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Death Race 2

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Death Race 2
Cover art
Directed byRoel Reiné
Screenplay byTony Giglio
Story by
Based onCharacters
by Paul W. S. Anderson
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn McKay
Edited by
  • Radu Ion
  • Herman P. Koerts
Music byPaul Haslinger
Production
companies
  • Universal Pictures Productions GmbH
  • Moonlighting Death Race Films C.C.[1]
Distributed byUniversal Studios Home Entertainment
Release dates
  • December 27, 2010 (2010-12-27) (United Kingdom)
  • January 18, 2011 (2011-01-18) (U.S. and Canada)
Running time
100 minutes
CountriesSouth Africa
Germany
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6–18 million[i]

Death Race 2 is a 2010 action film that was directed by Roel Reiné and written by Tony Giglio, who co-developed its story with Paul W. S. Anderson. The film is a co-production between South Africa and Germany, and is the prequel to Anderson's 2008 film Death Race—which itself is a prequel to 1975's Death Race 2000—and the second installment in the Death Race franchise. Death Race 2 stars Luke Goss as Carl "Luke" Lucas, a convicted cop killer who is sentenced to life in a for-profit, maximum security prison, where he is forced to compete in the titular reality show to earn his freedom. Fred Koehler, Tanit Phoenix, Robin Shou, Lauren Cohan, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, and Sean Bean appear in supporting roles; Koehler and Shou reprise theirs from Death Race.

Death Race 2 was greenlit as a prequel that tells the origin story of the franchise's protagonist Frankenstein without the directorial involvement of Anderson, who was retained as producer, and the appearance of Jason Statham. Reiné signed on to direct the project and filming began in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2010. Universal Pictures released the film direct-to-video through its home entertainment division on January 18, 2011, although it set the earliest release date for the United Kingdom to December 27, 2010. Death Race 2 received generally favorable reviews. Reiné also directed a direct-to-video sequel, Death Race 3: Inferno (2013).

Plot summary

[edit]

A gang robs a bank for the crime boss Markus Kane. When two police officers enter the building, getaway driver Carl "Luke" Lucas tries to convince his accomplices to abort, but they refuse. Luke intervenes, resulting in the death of one of the robbers. Luke kills an officer and abandons his accomplices to fulfill Markus's wishes. Following a chase, Luke is captured, sentenced to prison and later transferred to Terminal Island. Markus orders a hit on him, convinced Luke will trade information about his crimes for immunity, even though he vows never to do so.

Terminal Island is a for-profit, maximum security prison controlled by Weyland Corporation. Among their sources of income is "Death Match", a televised pay-per-view gladiator-style combat show with prisoners as participants. The prisoners are given access to weapons or defensive items to use. Death Match is hosted by disgraced former Miss Universe September Jones, now a Weyland Corporation employee.

Luke meets Lists, Goldberg, and Rocco, and catches September's attention after protecting Lists from an attempted assault. September makes sexual advances and tries to temp Luke to fight for prison privileges, but Luke rejects her. In retaliation, September chooses Lists to fight Big Bill, an imposing Black prisoner who attacked him earlier. Luke jumps into the caged arena to fight Big Bill, briefly assisted by convict ring girl Katrina Banks. Sparked by racial tension, a riot starts. Prisoners force their way into the arena and some of them attempt to rape the female convicts. Katrina defends herself and the other women, who are then evacuated. Guards intervene and Luke surrenders; he then talks with Katrina. Realizing Luke is still alive, Markus puts a $1 million bounty on his head.

September launches an offshoot of "Death Match" that Weyland names "Death Race." To earn their freedom, prisoners must win five races driving heavily armed, reinforced vehicles over three days, and female convicts must play navigators for each racer. Luke enters the race with Katrina as his navigator, and Lists, Goldberg, and Rocco as his pit crew. After finishing at first place, Luke is congratulated by Weyland and offered Katrina as a prize. Once left alone, Luke and Katrina briefly converse and have sex. Later, Markus contacts Katrina and offers her freedom in exchange for killing Luke.

