Movie Critic - Death Race

This is a movie that is based off 1975's Death Race 2000, which is a movie that is exactly what it sounds. A race across the country in which David Carradine and Sly basically drive fast cars with guns and hit Old People and Women with them. Needless to say, it's fairly badass in that bad 70's movie sense. This takes a slightly different premise, the year is 2012 and the American Economy has failed completely (foreshadowing?) so prisons - now run by giant corporations - organize Death Races and air them to make money. As in every futuristic movie like this, naturally America eats it up, but gets bored so they have to keep making it more and more ridiculous.
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (hack) he once again sloppily throws a camera in random places and catches actors saying lines. Just like his style there are extreme close ups to the action and shaky camera work to 'add intesity', when in reality he's making up for his extremely shotty directing skills. Sharing the same name as Paul Thomas Anderson is a travesty, comparing Paul W.S. Anderson to PTA is like comparing Earvin 'Magic' Johnson to the Ervin Johnson who played for the Bucks. And once again PWSA fails to deliver as a director.
As for the star - Stath... it's safe to say he yet again mails this one in. Jason Statham plays the same character he's beeing playing since being cast in The Transporter (1-3), Crank, and what promises to be awful Crank: High Voltage. The worst part is... it's working for him, he's not bad in this, the border line retarded hardass is exactly what is needed for this role. As for the rest Ian McShane is actually pretty decent and Tyrese adds absolutely nothing while still not being too bad.
So here goes, I actually enjoyed this movie. Once again, playing on the 'movies so bad, they're good', it actually works. Although the premise of Death Race 2000 compared to this Death Race is much, much better, this works too. Never leaving the prison really gives it a confined scope to the movie that actually works. I'm going to be honest, it's nothing more than car racing and extreme violence... and sometimes that's really all you need.
Death Race is Rated R for Strong Language and Violence, and has a running time of 111 Minutes.
Death Race gets (as weird as it feels to say) a 3/5 Stars