I’ve got to admit that when I first heard about the Death Race remake, I wasn’t all that enthusiastic about it… but more and more that’s changing. When we hear stuff like this:
Joan Allen, hot off box office champ “The Bourne Ultimatum,” is buckling up for “Death Race,” a remake of the Roger Corman cult classic. “Deadwood” villain Ian McShane and actor/singer Tyrese Gibson also are in the starting lineup for the action-thriller, which stars Jason Statham.
“Death Race” sees a future America in which prison inmates are forced to brutally compete in an enclosed arena. Statham will play a prisoner who, with only weeks to go before his release, is coerced into being a driver and becomes the crowd favorite called Frankenstein. Allen will play the warden of the prison who runs the race and ruthlessly forces Statham to enter the arena. McShane will play a coach, while Gibson is a sociopathic racer named Machine Gun Joe who seeks to escape from prison.
I’m appreciating Joan Allen more and more. The lady is just money in the bank (talent wise anyway). I still remember the first time I really noticed her was in Face Off… then she totally kicked ass in Pleasentville, and she’s been taking names ever since. She was also probably the strongest supporting character in Bourne Ultimatum… and that’s saying something because you had some real heavyweights in that one.
Back to Death Race. Seeing Allen in a role like the Warden would be a bit of a departure for her, and I like that. A mean, nasty Joan Allen is one thing we haven’t really seen from her yet, and I’d pumped for it.
