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Directed by Roel Reine. Staring Luke Goss, Sean Bean, Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo, Lauren Cohan Tanit Phoenix. 2010, Action/Thriller, South Africa/USA, 100 min.

DVD UK release date 27th December, Universal Home Entertainment.

The US economy is in decline and violent crime has spun out of control. The powers that be in an attempt to rein in this ever increase cycle of crime, has set up a network of for-profit private prisons to try and solve the problem. As usual schemes like this backfire and in DEATH RACE 2, a prequel to 2008s DEATH RACE, this proves to be the case and these facilities end up being run by the very gangs, killers and general all-round bad people who they were set up to contain.

After a botched bank raid Carl Lucas, Luke Goss, (BLADE 2, HELL BOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY) finds himself incarcerated in Terminal Island Prison, probably the most notorious facility of all. The prison is also the set of a brutal Gladiator style reality TV show Death Match that sets up the inmates to fight each other for rewards. Luke finds himself up against a ruthless and ambitious television personality September Jones, Lauren Cohen. (VAN WILDER 2: THE RISE OF TAJ, SUPERNATURAL) She wants to feature him as her star driver in a new reality show Death Race. Set in the prison it's a demolition derby that sets prisoners against each other in heavily reinforced and seriously dangerous vehicles fighting for a big prize, their freedom.

DEATH RACE 2 is the latest in the trend of straight to DVD sequels or prequels to successful theatrical films. Originally thought up by the Disney Corporation as a way to cash-in on their super lucrative cartoons, most Hollywood production companies have now joined in.

So, is DEATH RACE 2 any good? Well, it certainly looks glossy enough. Viewed from a Blu-ray that was sharp with vivid colour, it has decent production values for a straight to DVD film. It has a roster of well-known actors including Sean Bean (LORD OF THE RINGS, RED RIDING) and Ving Ramus. (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE TRILOGY, PIRANHA 3-D) I have to confess I sat down to watch the film and my expectations weren't that high. I had enjoyed the 2008 original so this prequel had a lot to live up to. I was pleasantly surprised by the film. It's 110 minutes flew by and it cracks on at a pace between its various set pieces, which are handsomely staged and although contain a few continuity errors, which I'm sure there wasn't the budget to fix, are entertaining and fun to watch.

Luke Goss does a decent job in filling the role left vacant by Jason Statham. It did take me a wee while to warm to his character, but as the film went along he slowly brought me on side. He gets better with every film.

DEATH RACE 2 is by no means perfect. Taint Phoenix, does a decent job of the love interest Karina Banks and there is a bit of chemistry between the two leads, however Lauren Cohen isn't really up to the role of September Jones. She gives it her all, but doesn’t quite have the screen presence to pull off the films ruthlessly ambitious bitch.

All and all DEATH RACE 2 isn't a bad effort. In the end it does exactly what it says on the tin, or in this case what the cover of the DVD suggests. If you are looking for a well made easy on the eye non-brain-taxing piece of entertainment, you won't be disappointed. It is fast, it is slick, and there's more than enough action to go around. It sticks to a formula that works, but doesn't degenerate into the nonsense that some similar films feel that they have too to try and stand out from the crowd.

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