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David Carradine, Simone Griffeth, Sylvester Stallone, Mary Woronov, Roberta Collins ... see more see more... , Martin Kove , Louisa Moritz , Sandy Ignon , Joyce Jameson , Harriet Medin , Bill Morey , Roger Rook , Don Steele , Paul Laurence , Fred Grandy , William Shephard

Cult hero Paul Bartel directed this low-budget satire in which America's passion for cars, violence, and sporting events are finally brought together in one convenient package. In the not-so-distant f... read more read more...uture, the United States has become a totalitarian regime overseen by the charming but sinister Mr. President (Sandy McCallum), who, in order to satisfy the masses' need for entertainment (and to quench their thirst for violence), has created a new national sport -- the Death Race, a nationwide road rally in which the winner is not determined by who finishes first, but by who scores the most points along the way by running over hapless pedestrians. Aspiring champions Machine Gun Joe Viterbo (Sylvester Stallone), Calamity Jane (Mary Woronov), Nero the Hero (Martin Kove), and Matilda the Hun (Roberta Collins) are all looking to take the top honors away from Frankenstein (David Carradine), a half-man/half-machine who has been built to be the best racer on Earth and can outrun and outkill anyone on the circuit. However, not everyone likes the Death Race, and revolutionary leader Thomasina Paine (Harriet Medin) wants to sabotage the event in the name of restoring democracy; her plan is to foil Frankenstein's expected victory by smuggling her daughter Annie (Simone Griffeth) into Frankenstein's race car as his navigator. Featuring David Carradine at the height of his Kung Fu fame (and Sylvester Stallone a year before Rocky), Death Race 2000 was a major drive-in hit in 1975; Bartel and Carradine teamed up for another road race movie, Cannonball, a year later, and a semi-sequel, Death Sport, appeared in 1978. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

60% liked it

24,124 ratings

Critics

85% liked it

33 critics

R, 1 hr. 18 min.

Directed by: Paul Bartel

Release Date: April 1, 1975

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DVD Release Date: July 13, 2010

Stats: 1,558 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,558)

  • skactopus
    January 6, 2011
    skactopus
    Paul Bartel's Death Race 2000 is everything it is cracked up to be.

    Behind all the gratuitous violence, dark humor, attractive women, and driving, which sums up the title nicely, there is more to the story than just racing across America killing people. While it isn't m

    ... read moreuch, it gives this picture a little more to work with. The movie itself wastes no time at getting started, as it jumps right into character introductions and starting off the race, while letting the multiple TV personalities unveil the race details as it goes along.

    Ultimately, the highlight of the film is the race. The deaths are brutal, a little cheesy, and there are many fast motion camera effects to add some death defying speed to the driving scenes. The fun continues between the race segments with some nudity, sexuality, and even more violence in the pits stops.

    David Carradine finds himself with a suitable lead character and Sylvester Stallone proves to be a befitting rival racer that provides most of the humor.

    Death Race 2000 isn't a masterpiece of a movie, but its brief run time of just under 80 minutes is enough to make it a watchable action comedy from start to finish.
  • ajv2688
    January 3, 2011
    ajv2688
    One of my favourite sci-fi action movies of the 70s! It's a Corman produced picture, and has a good cast. It's also a futuristic comedy, which makes it even better. Check it out.
  • TheGame90
    December 5, 2010
    TheGame90
    Sicktastic
  • ythelastman89
    August 8, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Way ahead of its time, a perfect black comedy. David Carradine gives one of his best performances as Frankenstein and Sylvester Stallone is amazing as Machine Gun Joe. What I also love about it is the fact that it's so cheaply made. The cars look hilarious, as if they came out of... read more a cereal box. However, the car stunts look real and that's where it really counts. I think it's quite possibly the only movie to effectively blend cars and sci-fi.
  • FilmFanatik
    January 16, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    The movie is a ton of fun but it's not quite as graphic as it's made out to be.
  • DrZeek
    August 14, 2008
    DrZeek
    Harold: As the cars roar into Pennsylvania, the cradle of liberty, it seems apparent that our citizens are staying off the streets, which may make scoring particularly difficult, even with this year's rule changes. To recap those revisions: women are still worth 10 points more th... read morean men in all age brackets, but teenagers now rack up 40 points, and toddlers under 12 now rate a big 70 points. The big score: anyone, any sex, over 75 years old has been upped to 100 points.

    From Roger Corman comes a greatly entertaining movie that features a futuristic America that has an annual cross-country death race.

    The race consists of 5 racers, each with their own navigator (doubling as lovers) driving at super fast speeds from New York to LA in a few days time. The added twist is that pedestrians caught on the side of the road can be run over for additional points.

    Needless to say this is a cheesy, violent, and darkly hilarious film to watch.

