“Death Race” is a 2008 remake of 1975’s “Death Race 2000”. The original film blended satire with graphic violence while the remake is more of a standard action flick but I did still really enjoy it. The new movie stars Jason Statham (“The Transporter”, “War”), solidifying his position as one of the dominant action stars of the 2000s.

In the near future, mass unemployment and increased privatisation of the prison system has led to the creation of ‘Death Race’. This is a lethal car race competition where prisoners race for their freedom by murdering other racers. Jensen Ames (Statham) is framed for murdering his wife and must partake in the race if he wishes to see his daughter ever again.

Jason Statham is good as the tough hero. Statham’s character is forced to wear a mask and pretend to be the mysterious ‘Frankenstein’ racer. Tyrese Gibson (“2 Fast 2 Furious”) plays Machine Gun Joe and he’s okay. These roles were played by David Carradine (“Lone Wolf McQuade”) and Sylvester Stallone (“First Blood”) in the original. Other actors in this new version include Ian McShane (“John Wick”) and Robin Shou (“Mortal Kombat”). One thing I really miss about the old version is all the presenters of the race.

As you can probably tell, I really liked the more comedic style of the original but I appreciate this remake. It does its own thing and makes significant changes. For example, the original had the racers run over pedestrians for points. Here, the racers have to drive over certain markers on the track to activate their weapons. It almost feels like a bloodthirsty game of “Mario Kart”. The racing here is fantastic and it’s very exciting to watch. I also like the gritty aesthetic of the world it creates. I recommend seeing both versions as they both have a lot going for them.