Death Race 2000

For the 2008 remake, see Death Race (2008 film).

Death Race 2000
Theatrical release poster by John Solie
Directed byPaul Bartel
Screenplay byRobert Thom
Charles B. Griffith
Based on"The Racer"
(1956 short story)
by Ib Melchior
Produced byRoger Corman
StarringDavid Carradine
Simone Griffeth
Sylvester Stallone
Louisa Moritz
Don Steele
CinematographyTak Fujimoto
Edited byTina Hirsch
Music byPaul Chihara
Production
company
Distributed byNew World Pictures
Release date
  • April 27, 1975 (1975-04-27) (United States)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$300,000–530,000[1][2][3]
Box office$5–8 million[1][3]

Death Race 2000 is a 1975 American dystopian science-fiction action film directed by Paul Bartel and produced by Roger Corman for New World Pictures.[4] Set in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, the film centers on the murderous Transcontinental Road Race, in which participants score points by striking and killing pedestrians. David Carradine stars as "Frankenstein", the leading champion of the race, who is targeted by an underground rebel movement seeking to abolish the race. The cast also features Simone Griffeth, Sylvester Stallone, Mary Woronov, Martin Kove, and Don Steele.

Noting the publicity surrounding the film Rollerball (1975), Roger Corman sought to develop his own futuristic sports action film, and optioned the rights to Ib Melchior's 1956 short story "The Racer".[5] Paul Bartel was hired to direct. The film was released on April 27, 1975. It initially received mixed critical reviews but was a considerable commercial success, grossing over $5 million from a sub-$1 million budget.[6]

In the years since its release, critics have praised the film's political and social satire,[7] and it has developed a strong cult following.[5] It spawned 2008 remake, entitled Death Race, and a 2017 sequel film, Death Race 2050.

  1. ^ a b Thomas, Kevin (December 21, 1975). "9 Directors Rising From the Trashes". Los Angeles Times. p. m1.
  2. ^ "Death Race 2000". The Numbers. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Koetting, Christopher T. (2009). Mind Warp!: The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures. Hemlock Books. pp. 80–83. ISBN 9780955777417.
  4. ^ "Death Race 2000 (1975)". AllMovie. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Bosnan, John (1998). "Death Race 2000". In Clute, John; Nichols, Peter (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (2nd ed.). London: Orbit. ISBN 9781857231243.
  6. ^ "Death Race 2000 (1975)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).