Death Race: Frankenstein Lives
Encyclopedia
Death Race 2 is a film directed by Dutch filmmaker Roel Reiné
Roel Reiné
Roel Reiné is a Los Angeles-based Dutch film director.-Death Race: Frankenstein Lives:The Dutch filmmaker becomes the director seat for Death Race: Frankenstein Lives , an official sequel to Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race...

, written by Tony Giglio
Tony Giglio
Tony Giglio is an American film director from Medford, Massachusetts. He graduated from Seton Hall University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.-Director:...

 and Paul W. S. Anderson
Paul W. S. Anderson
Paul William Scott Anderson , also known as Paul W. S. Anderson or Paul Anderson, is an English film director who regularly works in science fiction movies and video game adaptations.-Life and career:...

, and starring Luke Goss
Luke Goss
Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...

, Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...

, Tanit Phoenix
Tanit Phoenix
-Early life:Phoenix was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to a family of Irish and Dutch descent. Her father, a Quantum Mechanics lecturer and former skydiver, is a descendant of 19th century immigrants from Tullylish, Ireland. Growing up, Phoenix excelled at a variety of activities,...

, Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo
Dan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...

 and Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...

. Death Race 2 is a prequel to the 2008 film Death Race
Death Race (film)
Death Race is a 2008 action film produced, written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and starring Jason Statham. Though referred to as a remake of the 1975 film Death Race 2000 in reviews and marketing materials, director Paul W.S. Anderson stated in an interview and the DVD commentary that he...

, which, although marketed as a remake of the 1975 film Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000 is a 1975 cult action film directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine, Simone Griffeth and Sylvester Stallone. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transcontinental Road Race has become a form of national entertainment...

(based on Ib Melchior's
Ib Melchior
Ib Jørgen Melchior is a novelist, short story writer, film producer, film director, and screenwriter of low-budget American science fiction movies, most of them released by American International Pictures...

 short story "The Racer"), has been described as a prequel, making Death Race 2 a prequel to both films.

The film explores the origins of the first "Frankenstein" car driver, Carl "Luke" Lucas (Luke Goss
Luke Goss
Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...

), who died in a race at the beginning of the first film, from Luke's beginning as a bank robber until his death in Death Race.

Plot

In 2012, private corporations own and manage the prison systems
Private prison
A private prison, jail, or detention center is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency...

. Getaway driver Carl "Luke" Lucas (Luke Goss
Luke Goss
Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...

) is arrested after a robbery for his crime boss Markus Kane (Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...

) goes wrong. As his accomplices are robbing the bank, two police officers casually enter the building. Luke tells his accomplices to abort, but they refuse; Luke intervenes, resulting in the death of one of the three accomplices. Luke shoots and kills one of the officers and dumps off his accomplices in order to fulfill Markus's wishes. In doing so, Luke is eventually captured by the police following a high-speed chase and sentenced to serve time on Terminal Island.

Terminal Island is a prison under the control of The Weyland Corporation, which hosts Death Match, a televised pay-per-view competition where two dangerous convicts are chosen and then forced to fight to the death or submission. The prisoners are given access to weapons or defense items to use during the fight by stepping on a marked plate in the arena. Luke meets the men who eventually become his pit crew in the Death Race: Lists (Frederick Koehler
Frederick Koehler
Frederick Koehler is an American actor best known for his role as Chip on Kate & Allie as well as Andrew Schillinger on the HBO drama Oz.- Film work :* Death Race 2 -- Lists* Death Race – Lists...

), who annoys him by over-analyzing everything, Goldberg (Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo
Dan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...

), and Rocco (Joe Vaz). The host of Death Match is September Jones (Lauren Cohan
Lauren Cohan
Lauren Cohan is an American actress. Her most recognized role to date is that of the role of Bela Talbot on Supernatural...

), a former Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....

 who lost her crown due to allegations of having a sexual relationship with all of its judges. She now works for The Weyland Corporation to create profit from the pay per view subscribers of Death Match. When a convict tries to stab Lists (because of his nature and weakness, as he was convicted only of swindling
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...

), Luke takes it upon himself to defend him.

Luke is later approached in the showers by September, who proposes that he fight. When he refuses, she makes sexual advances towards him, which he pretends to go for before refusing. In retaliation, September chooses Lists to fight in a Death Match with the convict who tried to stab him earlier. Luke confronts her while Lists is running for his life during the event, pleading to let him fight in place of Lists. She refuses to help and he jumps over a barbed fence to fight for Lists. He is joined by Katrina Banks (Tanit Phoenix
Tanit Phoenix
-Early life:Phoenix was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to a family of Irish and Dutch descent. Her father, a Quantum Mechanics lecturer and former skydiver, is a descendant of 19th century immigrants from Tullylish, Ireland. Growing up, Phoenix excelled at a variety of activities,...

