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Death Race 2000

Play trailer Poster for Death Race 2000 R Released Apr 30, 1975 1h 18m Action Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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82% Tomatometer 39 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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Death Race 2000

Death Race 2000

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review Chris Nashawaty Entertainment Weekly Behold the power of cheese! Rated: B- Jun 17, 2010 Full Review Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness The conception and execution are top-notch low-budget trash. Rated: B+ Aug 25, 2008 Full Review Scott Collura IGN Movies “The world doesn’t want to be saved.” So says Frankenstein, David Carradine’s warped freedom fighter, in Death Race 2000, the campy (but serious!), fun (but violent!), farcical (but prescient!) sci-fi actioner. Apr 4, 2025 Full Review 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 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Impossible to defend but easy to enjoy. Rated: 3/4 Jun 17, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Geovanni G Honestly this is such a really good movie. I was expecting it to be just 5 teams racing across the U.S. but then they started killing people and introducing the point system. I was honestly shocked. But it was still a really good movie. It was honestly a really simple movie but had great storytelling. The acting in this movie was incredible as well. There was also a good amount of plot twists which I really enjoy in movies. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in simple but a good amount of action. There is also a decent amount of comedy which makes it a lot better. A very good movie overall and will definitely be watching the movie again with my family. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/19/25 Full Review Kiara R Watching this the first time I was shocked at the fact that it was somewhat gruesome and unexpectedly has its bad special effects, adds onto the storyline. I found it kinda like an odd movie which i'm all for odd movies but this one was funny and weird to me. I liked the funky and weird looking cars, the characters to it and storyline. From the loud engines, explosions to the chaos. Like when they just ran over those that were near death, I was not expecting that at all. Most of the killings are different in a way to the grand finale. I like the dystopian feel to it and how they ended up creating it. It is the fact that they have prison inmates that compete with each other. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/19/25 Full Review random u I thought that this movie was kind of a crazy movie but entertaining to watch. This is not a movie I would pick to watch but it was an alright watch. The quality of the movie was not the best and I think that added to the humor. I thought the acting was a little too much but overall a nice watch. I think the idea behind the movie was dark but funny in a way and it wasn’t too serious and I think that's what made it a fun watch for me. I can see why this movie gained a following. became a cult classic. I liked the chaotic and crazy vibe to it and It has a weird and entertaining vibe that's hard to find in other movies. I would recommend this movie if you enjoy and like to watch dark humor movies. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/18/25 Full Review Alex N I give this movie 3.5 stars because its a fun watch and at times have witty moments. The concept of government sponsored races where drivers score points by hitting pedestrians is a hilarious narrative. Sanctioned murders promoted by the government makes the movie out of the ordinary. It is quite violent, and sometimes over the top but that's exactly what makes it a fun watch. However, I did not like the effects of the films nor the acting because it felt choppy. However, I did come into it more open minded because the film is fairly old and I didn't expect the best acting and special effects from the film. Thus I give it a 3.5/5, entertaining, but the acting and effects took out a couple stars. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/15/25 Full Review Brynne M For what could have been a much crazier and darker film, I found this film to be a fun watch. The concept and execution of the storyline was a lot better than I had originally thought, and the characters are a lot more well rounded and complex that what I would think of from a racing movie. Personally I found it interesting to see Sylvester Stallone in this film, I think he brought a lot of intrigue as one of the main characters. The ideas explored throughout the movie on who is "good" or "bad" helps pace the movie well, and the designs of the cars are all unique, which I think ties the film well. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/09/25 Full Review Elisa R This movie was interesting, I thought it was interesting the concept of killing type competitions, reminding me a little of the hunger games. I hated/loved how the cars were designed with teeth since it was the killing machine which was a funny design choice. The relationships between the navigators and drivers was also toxic and Machine Gun Joe was the worst to his navigator. I hated that man, especially when he hit his navigator for no reason. The movie did have a fight with the power aspect which was good and I did like that people were rebelling. Moreover even when the navigator of Frankenstein fell in love with him, she still stood on her beliefs and fought for her cause. The pacing was weird to me and some parts I didn't fully understand why they were necessary. I did think the movie did a good job in showing how awful people can be and the selfishness that exists Overall it was a good movie, but not something I would rewatch. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/29/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Death Race 2000

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Movie Info

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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