death Race, and their roles as characters in the film.
Rounding out the supplements is a Commentary by Director Roel Reine. Covering just about every aspect of the film imaginable, including the editing of the script, the influence of Anderson's Death Race, casting decisions, choice of locations, building the sets and props and the different cameras used, Reine talks almost non-stop. It's a very informative track, and fun to listen to as Reine clearly loves the film and action movies.
The Final Word:
Very well done, especially in the company of other DTV sequels, Death Race 2 is worth checking out, and Universal has done a fantastic job with this release.
