DEATH RACE 3

2012 / Director. Roel Reine.

The first two Death Race movies were guilty pleasures for me... heck, I don't feel guilty at all... They were good fun. The second movie was a prequel, which told the story of the villainous racer, Frankenstein who took on Jason Statham in the first instalment. It gave the character a back story and turned him into a good guy... and now picking up where that movie finished, Death Race 3 manages to wedge another caper in before the events of the original. My expectations were low, however, I was immediately impressed with the production value. This was made on a fraction of the original's budget yet looks almost as good. Its shot surprisingly well, the action is staged barring no holds and all of the players from the last movie (and the original) have returned. A new multi-millionaire media entrepreneur arrives on the scene and poaches the Death Race concept from Ving Rhame's character. With an all new franchise in mind he relocates Frankenstein and his team to South Africa where a new death race is held in the Kalahari desert. This time the cars are beefed up for off road action and the races play out like a supercharged Road Warrior. This 3rd chapter doesn't quite reach the fun of the previous ones but there's still plenty to enjoy. Paul W Anderson has stuck with the series since the get go and is experience with the genre helps give DR3 credit where it wouldn't have got it otherwise. Like I said, its a fun and fast paced slice of hooey. Expect nothing more and you will probably like it... but only bother with it if you have enjoyed the franchise so far.

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