The two big names present in the cast, Sean Bean and Ving Rhames, are particularly wasted, given roles which require them to sit around and do absolutely nothing else. Lauren Cohan fares little better as an overly-obvious arrogant journalist type, while Danny Trejo has virtually nothing to do in the stock role of car mechanic.
Luke Goss is nothing more than a dome-headed dunderhead, an obvious stand-in for Statham but one that lacks that actor's trademark intensity and scowl. To be sure, this is far from a great film and it falls down particularly in regard to the actors, all of whom are ill-serviced by their parts. For DEATH RACE 2 captives the vibrant, adrenaline-fuelled spirit of the first film and Dutch director Roel Reine, himself a veteran of a dozen B-movies, proves to be a better director than Paul W. I'd even go so far as to say this is as much fun as the first film, although it has only a fraction of the budget and only one returning cast member, as far as I can tell. DEATH RACE 2 isn't a complete bomb but it's pretty useless and fails on most levels that should make it a fun exploitation film.ĭEATH RACE 2 is a surprisingly entertaining little straight-to-video sequel to the Jason Statham starrer, itself a remake of a Roger Corman cult classic of the 1970s. The rest of the supporting cast is pretty much what you'd expect in a film like this. Ving Rhames and Danny Trejo both pick up paychecks, which they both deserve. Goss isn't too bad in his role but he's really not given much to do.
Death race 2 movie movie#
There's a reason romantic comedies don't have bloody violence so the producers of this film should have realized that the people renting a movie called DEATH RACE 2 don't want romance. Even worse is an incredibly awful love story that is thrown in for no apparent reason.
The producers wanted to make sure that you still liked this guy no matter what. Now, I understand that the 2008 film was a "pretty" version of DEATH RACE 2000 but why on Earth would they deliver something so tame in this prequel? I mean, you know you're going straight to DVD so why not deliver something fun, wild and over-the-top? The filmmakers didn't even have the guts to show Lucas as a bad guy and just wait until you see how they filmed the cop getting killed. This includes the story, the action, the violence and the blood. The biggest problem is that everything in this movie is pretty tame. DEATH RACE 2 has a lot of tough talk but the film never backs any of it up and in the end we're left with a pretty lifeless movie with no guts or glory.
Death race 2 movie tv#
When the TV ratings on this drops she decides to make it more interesting by offering a race to the death, which would give prisoners their freedom. In this film, Carl Lucas (Luke Goss) gets sent to prison after killing a cop in a botched robbery and once there he realizes that a female wacko is filming death matches between the prisoners. A brutal prison yard demolition derby that pits prisoners against each other in steel reinforced, heavily armed vehicles, Death Race offers the winner the ultimate prize: freedom - if he can survive to enjoy it.Death Race 2 (2010) * 1/2 (out of 4) This direct-to-DVD flick is being sold as a sequel to the 2008 film DEATH RACE but it's actually a prequel and tries to show the early history of the man who would become known as Frankenstein in the following film. Convicted cop-killer Carl Lucas (Luke Goss) arrives on the Island to serve his life sentence just as ruthlessly ambitious television personality September Jones evolves the death match into the ultimate reality show – Death Race. The worst of these prisons is Terminal Island, where inmates fight each other in a highly rated televised death match, where there are no rules, and the winner is the one who survives the gladiator-style, no-holds-barred competition. To contain the growing criminal population, a vast network of for-profit, private prisons springs up, creating a lawless subculture ruled by gangs, cold-blooded killers and sociopaths. Here's the official plot synopsis: Death Race 2 takes place in the very near future, as the United States economy begins to decline and violent crime starts to spiral out of control. Thanks to Shock Till You Drop for the trailer. If you were a fan, check it out after the jump along with a plot synopsis and cover art. Besides the fact that it doesn't have Jason Statham or Joan Allen in it, this sequel – even though it's direct to video – looks right in line with the action, budget and effects of the first film. From director Roel Reiné, the film stars Sean Bean, Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo and others. For those of you who always wondered how the death race in Death Race began, it seems that Death Race 2, which comes straight to DVD and Blu-ray on January 18, will hold the answers you desire.