Death Race

Action, from beginning to end, mixed with beautiful girls, blood, and death makes this movie undoubtedly one that most guys will love.

In a world in the near future, the American economy collapses, putting thousands of people out of jobs, turning the streets to chaos and forcing the government to take drastic actions.

The prisons become privately owned, and to make money, the owners start showing fights and deaths online, for a price of course.


The latest scheme is called the ‘Death Race,' where a number a drivers compete to win a series of three races. The driver who wins five series, gets to go free. However, this is no ordinary race. The vehicles are equipped with guns, shields and everyone knows that the best way to ensure that you win the races, is to kill off your opponents.

Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) a mill worker, now out of work, is a family man at heart, with a wife and a baby daughter. One night, he comes downstairs after tucking the baby in, to find his wife dead on the kitchen floor. Bang. He wakes up as police enter his house, holding a knife and covered with blood. Ames is convicted of killing his wife and sent to the infamous prison, Terminal Island, where the ‘Death Race' takes place.

Once he arrives there, the warden, Hennessey (Joan Allen) asks him to race for her. Frankenstein, a racer that had won four races already, but who died after the last race, was a superstar. The audience loved Frankenstein, but to keep them happy Henneessey wants Ames to race as Frankenstein. Meaning that if he wins the series, he would be let free and could be reunited with his daughter.

However, the task is harder than is looks, because he has to stay alive long enough to finish each race. Along the way, Ames comes across some evidence of who his wife's real killer is, and why this horrible tragedy happened to his family.

How far is Ames willing to go for the truth and what is he prepared to do to get his daughter back.

Death Race is definitely a “guy movie.” Tons of action kept the movie interesting the entire time. Statham (The Bank Job) was well suited for this role, although it was a little weird seeing him as a family man, it was a refreshing change. Tyrese Gibson (Transformers) as one of the other drivers, was also well suited to his role. Joan Allen is very versatile, playing meek and strong characters very well, so she added a lot of depth to this movie.

I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys Statham's previous movies, and likes a movie with a lot of action.

Final Words: Saw it. It was ok. It's worth watching just for Statham.