Blu-Ray Review: Death Race – Inferno

Prequel to the 2008 Death Race remake, Death Race 2, was one of the most impressive straight-to-DVD releases of past years, managing to be far superior to its predecessor. Fortunately, the winning team from the second entry all return for this third outing, from director Roel Reinie and screenwriter Tony Giglio to stars Luke Goss, Ving Rhames and Danny Trejo.

Death Race: Inferno sees Frankenstein one race away from freedom, however, a corrupt businessman (Dougray Scott) does all he can to ensure that he does not win that race. Frankenstein and team are soon moved to South Africa and pitted against some of the worlds’ hardest convicts.

Death Race: Inferno sticks to a similar style as the impressive second entry, filled with impressive stunt driving and adrenaline fueled action set pieces. Giglio’s screenplay makes a natural progression from the second feature, sticking to a formula that works with a few added twists to keep things fresh and exciting. This time the action is moved to South Africa, presenting us with some stunning sun-scorched locations and adding a new dynamic to the series, by showing us the chaos the death race causes to the locals. We are also treated to a new villain, in the form of Dougray Scott’s Niles York, who clearly has fun hamming the part up, despite having little depth.

Fans of Grindhouse cinema are likely to be in their element with well choreographed action set pieces from high-octane car chases to brutal, bone-crunching fist fights. Reine has a real flare for directing the car races and it is hard not to drawn into these pursuits, rooting for Frankenstein. Reine uses a variety of visual techniques to keep the excitement high, from slow-motion flips and explosions – whilst hardly groundbreakingly original techniques, it makes for a fun and entertaining watch.

Handsome leading man, Luke Goss continues to impress as Frankenstein, bringing a convincing sense of emotional depth and likability to the role. Whilst David Carradine was an unforgettable Frankenstein, Goss has helped craft an equally memorable and interesting take on the character. Supporting turns from Danny Trejo and Ving Rhames also add some further fun to Death Race: Inferno.

Death Race: Inferno is a highly entertaining and well-crafted sequel, reaching the same highs as its predecessor. Reine knows how to make a solid action film and this is likely to keep genre fans happy.

There are also a variety of interesting special features including deleted scenes and a making of. Be sure to check out the Danny Trejo – An Imitating Life: Goldberg exclusive to Blu-Ray release.

You can pre-order Death Race: Inferno here.