Death Race - kuolonajot

Paul W.S. Anderson is quite an unpredictable director, you never know whether his next project will be good or really bad. This time things have fortunately worked well and Death Race is brilliant B-movie fun that might not be as mad as Doomsday, but it holds together a lot better. Anderson has made me happy this time, but I’m still not forgiving him for AvP. (11.10.2008)

Paul Anderson teamed up with Roger Corman for a thunderous remake of the cult film Death Race 2000, in which death row inmates fight to the rhythm of driving guitars and music video editing. It's essentially a video game with all the trimmings (collecting weapons and shields), but this time we really don’t need our joysticks. That’s because the characters have descended from the posters of classic "racing games" and drive so fast you forget it even the inklings of a plot. Anderson has exceeded his own shadow and all expectations and made his most entertaining, perverted, and most importantly, best film, which entitles him to shake hands with Neil Marshall and kick the Wachowski's in the ass at the same time. PS: That truck destruction rivals Chris Nolan. (18.09.2008)

A thoroughbred action B-movie that runs like a well-oiled machine. Paul W.S. Anderson has plenty of ideas and isn't afraid to use them, so get ready for proper violence, rock music and badass wisecracks at their best. So what if it's all incredibly stupid? (17.09.2008)

Anderson's unacknowledged adaptation of Carmageddon and the admitted remake of Death Race 2000. If Death Race were not so bitter and humorless, it could have easily competed with this season's B-movie king, Doomsday. Here, too, B-movie is synonymous not with a lack of craft, but with genuine entertainment. Albeit dumb entertainment (but not executed in a stupid manner), but at the same time stylish, energetic and constant, though somewhat repetitive. (21.09.2008)

A well-made B-movie with musclemen racing in cars that at last I wouldn’t be afraid of trying out on Czech roads. And Statham’s musculature again rekindled my desire to make regular trips to the gym a New Year’s resolution. Otherwise Mr. Anderson performed exceedingly well, everything about him was A-grade (B-movie A-grade), but he’s going have to try harder for me to be able to forgive him for Alien vs. Predator. And who would have guessed that Joan Allen as the warden would outdo all of those navigator beauties. (01.01.2009)

A computer game turned into a film without a joystick, but incredibly self-aware. Anderson surprisingly put effort into it and brilliantly succeeded, starting with computer “competition” inserts, and ending with excellently filmed action scenes. I saw the unrated version and blood was definitely not spared. So what if it's silly to the point of misery? It's not about that, and as pure action entertainment, it's a showpiece. There’s plenty of shooting and aggressive driving, and even though the whole thing sometimes feels a bit repetitive (only one track), Paul occasionally engages the imagination and beautifies the slightly emerging stereotype with some quality and proper bloody accident. The tanker crash is absolutely spectacular! (04.01.2009)

Paul W.S. Anderson is back and again revelling in unpretentious and pretty gritty stories. While I fear he will never surpass the excellent Event Horizon, this action thriller is also a supremely entertaining, hellishly fast and properly bloody ride. It's exactly the kind of film that while you're watching it you're thinking what a terrible piece of crap it is and how it is possible that someone could make it, but you'll still finish it with your mouth open, you'll have a great time, and you might even get the urge to watch it again – personally, I'll definitely watch Death Race again. (08.04.2012)

The title is a perfect fit. This is the kind of Death Race that none of us would want to enter, and we can count ourselves lucky to be at home enjoying some peace and quiet with a nice cup of tea and some buttery biscuits (which I'm currently devouring), while our boss isn't forcing us to take part in such a race. (06.04.2009)

The routine direction here is really masked by frantic editing, which is not really representative of 21st century action. It's just that I enjoyed the film so much because it doesn't play so incredibly close to the vest, plus after eleven years Anderson has finally made a film that has balls. That truck scene would have given even a Wynorski film at least two stars. (09.11.2010)

A really excellent piece with sharpened visuals and excellent special effects. Jason Statham as the wrongly convicted Jensen Ames ruthlessly dispatches all the "competition" in an army-equipped Mustang, even manages to get his revenge while trying to break free again, aided by the beautiful Natalie Martinez. The choice of music is also praiseworthy. A very strong 4 stars. (27.03.2009)