Death Race 2000

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Death Race 2000

R

Released Apr 30, 1975

1h 18m

Action

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In the year 2000, America is a totalitarian regime on the brink of collapse. The most popular sport in this dystopia is the Transcontinental Road Race, where teams earn points for logging the fastest time and for mowing over the most innocent pedestrians in the process. This year's competitors include Frankenstein (David Carradine), who is rumored to be more machine than man, and the tough-as-nails "Machine Gun" Joe Viterbo (Sylvester Stallone). Some have a plan to stop the race.

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Critics Consensus

Death Race 2000 is a fun, campy classic, drawing genuine thrills from its mindless ultra-violence.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

I was torn between walking out immediately and staying to witness a spectacle more dismaying than anything on the screen: the way small children were digging gratuitous bloodshed.

Rated: 0/4

Apr 29, 2018

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Chris Nashawaty

Entertainment Weekly

Behold the power of cheese!

Rated: B-

Jun 17, 2010

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

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

Rated: B+

Aug 25, 2008

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Director Paul Bartel squeezes all he can out of the film’s modest budget, putting together some thrilling race sequences and visualizing a dystopian future that admittedly looks cheap at times but also shows insightful imagination.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 28, 2024

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Impossible to defend but easy to enjoy.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 17, 2023

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James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Could it be argued that the movie is "so bad that it's good"? I suppose, especially if you're a connoisseur of cinematic guano. For me, Death Race is merely bad.

Rated: 1/4

Mar 1, 2021

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Audience Member

This film was an interesting joyride full of action, drama, weird, and bizarre sequences. However, the film in its entirety has a unique storyline and did have some Mad Max RoadWarrior elements with the racing and violence. The theme of how far a dystopian setting can revolve around violence and the need for it was very clear and what was essentially driving the story. This was an aspect I liked about the film with violence. For me something that really struck the cord was showcasing how society warps itself with this violent theme through the acting. It expresses how deranged and degenerate society can become through violence. In addition, it was interesting to see a young Sylvester Stallone in the film and this being his early years of acting.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/06/25

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Christian K

This was surprisingly great, it is so stupid, weird, and funny. The camp and nonsense satire is at an all time high. This being shot by Tak Fujimoto is so completely random.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/16/24

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Audience Member

Nothing wrong about it as far as I’m concerned! 92%

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/20/24

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Roger B

Absolutely classic. Cuts through all the modern nuances and delivers on every level although basic in storyline. If it was architectural it would be brutalist.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/23/23

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James N

Would make a good cinephobe episode if it was eligible buts it's a phobe for me.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/21/23

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Anthony C

On balance, better than Oppenheimer. Although ridiculous in much of its content, the film is quite predictive of far-right populism (Trump), rise of feminine opposition (Hilary Clinton), economic crash (2008/9), cult of violence (cage fighting?), insane TV coverage (Fox News?), casual sexualisation and nudity (Love Island) and so on. A worryingly inaccurate yet accurate portrayal of the present.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/18/23

Full Review

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Paul Bartel

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David Carradine

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Annie Smith

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Synopsis

In the year 2000, America is a totalitarian regime on the brink of collapse. The most popular sport in this dystopia is the Transcontinental Road Race, where teams earn points for logging the fastest time and for mowing over the most innocent pedestrians in the process. This year's competitors include Frankenstein (David Carradine), who is rumored to be more machine than man, and the tough-as-nails "Machine Gun" Joe Viterbo (Sylvester Stallone). Some have a plan to stop the race.

Director: Paul Bartel
Producer: Roger Corman
Screenwriter: Robert Thom, Charles B. Griffith
Production Co: New World Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 30, 1975, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2017
Runtime: 1h 18m

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