Death Race 2 : movie review

“Death Race 2” is set in the near future, where life is so cheap that the State will simply sell them off to a corporation to do with as they wish. The result is a “death match” between cons for a TV audience, the brainchild of the improbably named September Jones (Lauren Cohan). A former beauty queen turned reporter turned blood prison game show hostess/mastermind, Jones isn’t opposed to sleeping her way up the ladder. Hell, she probably prefers it. After shacking up with Weyland, she gets control of Terminal Island in her quest for the almighty ratings. When cons killing each other in a cage start to lose its luster with viewers, Jones come up with the idea for a death race, and thus, “Death Race” is born. The film is directed by Roel Reine.

Luke Goss certainly gives a game effort as the rightfully imprisoned con (unlike Statham’s character in the first movie, this “hero” very much deserves to be imprisoned), who nevertheless shows he has his good side, such as loyalty. Alas, Lucas’ loyalty to crimelord Markus Kane (Sean Bean), the man who gave him the job that got Lucas pinched in the first place, isn’t exactly reciprocated. Which is to say, as soon as Kane finds out where Lucas is being held, the dastardly bastard immediately orders a hit on our luckless hero. No honor among thieves and all that jazz, it would appear.

By the time the Death Race kicks in, Lucas has a pit crew that includes “Mexican Jew” Goldberg (Danny Trejo) and idiot savant Lists (Frederick Koehler). Lucas also gets the comely Katrina (Tanit Phoenix, last seen in “Lost Boys: The Thirst”, here trying out an atrocious accent) as his navigator, essentially a hot girl in his car who tells him to turn left, turn right, among other assorted “navigating” duties. The rules of the race are the same here as in the Anderson movie – win a certain number of races, and win your freedom. Yes, the future is such a steaming pile that Weyland can simply release, say, a serial killer back into the populace if he just happens to have won a certain number of death races. 

If you were dying to find out how the death races began, or how Frankenstein came to be, “Death Race 2” answers all your questions. I never really cared all that much about either question, which unfortunately means there’s not a whole lot here to get too excited about. The film’s one big bright spot Is Lauren Cohan, who really is a pleasure to watch as her character sleazes her way through the movie. There is a great payoff at the end involving September Jones and a bar full of people, so if you stuck with the movie to the very end, there is a decent reward to look forward to.

The Way Back : Review

 

The Way Back

 The Way Back is based on the true story of a group of prisoners, whom escape a Russian Gulag in Siberia in the winter of 1940. After their daring escape, the group must cross the dangerous terrain to reach Mongolia, where they will hopefully find freedom from the Communist regime that hunts them. Filling out the cast are Ed Harris (Pollock, A History Of Violence), Colin Farrell (Miami Vice, Phone Booth) and Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones). Director Peter Weir's greatest asset here is his cast. A film like The Way Back will live or die by it's cast and thankfully, all major players bring their A-game to the table. The biggest surprise, performance wise, is Colin Farrell in his portrayal of Valka, a head strong, professional criminal. In the past, Farrell has been accused of butchering foreign accents, but his Russian works perfectly here. Ed Harris also provides a good performance as the mysterious American prisoner amongst the group. Although laughably named Mr. Smith, his character proves to be more than a one dimension cardboard cut out of the Real American Hero. 

Peter Weir, whom previously directed Master & Commander and Witness, directs with masterful form, doing his up most with what's available. And with that The Way Back could have been a beautiful epic, but unfortunately it's not without it's problems. Firstly, the film's pace is deathly slow. After the initial escape, the fugitives encounter hazardous weather, an obstacle they must overcome to get to the border. Eventually, the characters get to the border, where they encounter...hazardous weather. After passing through this, they reach the treacherous, boiling desert. Where they encounter, you guessed it, hazardous weather. For a film that reaches slightly over the 125 minutes mark, The Way Back is for the most part devoid of real threat or a sense of danger. And yes, while Weir focuses his tale more to the dangers of starvation and dehydration, the audience still needs something to show them that this 4,000 mile journey is an epic quest, not just a really, really long walk. This is not to say the film is boring (the landscapes will keep you in awe), it just comes to feel like you too, like the characters in the film, just want to reach the final destination.

 Despite it's small flaws and plodding pace, The Way Back is a good, hearty film. I wouldn't go so far as to call the film an inspiring tale, but if it's all to be believed as true, then it's a fascinating view on surviving against all odds.