Movie #125- "Death Race 2000" (1975)

Roger Corman has an astonishing legacy in the world of Hollywood.  Director of 50-plus titles, producer of over 400, Corman is known as the "King of B Movies".  His movies inexpensive and shot at a quick pace, yet it is rare for his films to not to turn a profit.  Corman has also been instrumental in the start of several careers.  Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, and Robert DeNiro are some of the names that Corman assisted, whether it be in the acting or directing arena. 
"Death Race 2000" centers around a government sponsored cross country race that has one twisted plot point... racers are given points for striking pedestrians.  Given the gruesome nature of the plot, the death scenes are actually handled very tongue-in-cheek, almost replicating a Benny Hill chase sequence.  Of course, there are factions that exist wanting to put an end to the race and one of the drivers may share in that very idea.
Some may shake their head at the plot and believe it's sadistic, "Death Race 2000"is an entertaining social commentary complete with cheesy production values.  Our love of violence still holds true (along with an early look at reality television) while the rebels trying to stop the race are making an attempt to restore America to a previous time (sound familiar).  "Death Race 2000" takes these ideas and gooses them with comic book styling as each racer is given a unique identity along with a vehicle that matches the personality.  The cars themselves are hilarious creations on a shoestring budget.
Sylvester Stallone is featured in his pre-Rocky days as one of the contestants, working hard on his monosyllabic delivery.  At the time, the bigger star was David Carradine, coming fresh off the television series "Kung Fu" and looking for an image change.  I think he succeeded.  Paul Bartel, who has appeared in several Corman films, gets behind the camera, directing with a manic glee.
However, as much I enjoyed the first half of "Death Race 2000", there was a problem of stretching the absurdity over a scant 80 minutes.  Best viewed on a late Saturday night or at the drive-in.

Rating: 6/10
Movies I've previously seen: 6
First time viewings: 119