Eye Candy #287 - "Death Race"

Death Race:  A remake of the Roger Corman b-movie of almost the same name (but not the same plot), starring Jason Statham as Jensen Ames, a disgraced race car driver framed for the murder of his own wife. He ends up in a prison run by a sadistic warden (Joan Allen), who stages a reality show called “Death Race” where the prisoners, outfitted in tricked-out cars, compete for a chance at freedom by blowing up the competition. Ames’ goal isn’t just to win, but to find a way out of prison to rescue his infant daughter. Now, with a cursory glance, the previews make this film look pretty awful. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out this was film was by Paul W. S. Anderson (the OTHER Paul Anderson), who gave us “Event Horizon”, “Soldier”, and some other solid-though-b-movie-ish films. The film is shot well, the cast is better than average, and has its own dark sense of humor. Not for kids, but not complete garbage either. Paul W. S. Andersen, even though some of his scripts are weak, can still put together a watchable film. Woodchuck sez, “Worth a look.”