During the second race, most of Luke's opponents go after him. The only exception is triad member 14K, whom Luke saved from another racer. Katrina tells Luke about Markus' offer. In the late stage of the race, Luke's car malfunction, having been sabotaged. He ejects Katrina from the car before getting hit by Big Bill's heat-seeking missile. Katrina and Luke's pit crew fail to save Luke from the burning car. Big Bill's navigator fatally stabs her partner after he kills his own pit crew and grabs her by the throat. Unbeknownst to everyone but September, Luke survives albeit badly burned; she coerces him into joining the race in a mask under the moniker "Frankenstein".

As the last race begins, a triad assassin executes Markus in his mansion as 14K's favor to Luke, Lists fatally stabs Rocco for sabotaging Luke's car, and Luke reverses and runs over September, killing her. Intrigued by his new identity, Katrina then asks Luke whether he has a real name, and he replies, "Of course I do". She smiles as they return to the race.

Cast

[edit]
  • Luke Goss as Carl "Luke" Lucas / "Frankenstein", a getaway driver convicted of killing a cop in a botched bank robbery and sentenced to life in Terminal Island[2]
  • Fred Koehler as Lists, Luke's autistic pit crew member; he previously played the role in Death Race[1][3][4]: 4 
  • Tanit Phoenix as Katrina Banks, Luke's track and romantic partner[5]
  • Robin Shou as 14K, the leader of the triad prison gang; he previously played the role in Death Race[1][6]
  • Lauren Cohan as September Jones, a television producer who is the creator and host of "Death Race" and its precursor "Death Match"[2]
  • Danny Trejo as Goldberg, a Mexican-Jewish murder convict and prison mechanic who is a member of Luke's pit crew[4]: 4 
  • Ving Rhames as Weyland, the founder of Weyland Corporation and owner of Terminal Island[7]
  • Sean Bean as Markus Kane, Luke's crime boss[2]

Additional members of the cast include Patrick Lyster as Warden Parks, DeObia Oparei as Big Bill, Hennie Bosman as Xander Grady, Joe Vaz as Rocco, Danny Keogh as Dr. Klein, Warrick Grier as Calin, and Tanya van Graan as Holly.[8]

Production

[edit]
A newly bought Ford Mustang for Death Race 2 was rebuilt to resemble a similar vehicle in the first film (pictured) to add series continuity.

A prequel to writer-director Paul W. S. Anderson's 2008 film Death Race, which itself is a prequel to 1975's Death Race 2000,[9] was put into development by August 2009.[10] Screenwriter Tony Giglio described the prequel, which was tentatively titled Death Race: Frankenstein Lives, as "an origin film, in every sense", exploring the origins of the "Death Race", and the characters Frankenstein, Case, and Lists. Giglio conceived the protagonist, Carl Lucas, as a stark contrast to the Jason Statham character that headlined the previous film, saying: "He wasn't framed. He's not fighting to get out to save his children. He's a convicted cop killer. A guy who's worked for the [American] mob his whole life. A true anti-hero."[11]

Universal Pictures greenlit Giglio's script in November 2009.[12] Neither Anderson nor Statham returned for the prequel due to other commitments, though Anderson remained as producer with Jeremy Bolt and Mike Elliott.[10][13][14] Dutch director Roel Reiné signed on to direct in December 2009.[15] On March 1, 2010, it was reported Reiné had begun filming Death Race 2 on location in South Africa and that Sean Bean had joined its cast of Luke Goss, Lauren Cohan, Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo, and Frederick Koehler.[16] The film is a co-production between Germany and South Africa,[1] and attracted tax breaks for being filmed in South Africa.[4]: 6 

Filming in Cape Town, South Africa, took 30 days on a $6–18 million budget; Reiné acted as camera operator on some action scenes.[4]: 6 [7][i] An abandoned cement factory near slums outside Cape Town was used for the prison,[4]: 6 [18] and Goss stated a freeway was shut for about five hours to allow filming of his daytime hot pursuit sequences.[20]: 03:24–03:31  An AOL Moviefone journalist who served as an extra wrote Robin Shou was nearly killed on set when a rapidly descending metal gangway narrowly missed his head. The extra, Jason Newman, said a miscommunication between Shou and the stunt coordinators on his prison-fight sequence with Hennie Bosman led to the incident. Of this near-death experience, Shou said he "has never been so shaken".[6]