), a woman convict who is serving as a ring girl with other female convicts. She hits the convict with a round number sign made of metal. A riot breaks out during the fight between Luke and the convict because of racial tension, sparked because Luke is white and the other convict is black. The convicts break down the fence to get in, and some of the rapists attack and attempt to rape female convicts. Katrina defends herself and helps other women, who are then evacuated. When the riot control guards come, Luke surrenders. Markus, worried that Luke will trade info on his crimes for immunity, discovers his location at Terminal Island while watching Death Match. Afterward, Luke is well-received when he sees Katrina and inquires about her well-being after the fight.

Markus puts a bounty of $1 million on Luke's head and convinces some of the prisoners to kill him. Meanwhile, September comes up with a plan to boost their profits by converting the Death Match into a "Death Race", where the contestants will have to race over days to win each match. The person who manages to win five such matches will be released from prison. Luke joins the race, during which other prisoners try to kill him to earn Markus's bounty. Luke's car crashes and everybody is led to believe that he is dead. In reality, he survives with extensive scarring to his face. He joins the race as the new character "Frankenstein" with a mask to hide his identity from others, especially September, who is threatening not only his life but Katrina's as well. Meanwhile, Luke's new Triad friends manage to kill Markus in revenge, and Lists kills Rocco in the shower house for rigging Luke's car. Frankenstein then kills September by running her over with his car during a race, leaving some fates (such as Katrina's) unresolved.

Racers

  • Luke Goss
    Luke Goss
    Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...

     as Carl "Luke" Lucas / Frankenstein. Goss replaced David Carradine
    David Carradine
    David Carradine was an American actor and martial artist, best known for his role as a warrior monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, which later had a 1990s sequel series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues...

    , who portrayed Frankenstein in Death Race 2000
    Death Race 2000
    Death Race 2000 is a 1975 cult action film directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine, Simone Griffeth and Sylvester Stallone. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transcontinental Road Race has become a form of national entertainment...

    and Death Race (the latter through a cameo voice-over). Lucas' car is driven by Jensen Ames in Death Race.
  • Robin Shou
    Robin Shou
    Shou Wan Por , known professionally as Robin Shou, is a Hong Kong martial artist and actor. Frequently appearing in numerous martial arts films, Shou was most successful for playing the role of Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat & Gobei with the late Chris Farley in Beverly Hills Ninja.-Career:Shou's first...

     as 14K, a tenth-generation Triad member, who was sent to business school and holds a degree from MIT
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...

    . He is the only racer other than Frankenstein to appear in both films.
  • Deobia Oparei as Big Bill, one of Luke's rivals. His car is driven by Machine Gun Joe in "Death Race".
  • Hennie Bosman as Xander Grady. His car is driven by Pachenko in Death Race.
  • Sean Higgs as Hill Billy. His car is driven by Siad in Death Race.
  • Warrick Grier as Calin. His car is driven by Carson in Death Race.
  • Chase Armitage as Apache. His car is driven by Riggins in Death Race.
  • Michael Solomon as The Sheik. His car is driven by Travis Colt in Death Race.
  • Traian Milenov as Scarface. His car is driven by Hector Grimm in Death Race.

Other cast

  • Tanit Phoenix
    Tanit Phoenix
    -Early life:Phoenix was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to a family of Irish and Dutch descent. Her father, a Quantum Mechanics lecturer and former skydiver, is a descendant of 19th century immigrants from Tullylish, Ireland. Growing up, Phoenix excelled at a variety of activities,...

     as Katrina Banks, Luke's navigator and love interest.
  • Lauren Cohan
    Lauren Cohan
    Lauren Cohan is an American actress. Her most recognized role to date is that of the role of Bela Talbot on Supernatural...

     as September Jones, Death Race's hostess, formerly the hostess of Death Match. She is a former Miss Universe who lost her crown due to allegations of having a sexual relationship with all of its judges.
  • Fred Koehler as Lists, one of Luke's pit crew and a compulsive data collector.
  • Ving Rhames
    Ving Rhames
    Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...

     as Weyland, head of Weyland International.
  • Danny Trejo
    Danny Trejo
    Dan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...

     as Goldberg, a loyal member of Luke's pit crew.
  • Sean Bean
    Sean Bean
    Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...

     as Markus Kane, Luke's former crime boss.
  • Patrick Lyster as Medford Parks, Terminal Island Penitentiary's warden.
  • Joe Vaz as Rocco, a member of Luke's pit crew.
  • Danny Keogh as Dr. Klein

Cars

The cars in the film are real vehicles that have been heavily-modified with armor plating, machine guns and defensive weapons.
  • Frankenstein's Monster - A five-speed manual
    Manual transmission
    A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...

     Fifth-generation Ford Mustang armed with dual M134 Miniguns
    Minigun
    The Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire , employing Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source...

     for offense, and a smoke screen, napalm
    Napalm
    Napalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...

    , and oil slick for defense, as well as a 6 inches (152.4 mm) detachable steel plate on the rear bumper called "The Tombstone."
  • Porsche
    Porsche
    Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....

     911
    Porsche 911
    The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...

     - A five-speed manual vehicle with a stock
    Stock
    The capital stock of a business entity represents the original capital paid into or invested in the business by its founders. It serves as a security for the creditors of a business since it cannot be withdrawn to the detriment of the creditors...

