I've always liked the original Death Race 2000 (1975). The black comedy, the scuzzy settings (sometimes low budget can work to your advantage), the over the top acting (except for the Brandoesque turn of David Carradine's) and the crazy characters. This was uniquiely American--Nascar to the highest power. One of Roger Corman's better movies.
Now there's Paul W.S. Anderson's version. Anderson's a good director and with the budget he has he''ll make one of those Rollerball-Running Man movies that opens on action and sets out playing can you top this right to the end. I was surprised when his Alien vs. Predator turned out to be a good movie.
But I wonder if the remake witll have the spirit, the intellectual cajones of the brilliantly trashy original.
We're on the same page, Ed. To this day I'm amazed at the original Death Race's tone. It's bold, bracing satire. But Anderson knows how to make fun action fare. I don't expect his film to measure up to the 1975 version. But if stuff blows up good, I'll be there.
ReplyDeleteEd, I was in High School when Death Race 2000 came out. That movie for the time it came out was just completely out there--it was also at a point when the average movie goer--at least people my age--weren't as desensitized to violence as movie goers are today. I almost left very early, but then they had the nude scenes with the playmates, and I stayed glued in my chair. The new one looks like a completely different film--instead of the race being a national past time where all citizenry is open game, they've turned it into some kind of "Running Man" movie.
ReplyDeleteI think the film turned out so well due to the folks behind behind the camera; Paul Bartel directing, Ib Melchior (story) and probably the most underrated screenwriter in film history, Charles B. Griffith. Corman was also smart enough to let people do their thing and only interfered when things concerned budget overruns.
ReplyDeleteplus the original is the best film Sylvester Stallone was ever in.
ReplyDeleteI'm tempted to see the movie to watch Joan Allen in a comic-book film, but I'm getting tired of noisy CGI effects, and it looks like they're hanging the story on the tired premise of the innocent guy framed for murder.
ReplyDelete