Stunts were performed with very little computer-generated imagery (CGI), a decision that was influenced by Reiné's affinity for 1980s action films using this approach.[4]: 5  According to Goss, he and Reiné decided some shots of his driving sequences would be filmed as he drove the cars, citing the 1968 film Bullitt as an influence.[20]: 03:16–03:23  Three of the cars in Death Race, including a Ford Mustang, were incorporated into the prequel to add series continuity. The filmmakers acquired new units of these cars, rebuilding them "from scratch" to resemble their appearances in the previous film.[4]: 7 

Release

[edit]

Universal Pictures released Death Race 2 direct-to-video through its home entertainment division on January 18, 2011,[21] although it set the earliest release date for the UK to December 27, 2010.[4]: 1  Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain R-rated and unrated versions of the film, and bonus material including featurettes on the cars, stunts, and the canonicity of the film; deleted scenes; and a feature-length commentary by the director Roel Reiné.[19][21] Universal released a double-feature collection containing Death Race 2 and Death Race on October 9, 2012.[22] All four films in Universal's Death Race franchise were released in a collection on October 2, 2018.[23]

According to The Numbers, as of June 2024, home-video sales of Death Race 2 in the United States were $8.4 million,[24] with 218,000 ($4.04 million) DVD copies sold in its opening week, making it a decent debut for a straight-to-DVD release. In the same week, 50,000 Blu-ray copies were sold.[25]

Sequel

[edit]
Main article: Death Race 3: Inferno
Further information: Death Race (franchise)

The "ardent global following" of Death Race and its prequel sparked Universal's interest on a sequel, Death Race 3: Inferno. Reiné and screenwriter Tony Giglio returned for the sequel, as did Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, Fred Koehler, Robin Shou, and Tanit Phoenix, alongside series newcomers Dougray Scott and Hlubi Mboya. Filming took place in Cape Town, South Africa, in late 2011. Universal 1440 Entertainment released Death Race 3: Inferno direct to video on January 22, 2013.[26][27]

Reception

[edit]

According to a 2024 retrospective from Slashfilm: "Between the relentless bloodbath and the thrilling lack of logical consequences, Death Race 2 never fails to astonish and entertain".[28] While scoffing at the idea of "prequels to remakes", Salon.com said Death Race 2 is "better than it has any right to be".[13] Cinematical, a now-defunct film blog within AOL Moviefone, wrote: " ... Death Race 2 maintains what made the original enjoyable while still striving to stand on its own two feet",[29] and Arrow in the Head said it "goes through the same action-orientated motions of its predecessor with above average results".[30] Many reviewers said the film is better than Death Race;[a] Dread Central and IGN described it as a worthy prequel that improves upon its Paul W. S. Anderson-directed source material.[9][19] Total Film said the film made his "look like an overlooked cult classic by comparison",[34] and the Daily Mirror said it is "[b]rimming with guns, girls and growling engines" and that car enthusiasts would likely enjoy it more than a wider audience.[35]

According to Winnipeg Free Press: "this movie is no Death Race".[36] Despite the criticism, Screen Daily found the action scenes "nicely staged".[37] The set pieces of "Death Match" received good reviews: Den of Geek considered the fights to be "exhilarating",[5] and according to Total Film, they are among the film's "guiltily enjoyable moments".[34] DVD Verdict found the film "guilty" of "running on empty", and The A.V. Club called it boring and amateurish, and ultimately "a waste of time".[2][38] Other reviewers considered it to be an entertaining, full-bore action film, notwithstanding issues with the narrative in terms of plot, character, and originality.[b]

