Feature / Other Reviews
Review: Death Race 2000

Words: Seth • Posted pre-2010

In the days of 1975, a lot of shit was goin' down. I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but there was. Oh! Wait, that OPEC thing . . . no, that was early 80's. Whatever, stuff happened.

Despite all this, Roger Corman came out with his tour-de-force, titled Death Race 2000.

The tagline for the flick captures the brilliance perfectly: In the year 2000 hit and run driving is no longer a felony. It's the national sport!

The plot is heralded as the most brilliant thing ever known to humans. The aforementioned national sport is a race across the country; five racers drive their specialized cars from New York to Los Angeles in the race of the year. But there's a twist: driving over a person gets a person points (yes, that's where that joke comes from) and the points are put into some sort of complicated matrix with the time trials to figure out who gets first. So whomever comes into L.A. first doesn't necessarily win, if he or she doesn't get enough points.

The race is filled with five racers, all of whom have their fan base and all of whom are the most stereotypical characters out there. Matilda the Hun is a Nazi, Calamity Jane is a cowgirl, Frankenstein is . . . a Frankenstein, Machine Gun Joe Viterbo (played by a pre-Rocky Sylvester Stallone) is a Brooklyn gangster, and Nero the Hero is some sort of Roman. Better yet, the cars match their personas in distinctive ways.

This piece of fine cinema is brilliant for so many reasons:

1. Hilarious foley noises are added when a person is killed. 2. The movie takes place 25 years in the future (made in the year 1975, takes place in the year 2000), but everything still has that early 1900's "futurism" look. 3. David Carradine (Frankenstein) is at his finest. 4. Sylvester Stallone is just as good (better than his performance in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over) 5. The government people are funny. 6. The ending of this art is the greatest ending to any movie ever.

If you ever hear anyone talking about Roger Corman and not mentioning Death Race 2000, tell that person to shut up and learn what real genius is.

Bottom line: This is B-movie at its finest.

9.5/10

Seth.

Related features

Static Friction

One Question Interviews • December 17, 2024

Derek (Static Friction) SPB: What is the furthest you’ve ever traveled to see a single show (and who was it)? Derek: Oh boy, I just so happen to have a good answer for this one. My wife and I have been planning an Italy trip for about a year and … Read more

Feel It Records

One Question Interviews • December 16, 2024

Sam (Feel It Records) SPB: What is your favorite album cover of all time? Sam: Funkadelic - Maggot Brain Totally iconic, striking, and still relevant to this day. Still wakes me up every time I pick it out to spin. Read more

Red Scare Industries - History 101

Music / History 101 • December 10, 2024

Hey folks, Toby here, and the SPB team asked me to provide some insights about some stuff from our catalog now that Red Scare is (you gotta be shittin’ me?!) twenty years old. Specifically a “memory or modern take” on some past releases, and they picked some doozies, so let’s … Read more

Ultrabomb (Greg Norton)

Interviews • December 10, 2024

UltraBomb is Greg Norton - Bass (Hüsker Dü), Finny McConnell - Vocals and Guitars (The Mahones), and Derek O'Brien - Drums (Social Distortion), replacing Jamie Oliver (UK Subs). References are being dropped like an UltraBomb (like that? ha!) so, that being said: are they a supergroup or power trio? Neither … Read more

Gob

One Question Interviews • December 5, 2024

Steven Fairweather (Gob) SPB: How many people mispronounce your name as an Arrested Development reference? Fairweather: HAHA! Not too many actually! I’m sure it’s maybe more of an issue when Googling the band. But we were once out on a run of shows with a band called “Seaway,” so for … Read more

More from this section

Review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003

Other Reviews

In 1974, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released. The film became known for sparking a myriad of "slasher" films and cheese/camp horror, which is actually rather sad, since the films TCM often gets credit/blamed for are not all that relatable to Tobe Hooper's masterpiece. The comparisons are a mere symptom … Read more

Review: Kill Bill, Vol. 1

Other Reviews

As an employee of Blockbuster, it's easy to see that where moviegoing is concerned, there's always a bold line that separates the Happy Gilmores from the Punch-Drunk Loves. I'm referring specifically to those who think that Adam Sandler's career went downhill by starring in an ironically-labeled "stupid, pointless art film," … Read more

Review: Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

Other Reviews

WARNING TO READER: Potential spoilers ahead. This is more of an analysis than a review, though I do cover formal elements such as acting, direction, and plot. Just for a moment, engage in a thought process. Revive old memories through seemingly unrelated ones, relate them, and make sense of them. … Read more