Bullet Points: Death Race 4: Beyond Anarchy

The Death Race franchise has made it to a 4th film. Can you believe it? Did you even know we now have 4 Death Race movies? Think of the names it could’ve been titled before Death Race 4: Beyond Anarchy was picked. We could’ve had: Death Race IV, Death Race: Johnny Law on Patrol, Death Race: The Voyage to The Sprawl or Death Race: The Revenge of Frankenstein. All is well though. The title of Anarchy suits this film just right. I will now give you some Bullet Points in the form of questions I received in my mailbag at Bulletproof Action about Death Race 4 and if you should watch it or not. 

Dear RTG, I love action films, but the only Death Race I’ve seen was the one at the movies starring The Transporter. Will I be able to understand Death Race 4? 

• The answer is YES. I’ve only seen the first two. The one with Statham, and Part 2 with Luke Goss. 2 & 3 are prequels to the 1st. Now 4, I believe takes place after all the other movies, because the Death Race has now been banned. And it is elite hackers who broadcast it for the world to see, and the warden of the prison doesn’t want the racers to race anymore. There’s no need to have any knowledge about the Death Race series to enjoy. 

Dear RTG, I ain’t gonna lie: I love me some hot naked women in action movies. Does Death Race 4 give me anything that’s easy on my eyes?

• The answer is, HELL YES! Most of the nudity is in the movie for no reason, and that’s my favorite type. Hot ladies like to run around naked while the engines are getting revved up to start the races. There’s also naked groupies on stage as a hard rock band preforms, and we get a lot of nude scenes from Lucy Aarden. She plays the girlfriend of the main bad guy, Frankenstein. Plus, Danny Trejo has a small part, but in every scene he’s in, he has a hot topless lady on his arm. I would definitely say Death Race 4 has a lot more nudity than the average action movie. 

Dear RTG, I’m a huge Death Race fan. My favorite character in the franchise is Frankenstein. Will I be pleased after watching Death Race 4? 

• Before I answer, this letter was signed LG. So maybe Luke Goss wrote us at BPA Headquarters? The answer is YES and NO. Luke is nowhere to be found. Remember, Frank died at the beginning of the first Death Race, then we get prequels about him in 2 and 3. Now, 4 is in the future, and we do have a Frankenstein, but we never see his face. But, the film’s message is: It doesn’t matter who is behind the mask, as long as someone is behind the mask. I personally think the Frankenstein character is pretty weak in this installment, but it doesn’t matter, due to all the insane action and hot women. 

Dear RTG, Can you tell me something cool about the hero in Death Race 4? I honestly have no clue who Zach McGowan is. 

• Sure. It took me a minute to recognize Zach McGowan. I remembered him from the early seasons of Shameless, where he played Jody Silverman, the older boyfriend of Karen Jackson. In Death Race he plays a badass government assassin named Connor Gibson. He’s sent in by the establishment to win Death Race, murder Frankenstein and restore order to the Sprawl. At first glance, he doesn’t look like an action star. However, as the movie goes on, he becomes more and more of a badass. I really like the casting of Zach McGowan, and I would love to see him in more movies similar to this. 

Dear RTG, The world is pretty crazy right now, and I honestly just want to watch a popcorn action movie without some agenda being shoved down my throat. Is Death Race 4 a safe watch for me? 

• Great question! The director is the same director who brought us Jarhead: Law of Return. A film that is political, and the review scores are all over the place. Some reviewers seem to struggle with their personal politics interfering in their ability to fairly judge a film. Especially, when they disagree with the politics. There’s no hidden message in Death Race 4. All we have is racing, killing and tons of nakedness. For a film called Death Race, we don’t have as much car racing as you would think, but it is made up for by the way the contestants qualify for Death Race. They have fights to the death where everyone is cheating to win. Remember the ladder match between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania X? We kinda get a ladder match in this entry to the Death Race series. I really enjoyed Death Race 4, a lot. I think action junkies shouldn’t hesitate to jump right on it. 

Oh yeah, here’s some Bonus Bullet Points for your reading pleasure…

• I’m getting too old for this shit: Danny Glover shows up as Baltimore Bob. He’s Connor Gibson’s crew chief, and knows a lot about fast cars. Mr. Glover proves once again that age is nothing but a number. 
• Lists: Frederick Koehler is the only actor to appear in all four Death Race movies. I can’t remember if he survived the original. Perhaps, you can let me know in the comments. Because, the timeline would really be screwed up if he didn’t. 
• Awesome Rock: I don’t think the soundtrack is for everyone, but I enjoyed rocking out until it hurt. I doubt the naked ladies on stage had anything to do with it. 
• Powerful GPS: Each Death Race contestant has their own personal navigator. In the other films, they’re mostly only eye candy. However, in this film, they get to help kick ass too. Progress! You gotta love it!!