Critics named Luke Goss, who is known for his supporting roles in Blade II (2002) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), as a worthy successor to the prior film's Jason Statham.[c] Total Film said Goss exudes "a skin-crawling, [Christopher] Walken-esque screen presence" while carrying the film "through its more face-palm moments and its videogame cut-scene narrative";[34] and DVD Talk credited him with "supply[ing] the picture with a minuscule sense of personality" in "a thankless role".[7] Some critics credited Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, and Sean Bean with keeping the film entertaining.[5][32][39] According to The Record the actors delivered "scenery-chewing turns",[40] and Exclaim! said Trejo and Rhames underused in roles that are "so modest and glazed over".[42] Den of Geek said the film struggles with its treatment of female characters, and that Tanit Phoenix and Lauren Cohan were made to play Goss' love interest and a "ruthlessly ambitious arch bitch" devoid of emotional depth and dignity; according to the reviewer: "I think what's more of a shame, though, is that the female cast wasn't given the same attention as the males".[5] Total Film said the acting is "awful" but that Bean at least "provides welcome respites from all the prison-based dullness".[34] DVD Talk commented the film's goal is to show not acting prowess but bloody violence, guns, and women as sexual objects, citing Cohan's "agonizing, cleavage-popping performance" in a promiscuous role as an example.[7]