    David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone star as rival racers trying to beat each other to the finish.

    The whole movie is literally the race, we start at the starting line and end at the finish in a brisk 78 minutes.

    Its a lot of fun to watch, with plenty of great cheesy moments, great low budget production design, and hilarious plot twists hinting at some ridiculous deeper social meaning.

    Cleopatra: It isn't my fault everyone scored before us. You should have gone after that boy scout camp like I told you!
    Nero the Hero: I tried the goddamn boy scout camp. You know how fast those boy scouts move?
    Cleopatra: Now here's something more your speed.
    Nero the Hero: That'll be at least 200 points!
    Cleopatra: If they scatter, go for the baby and the mother.
  • sanjurosamurai
    August 12, 2008
    sanjurosamurai
    entertaining and fun while being silly and rediculous at the same time. the sub plot was interesting, but this movie was mostly absurd. i understand its cult status and know why people like it, but its not for me.
  • superclerk25
    April 16, 2008
    superclerk25
    The movie is pretty silly and cheap but has a good story behind all the dumb bits.
    The characters are ok and Stallone was pretty funny. You can tell he was taking his role seriously.
  • harrycaul
    April 2, 2008
    harrycaul
    Unlike the best Roger Corman-sponsored productions -- Jonathan Demme's "Caged Heat", for instance -- "Death Race 2000" never really rises above its transparently exploitative violence and female nudity. As others have said, it's just like watching "Wacky Races", the only differen... read moreces being that a) some of the booby traps work in "Death Race 2000" and b) I can't recall Penelope Pitstop ever getting her funbags out (though that's an episode I'd very much like to see!) The movie is technically shoddy and not as entertaining as it should be, not because the humour is too tasteless to laugh at -- if anything, it could have been a bit sicker, for me -- it just isn't very funny. Stallone tries hard to wring a few laughs out of an underwritten rôle in a poor script, but David Carradine is very dull indeed. Disappointing. I did chuckle at the Euthanasia Day bit though.
  • djdemersseman
    December 5, 2007
    djdemersseman
    Cannonball Run meets Grand Theft Auto. It was probably the inspiration for both Grand Theft Auto and Spy Hunter, and for that it gets mad props.

    They drive around and kill people for points. And there's a lot of boobs and sex. But they're all obscured by a disgusting cheese-like... read more discharge.

    There was so much potential: some cool death scenes, cool concept, political satire, etc. But it just didn't pan out.

View All Death Race 2000 Reviews

Critic Reviews

Chris Nashawaty
June 17, 2010
Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly

Behold the power of cheese! Full Review

Dave Kehr
March 28, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

The story, about a road race in the not-too-distant future for which the drivers are given points for running down pedestrians, becomes an elaborate and telling fantasy about our peculiar popular ente... Full Review

March 28, 2007
Variety

Script, from an Ib Melchior story, makes its satirical points economically, and director Paul Bartel keeps the film moving quickly. Full Review

May 9, 2005
New York Times

In the end, it reveals itself to have nothing to say beyond the superficial about government or rebellion. And in the absence of such a statement, it becomes what it seems to have mocked -- a spectacl... Full Review

Scott Weinberg
January 9, 2011
Scott Weinberg, FEARnet

A goofy piece of over-the-top mayhem with half a brain. Full Review

R. L. Shaffer
October 16, 2010
R. L. Shaffer, IGN DVD

A terrifically entertaining movie, and a sharp, funny social commentary from start to finish. Full Review

Steve "Uncle Creepy" Barton
August 2, 2010
Steve "Uncle Creepy" Barton, Dread Central

Roger Corman is the master of doing a lot with a little, and Death Race 2000 is but one shining example of the filmmaker's know-how. Full Review

Sean Axmaker
June 27, 2010
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com

Director Paul Bartel perfected his brand of blackhearted humor on this ragged production, overcoming budgetary restraint with inspired moments of B movie spectacle... Full Review

Nick Schager
August 25, 2008
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

The conception and execution are top-notch low-budget trash. Full Review

Matthew Sorrento
June 7, 2008
Matthew Sorrento, Film Threat

Death Race 2000 is as Corman as his B-grade action pics come, with cars flying through the frame, blood spilling behind them, and overnight pit-stops for some sex ("navigators" in each car keep their ... Full Review

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Death Race 2000 Trivia

  • Who starred in the movie 'Death Race 2000' (Real Movie!) In which the tagline was - 'In the year 2000. Hit and run driving is no longer a felony. It's the national sport!'  Answer »
  • Who played Machine Gun Joe in "Death Race 2000"?  Answer »
  • Who played Machine Gun Joe Viterbo in Death Race 2000?  Answer »
  • Who starred in the movie 'Death Race 2000'?  Answer »
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