If you've ever wondered where the idea for Carmageddon came from, Neil Barnden (nobby) from Stainless admitted in an interview with MacAddict that the 1975 movie Death Race 2000 was its inspiration.
One of the greatest crazy race car movies ever to hit the screen, it's a cross between the serious film Rollerball and Hanna-Barbera's Wacky Races cartoons. This black comedy is about a Trans-Continental race where contestants gain points by running over and killing pedestrians, the movie combines car chases, explosions, sex, entirely gratuitous violence, and some genuine wit and comedy.
It is the year 2000, twenty-one years after "The World Crash of '79", and the biggest bread-and-circus sporting event for the masses is the Transcontinental Road Race, where five racers and their navigators jump into heavily-customized cars and charge from New York Memorial Stadium to New L.A., the former seat of government. The TDR2000 doubles as population control, with women of child-bearing age worth 10 points, teens 40, children under twelve 70, and folks over 75 a whopping 100 points.
The five contestants are:
Frankenstein (David Carradine) who is obviously the fan favorite, referred to as a 'national hero', but has since developed a somewhat cynical attitude. Due to his previous crashes, he has had many limb transplants and is now partially bionic (hence his name). His navigator is a girl named Annie, who he has never worked with before, and his car looks like a large Godzilla head complete with fangs.
"Machine Gun" Joe Viterbo (Sylvester Stallone) plays a stereotypical gangster who is so jealous over Frankenstein's popularity he sprays his machine gun into the stands before the race. His girlfriend, a Brooklyn moll perpetually dressed in furs, is his navigator.
Calamity Jane Kelly also has her lover navigate for her. Her shtick is cowgirl, and her car, 'The Bull', has dark brown spots and horns.
Matilda The Hun races with her navigator Herman the German in their car, the 'Buzz Bomb'. The sweetheart of the Fascist set, Matilda wears swastika armbands and a Nazi uniform.
Ray Nero the Hero has an Ancient Greek thing going, along with his navigator Cleopatra. Their car, the 'Lion' is gold and also features large fangs. Cleopatra feeds Ray grapes before the race.
The plot of the movie revolves around a resistance group trying to end the violent race. Frankenstein's new navigator Annie is actually a spy for the group, and their plan is to kidnap Frankenstein and replace him with a duplicate. Once he wins the race and meets the President, the double will demand the end to the race in exchange for Frankenstein's life. The resistance group is run by Annie's grandmother, Mrs. Thomasina Pain.
The first kill on the race is made by Machine Gun Joe, who bags a road worker. As a result, the deceased man's wife wins several prizes. Jane's first pedestrian is a bullfighter who tries to fight her car. Frankenstein kills several invalids (anyone over 70 is worth 100 points, the highest) who have been put in the middle of the road for 'Euthanasia Day' at the hospital.
It is this quest for points that causes Ray Nero to be the first one out of the race. The resistance sets a bomb in a baby doll, and Ray runs it over thinking it to be real as babies are worth the second most amount of points. After the Lion explodes, the resistance movement jams the TV signal with their own and announces their plans to abolish the race. The President quickly makes a statement that there are no resistance groups and the sabotage is to be blamed on 'the French'.
It isn't long before the resistance strikes again, creating a phony detour off of a cliff that kills Matilda the Hun, and planting a mine that does away with Calamity Jane. The rebel attempt at kidnapping Frankenstein fails however, and the jaded racer starts to suspect his navigator as having something to do with the resistance. When Annie finally admits her involvement, she is surprised when Frankenstein takes off his glove to reveal a grenade lodged in the palm of his bionic arm. Frankenstein explains his plan to win the race and shake with the President using his 'hand grenade'. Unfortunately, the explosive is lost when it has to be used to kill Machine Gun Joe, leaving Frankenstein and Annie to devise another plan to end the reign of the Trans-Continental Race.
So, if you've never seen this flick before, and you want to call yourself a Carmageddon fan, head to your video store and see if you can find it.
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