     2.7L six-cylinder engine, driven by the Chinese convict 14K, enforced with dual World War II German MG-42 belt-fed general purpose machine gun
    General purpose machine gun
    A general-purpose machine gun is a multi-purpose weapon: it is a machine gun firing a full-power rifle cartridge and which can be used in a variety of roles, from a bipod- or tripod-mounted infantry support weapon to a helicopter door gun or a vehicle-mounted support weapon...

    s, four hood-mounted missiles, and four missiles on the roof.
  • Dodge
    Dodge
    Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....

     Ram
    Dodge Ram
    The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...

     - Big Bill's five-speed automatic
    Automatic transmission
    An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...

     truck with a 5.7L V8 Hemi engine
    Hemi engine
    A Hemi engine is an internal combustion engine in which the roof of each cylinder's combustion chambers is of hemispherical form.- History :...

    , armed with a cowcatcher, four hood-mounted Browning M1919s, two side-mounted Vulcan cannons, and Russian RPG-7
    RPG-7
    The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...

    s.
  • 1967 Buick
    Buick
    Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...

     Riviera
    Buick Riviera
    The Riviera by Buick is an automobile produced by Buick in the United States from the 1963 to 1999 model years, with 1,127,261 produced.A full-size coupé or personal luxury car, the early models of the Riviera in particular have been highly praised by automotive journalists and writers.A common...

     GS (serial # 494877H903903)- Xander Grady's turbo three-speed automatic with a 430C.I. V8 engine. The Riviera is enforced with German
    Germans
    The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

     MG-34s, Uzis, and PPSH-41 submachine gun
    Submachine gun
    A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...

    s.
  • BMW
    BMW
    Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

     E32
    BMW E32
    After almost 7 years in development since September 1979, in July 1986, BMW introduced the second generation of the 7 series, known internally as the E32. Aimed at the high end of the luxury market, the car offered some of the latest innovations in automotive technology, and a new, top-of-the-line...

     - Hill Billy's four-speed automatic with a six-cylinder engine. The BMW is enforced with an M134 and bullet-resistant steel.
  • Pontiac
    Pontiac
    Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...

     Trans Am - Calin's three-speed automatic with a 350HO V8 engine with a M134 aiming backwards for defense, and a .50 caliber turret on top of his car which is operated by his navigator.
  • 1972 "Boattail" Buick Riviera - Apache's three-speed automatic with a 430C.I. V8 "Nail Head" engine. The Boattail is enforced with German MG-34s, two Uzis, and two PPSH-41 submachine guns.
  • Jaguar
    Jaguar
    The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...

     XJS
    Jaguar XJS
    The Jaguar XJ-S is a luxury grand tourer produced by the British manufacturer Jaguar from 1975 to 1996. The XJ-S replaced the E-Type in September 1975, and was based on the XJ saloon. It had been developed as the XK-F, though it was very different in character from its predecessor...

     - The Sheik's four-speed automatic with a V12 engine
    V12 engine
    A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....

    . The Jaguar is enforced with bullet-resistant steel and 50-caliber M2 machine gun
    M2 Machine Gun
    The M2 Machine Gun, Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun, is a heavy machine gun designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. It is very similar in design to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered for the .30-06 cartridge...

    s.
  • Chrysler
    Chrysler
    Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....

     300 C
    Chrysler 300C
    The Chrysler Corporation has used the designation Chrysler 300C to refer to two different vehicles, which are described in separate articles.* The 1957 Chrysler 300C, that year's version of the Chrysler 300 "letter series"; a large, high-performance luxury coupe sold in very limited numbers.* The...

     - Scarface's five-speed automatic with a 345C.I. V8 engine. The Chrysler is enforced with three FN MAG-58
    FN MAG
    The FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries, and it has been made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the...

    s, a missile and oil slick.
  • Australian Ford Falcons
    Ford Falcon (Australia)
    The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...

     (EF and EL models) and Ford Crown Victoria
    Ford Crown Victoria
    -1992–1994:Released in March 1991 as an early 1992 model, the Crown Victoria sedan was completely redesigned with a rounder, eight-window roofline . The redesign reduced the coefficient of drag from 0.42 to 0.34; the suspension setup was also heavily revised...

    s - Driven by police.

Production

On November 13, 2009, casting began for the prequel. On December 7, 2009, it was announced that Roel Reiné
Roel Reiné
Roel Reiné is a Los Angeles-based Dutch film director.-Death Race: Frankenstein Lives:The Dutch filmmaker becomes the director seat for Death Race: Frankenstein Lives , an official sequel to Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race...

 would direct the film. On January 5, 2010, Luke Goss
Luke Goss
Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...

 was announced for the leading role as Carl "Luke" Lucas, who becomes "Frankenstein".

Principal photography began on February 13, 2010 in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

, South Africa. The film was shot in various locations in and around the central city of Cape Town, including the Castle of Good Hope, Robin Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned during the Apartheid years) and an abandoned cement factory near the poor townships outside Cape Town.

Release

The film was released direct-to-DVD
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...

on January 18, 2011. A trailer was released on October 3, 2010.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK