During those long family vacations we took when I was but a wee lad, my dad would always wax humorous by remarking, "Hey! If I hit that old woman, how many points do I get?"
I always thought this was a pretty fun game, and I'd give my father outrageous scores for some pretty off-color targets. Little did I know this demented way of passing time during uber-long extended road trips originated from a very demented Roger Corman opus by the name of Death Race 2000. What can I say? I'm a sheltered bastard with no life. Who knew?
Thanks to Corman's deal with the Devil (aka DISNEY), I've discovered what will probably become one of my all-time favorite "guilty pleasures." Paul Bartel's crazy camp classic is pure undeniable fun, one that I'm ashamed to have ignored for so long. How do these movies get by me? Why isn't everyone talking about Death Race 2000? Oh, what a wonderful world it would be if everyone loved B-movies. What a glorious human race we could become...
Anyway, the world-famous Death Race 2000 tells the timeless tale of five competitive drivers, namely Machine Gun Joe, Calamity Jane, Matilda the Hun, Nero the Hero, and the ever-so mysterious Frankenstein, willing participants in a no-holds-barred cross-country race filled with senseless violence and lots of gratuitous nudity. Fan favorite is Frankenstein (David Carradine), a man who claims to have been ripped apart and put back together again after several near-fatal collisions, piece by bloody piece. It kind of goes without saying that this guy is my hero.
Also along for the ride is hot blonde navigator Annie Smith, Frankenstein's new partner, though she may end up being much more than she initially appears. You see, there's a group of anti-race nutjobs who will stop at nothing to put an end to this ultra-violent competition, and their sights are set on the suave Mr. Stein. Will ol' Franky fall for the woman who may or not be putting his life in jeopardy? Will Machine Gun Joe have that rage-induced aneurysm he's working towards? More importantly, who will survive to become Death Race 2000's ultimate champion?
Article comments
1 - badvoodoo22
As a kid, I had come back from a camping trip with my friends, only to find my brother raving about the movie Death Race 2000 that our dad had taken him and the cousins to while I was gone. Judging by his rave revues I had really missed out on something special. Well I got to see the movie as a young adult and damn it was everything my brother had told me. I will never forget the fisher man who got backed up on and turned into points, what great fun. Maybe the sequel Road Rage 2010 could follow in its tire tracks. If you haven't all ready see Death Race 2000,great fun.
badvoodoo22