FAQ

Death Race is a remake of the 1975 film La course contre la mort (1975) with a new script written by English director Paul W.S. Anderson. It is not based on the 1976 arcade game Death Race (1976), which was inspired by the 1975 film.

It isn't exactly stated when Death race takes place. It is stated in the prologue that in 2012 the economy collapsed and that before Death Race there were Gladiator type battles. So it can be assumed that it is at least a decade after the Cage Fights started which was probably around 2015, so we can assume this takes place in 2025.

In the DVD commentary, Paul W.S. Anderson describes the original concept as a "reimagining" of Paul Bartel's La course contre la mort (1975), so in that sense it's a remake. However, David Carradine's voice cameo as Frankenstein at the beginning of the film suggests that it could also be seen as a sequel. Anderson also says that when he was making the film, he thought of it as a prequel to Death Race 2000, showing how the Death Race began in a prison before it went on to become the cross-country race seen in Bartel's film. However, the film can't literally be a prequel since it takes place an indeterminate time after 2012 and Death Race 2000 is set in (of course) 2000. Or it could mean that it was the 2,000th race and has nothing to do with the year.

(1) Jensen Ames's Ford Mustang, (2) Grimm's Chrysler 300C, (3) 14K's 1988 Porsche 911, (4) Colt's Jaguar XJS, (5) Riggins' Buick Riviera "boat-tail" (early 1970's), (6) Carson's Pontiac Trans AM, (7) Siad's BMW 7 Series (E32), (8) Pachenko's 1966 Buick Riviera (chop top), (9) Machine Gun Joe's Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 Pickup, and (10) "The Dreadnought" is a Peterbilt Tractor with a modified tanker trailer.

The R-rated theatrical version was not cut to obtain the rating. The unrated edition extends some fights and action scenes and runs more than 4 minutes longer.