Dan's Papers - August 29, 2008

As most film fans will agree, it's always interesting to point out the permanent impact a movie can have on popular culture. As you may remember, it was Jaws that made many of us terrified to swim in the ocean, and some younger people today who claim fear of sharks can pin their terror on the scare that still hasn't gone away. Another - albeit smaller - fixture arrived in the '70s, and while it's a pretty darn reprehensible thing to do, you've probably heard of someone driving a car, somewhere in your life, assigning points to objects in the road and tallying their values should they be struck. True, minutia at best, but that ugly happenstance also comes from a flick: Death Race 2000.

That film, which took place in the far-off year 2000, involved athletes who drove across the country, racing to both win and accumulate points for hitting anybody they could, from senior citizens to the Pope. It starred actors like David Carradine as Frankenstein and a young Sylvester Stallone as Machine Gun, and it was the kind of exploitation the 1970s specialized in, loaded with blood, sex and not-so-subtle jabs at the government. Not a great film, but, nonetheless, revered as a mindless classic.

So how, in the name of political correctness, did this movie get remade in 2008? Actually, while Death Race holds on to some of the tenants of its senior version, this film is an action movie for the present - while it's loaded with violence and adult behavior, they decided against trying out what legal ramifications would ensue by leaving out the whole "murdering innocents" thing.

This time, we get David Statham leading as former professional racer Jensen Ames, a man framed for the murder of his wife. Also taking place in the near future, he finds himself in a post-present penitentiary, where he immediately ends up brawling and seething - something actor Statham excels at. But it's OK, as the warden Hennessey (played by the way-talented Joan Allen) has plans for the lug - as the "Death Race" here in 2012 is destitute USA's favorite reality show. It seems the most popular driver, a man who remains masked, got knocked out (for good) in a previous program, and the boss sees Ames as a perfect fit to fill the now-unoccupied disguise. The warden promises freedom to her prisoner if he wins, but little does he know that if he dons the role of (you guessed it) Frankenstein and garners ratings...let's just say Hennessey and her people will do whatever they have to in order to keep the audience locked in.

In a weird twist, this is actually an easier movie to watch than its predecessor. Most remakes leave the moviegoer wondering why a good property ever needs a redo, yet here the concept, which, honestly, could never ever be touched these days, gets both cleaned up and filled with more action. There's no doubt that purists will never accept this transformation, but, in reality, this is a case where the remake really becomes its own product, and though it makes blatant references to the first Death Race, it's neither a weaker nor stronger version of the '70s cult fave. No, this time it's here to get people into the theatres, to buy their popcorn and watch the racing, car crashes and other titillating devices that action movies employ.

So, while there's no point system, there is still plenty of vehicular brutality, but this time the cars are much more gifted with weaponry and apocalyptic imagery, recalling Mel Gibson's Mad Max trilogy. And unlike Carradine's Frankenstein, an actual murderer who received adulation for senseless violence, this time the star has his life on the line and revenge on his mind, as he plans to axe the real killer of his wife. But you don't need a movie critic telling you any details, because the plot is just an excuse to get action up on the screen. Luckily, the cast here does a pretty good job, so it merits higher than the average Fast and the Furious gobbledy-gook. Will it win any Oscars? Golden Globes? No. But hey, if you need to see people driving recklessly and crashing into stuff, it's a lot more fun seeing it here than live on the LIE.

Ian Stark is a frequent TV and radio commentator on the film industry, and consults with private organizations on their collections. He is widely published on film and other arts/culture topics.