DEATH RACE 2000 (1975)
Directed by Paul Bartel
Starring David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone
Remembered by mainstream chiefly for the presence of a young Sylvester Stallone as a racer named "Machine Gun Joe" who wears '20s Mafia clothing.In a foreshadow perhaps of the pro-wrestling culture gripping America, director Bartel's dated, mid-1970s film predicted a future in which the nation's premier sport will be a cross-country road race pitting costumed contestants against one another. Racers score points by running over pedestrians.
The film takes place 21 years after the "Great Crash of '79." A resistance movement is attempting to end the Roman-esque death race, which keeps audiences transfixed on violence so they won't rise up against their oppressors. The rebels have managed to have one of their operators hired as the chief navigator of the oldest surviving—and most popular racer—of the whole event, the masked Frankenstein (Carradine).
Like all chief navigators in 2000, this spy (played by gorgeous Simone Griffeth) is expected to serve as Frankenstein's sexual servant, supplying the film with ample opportunity for T&A.
Bartel pours on the gore for the frequent killings that take place during the race—both of pedestrians and some of the racers.
Bartel's funny, sci-fi splatter pic eventually provided the inspiration for the horrible "Cannonball Run" with Burt Reynolds and for John Carpenter's "Escape From New York."
Pathetic special effects and a cheesy performance by Stallone make it a must for bad-movie fans of all stripes, particularly those that love 1970s exploitation.