Cinematical and Screen Daily called Death Race 2's production values spectacular for a direct-to-video release,[29][37] whereas ComingSoon.net criticized them as shoddy.[43] Exclaim! said: "Visually, Death Race 2 is impressive ... but Reiné relies on too many clichés, such as elongated slow motion and a horrible electronic soundtrack seemingly pulled from a decade-old [The] Matrix clone, which grates more than entertain".[42] ComingSoon.net said Reiné abandoned plot for "tons of flashy slow-motion shots, multiple 360-degree pans and countless 'cool looking' inserts".[43] DVD Talk described Death Race 2 as "a visually stimulating picture that keeps to basic ingredients", praising its stunts, "crisp cinematography", and willingness to fully take advantage of its premise "with a little more spunk".[7] IGN credited Reiné with making the film look slick and more expensive than its budget suggests on Blu-ray,[19] while HorrorNews.net found the editing "top notch" and the soundtrack "pretty bad ass".[41] Den of Geek said the film "still had moments of unfinished effects ... but, if anything, it added to the B-movie charm",[5] and Fearnet found it "quite a bit better than what normally passes for a 'DTV sequel'".[39]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b While Reiné quoted the film's budget at 10 percent of its predecessor,[7] sources have reported conflicting estimates: $6 million or less (The Numbers),[17] $7 million (The Hollywood Reporter),[18] and $18 million (IGN).[19]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[5][7][9][31][32][33]
  2. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[7][9][13][17][39][40][41]
  3. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[5][32][37][41]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Miska, Brad (October 6, 2010). "'Death Race 2' Comes Unrated on DVD/Blu-ray This January". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Modell, Josh (January 26, 2011). "Death Race 2". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Silvestri, Max (December 21, 2011). "We Found It on Watch Instantly: Death Race 2 With Ving Rhames". Grantland. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "How To Make A Death Race". Total Film. United Kingdom: Future Publishing. December 27, 2010. Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Bowles, Duncan (December 15, 2010). "Death Race 2 review". Den of Geek. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Newman, Jason (January 18, 2011). "I Was an Extra in 'Death Race 2': A Tale of Prisons, Near-Death Experiences and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches". Moviefone. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Orndorf, Brian (January 18, 2011). "Death Race 2 - Unrated". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on January 16, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Death Race 2 - Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Barton, Steve (January 22, 2011). "Death Race 2 (Blu-ray / DVD)". Dread Central. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Rotten, Ryan (August 11, 2009). "EXCL: Death Race Prequel is in the Garage". Shock Till You Drop. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Monfette, Christopher (November 17, 2009). "Death Race Prequel Buzz". IGN. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  12. ^ Rotten, Ryan (November 13, 2009). "Update: Universal Gives Green Light to Death Race 2". Shock Till You Drop. Archived from the original on November 14, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Calhoun, Bob (January 22, 2011). "The "Death Race" prequel that's better than it should be". Salon.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  14. ^ Miska, Brad (November 13, 2009). "Movies 'Death Race: Frankenstein Lives' Begins Casting". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  15. ^ Turek, Ryan (December 7, 2009). "EXCL: The Death Race 2 Director is…". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  16. ^ Kit, Borys (March 1, 2010). "Sean Bean vs. Luke Goss in 'Death Race 2'". Heat Vision. Archived from the original on March 3, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Strowbridge, C. S. (February 2, 2011). "Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Death Race 2". The Numbers. Archived from the original on June 21, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Lewinski, John Scott (May 6, 2010). "Six features filmed in South Africa". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d Shaffer, R. L. (January 20, 2011). "Death Race 2 Blu-ray Review". IGN. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Death Race 2 - On Set Interviews. IGN. January 15, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  21. ^ a b McCutcheon, David (October 6, 2010). "Death Race Lives On". IGN. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  22. ^ "Death Race / Death Race 2 Double Feature [Blu-ray]". Amazon. ASIN B008R65XVA. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  23. ^ Miska, Brad (August 2, 2010). "Home Video 'Death Race: Beyond Anarchy' is Finally Coming Out". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  24. ^ "Death Race 2 (2011)". The Numbers. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  25. ^ Strowbridge, C. S. (February 1, 2011). "DVD Sales: New Release Takes Top Spot". The Numbers. Archived from the original on June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  26. ^ Lane, David (December 13, 2011). "Death Race 3 Begins Filming in South Africa with Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, and Ving Rhames". Collider. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  27. ^ Miska, Brad (November 8, 2012). "'Death Race 3: Inferno' Dated For Home Video; Trailer and Art". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  28. ^ Dutta, Debopriyaa (June 23, 2024). "The Correct Order To Watch The Death Race Franchise". /Film. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  29. ^ a b Hall, Peter (January 18, 2011). "'Death Race 2' Review: Exactly What Fans of the First Film Need". Cinematical. Moviefone. Archived from the original on January 19, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  30. ^ Gilbert, Ammon (December 30, 2010). "The DVD Pub reviews Death Race 2". Arrow in the Head. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  31. ^ Kirkland, Bruce (January 30, 2011). "Guilty pleasure; Direct-to-DVD prequel Death Race 2 is better than it has any right to be". Ottawa Sun. Canada. p. E2. ProQuest 2215579903.
  32. ^ a b c Weeks, Isaac (January 18, 2011). "Death Race 2 Movie Review". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  33. ^ Dowler, Andrew (January 20–27, 2011). "Death Race 2". Now. No. 1513. Canada. Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  34. ^ a b c d Geary, Dan (February 2011). "Bland Theft Auto". Total Film. No. 176. United Kingdom: Future Publishing. p. 138. ISSN 1366-3135. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024.
  35. ^ Edwards, David (December 31, 2010). "Death Race 2 DVD review: Revved up bid for freedom". Daily Mirror. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  36. ^ "Death Race 2: This Sequel to the Superior 2008 Edition". Winnipeg Free Press. Canada. January 20, 2011. p. E4. ProQuest 845331071.
  37. ^ a b c Adams, Mark (January 21, 2011). "Death Race 2". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  38. ^ Johnson, David (January 17, 2011). "Death Race 2 (Blu-Ray)". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  39. ^ a b c Weinberg, Scott (January 7, 2011). "DVD Review: 'Death Race 2'". Fearnet. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  40. ^ a b Longsdorf, Amy (January 21, 2011). "New on DVD". The Record. p. G10. ProQuest 845788688.
  41. ^ a b c Halen, Adrian (January 1, 2011). "Film Review: Death Race 2 (aka Death Race: Frankenstein Lives) (2010)". HorrorNews.net. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  42. ^ a b Carman, Keith (January 5, 2011). "Death Race 2". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  43. ^ a b Brevet, Brad (January 18, 2011). "Blu-ray Review: Death Race 2 (Unrated)". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
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