Review of Death Race (1973) by Harry W — 25 Jan 2013

Death Race knew how to handle itself. Despite overlooked implausibility in much of the thin plot, it's practically like live-action Mario Kart.

It had a good exploitation style premise and some awesome race sequences which have been extended to proper lengths for the viewers enjoyment.

Also, the ending was pretty awesome, especially if you're a sucker for an escape film.

There's also a decent supporting role from Joan Allen who's part as a sadistic prison warden is rather reminiscent of Nurse Ratched from the 1975 classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

So essentially, all you could ask for from Death Race is good action, and that's just what you get, so it's fairly good.

The only issues are that the action does feature some shaky cinematography and quick editing, so it occasionally f*cks up.

Also, Jason Statham is stuck in an emotionless hulk of a role,.

The plot is also thin and is somewhat overly simplified. But overall, Death Race was cool just because of the realistic Mario Kart style plot line.