There's something about seeing A-list stars appearing in junky movies that can be rather fun. The venerable Ben Kingsley, let's not forget, headlined the contemporary trash classic Species with aplomb. And it's been sadly amusing to watch fellow Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham seem intent on bottoming out his career in such reekers as Thir13en Ghosts and Blood Monkey.

I thought of Kingsley and Abraham as I watched Death Race, Paul W. S. Anderson's updating of the 1975 cult semi-classic Death Race 2000. Kingsley and Abraham aren't in the movie, of course, but three-time Academy Award nominee Joan Allen is, playing second lead as a homicidal prison warden responsible for overseeing the titular death race (more on this in a moment). What on Earth someone of Allen's caliber is doing in this movie is beyond me. Perhaps she lost a bet. In any case, it's fun to see her in this trashy exercise in cinematic exploitation. In a scene toward the end of the film, Allen stoops to uttering a tirade of obscenities that would make a Lake Placid Betty White blush in envy.

And that's saying something.

But, that's what strikes me about the essence of Death Race. It's cinematic junk food, completely devoid of any nutritional value. It's obscene, violent, bloody, and over-the-top. And yet, on a prurient level, it still satisfies. Despite my better judgment, I enjoyed it.

And I also wonder if Allen had fun with her role.

Death Race takes place in an America of the near future: one where the economy has collapsed and crime has skyrocketed. The prison system is overwhelmed, while at the same time, American entertainment appetites have grown tired of Saw-style spectacles. It seems we now favor real-life violence on our television screens States-side. Enter Death Race. Prisoners race each other in weapons-rich armored cars in front of pay-per-view cameras for a simple prize: their freedom. Unfortunately, most prisoners don't survive their first death race, and a prisoner must win five races to secure his freedom.

One prisoner, an anonymous masked driver named Frankenstein, has won four death races at the start of the movie. He's quite popular with the masses, but there's a problem. Unbeknownst to them, he died after his last death race. Warden Hennessey (the aforementioned Joan Allen) needs a replacement to keep her audiences happy. So, she hatches an elaborate scheme to frame former racing driver Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) for the murder of his wife so that he'll be incarcerated at her prison so that he can become the next Frankenstein. Sound a little far-fetched? Well, that's just the beginning of the movie. The plot makes little sense when one starts thinking about it, with characters doing absurdly stupid things throughout the movie.

But if plot and character motivation are what you're interested in, then you should know better than to look for it in a movie like Death Race. The movie is really just an elaborate attempt at getting mean-looking guys, good-looking girls, and dangerous-looking armored cars out on a racetrack for a lot of blood and violence. And on that level, the movie delivers.

Does it matter that the acting is only serviceable? Not really. Jason Statham plays Jason Statham well enough to please his action fans. Joan Allen is around for some reason, and that's entertaining enough. Oh, and there's three lengthy death race sequences with a lot of violence, profanity, and bloodshed. Did I mention that already?

Rating and reviewing a movie like this is tricky, because it's one of those movies that's going to appeal to some and repulse others. How else would you reconcile Roger Ebert's disgusted review of the movie coupled with Stephen King's placement of it as one of the year's ten best? I liked it. It's trashy fun. And I think action and science fiction fans would enjoy it. Everyone else can - and probably should - skip it.

The DVD

Video:

Universal gives Death Race an anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 presentation. Overall, the visual quality is quite solid with strong details. However, colors are purposefully muted to create a futuristic, dreary ambience.

Sound:

Death Race has three different language tracks: English, Spanish, and French. All three tracks arrive in Dolby Digital 5.1. The English language track is strong and LOUD, especially during the lengthy racing sequences. However, dialogue remains well-rendered throughout.

Optional subtitles are provided in English, Spanish, and French.

Extras:

When the disc is played, trailers precede the main menu for Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior (and by extension, for Scorpion King as well), The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Burn After Reading, Hamlet 2, and Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0. Additional commercials for the Blu-ray format and the video game Wanted: Weapons of Fate are also included. The main menu doesn't offer access to any of this content.

More significant an extra is a feature-length commentary track with writer / director Paul W. S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt available on the unrated version of the movie only. A random sampling of the track suggests it is lively and informative.

Two featurettes are also included: Start Your Engines: Making a Death Race (19:42) and Behind the Wheels: Dissecting the Stunts (7:50). At a combined running length of nearly 30 minutes, fans of the movie should find these rapidly-edited behind-the-scenes looks at the making of Death Race interesting enough. Both are also presented in anamorphic widescreen, which is a good technical plus.

Final Thoughts:

Relentlessly over-the-top and aggressively violent, Death Race is an offensive crash course in exploitative cinema. As such, it's diverting popcorn fare - but certainly not for timid audiences. Recommended for cinematic adrenaline junkies only.

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