Movie review - "Deathsport" (1978) **

A follow up to Death Race 2000 (1975) (Cannonball (1976) was an earlier follow up) - although David Carradine once more plays a warrior of the future engaged in a deadly game on wheels, it isn't as good. The main thing is a total absence of humour - the film is played totally straight. The setting is 1000 years into the future, with the world divided into city states. One of the city states kidnaps some "rangers" (free spirited types who live outside the cities) in order to be killed in Death sport, a games used to kill people; the leader of the city state wants to show off his new deadly motorcycles.

It is a bit confusing, with some ripe dialogue. The first 30 minutes are convoluted. But once the film settles down into people on motorcycles trying to kill Carradine and his friends (including Claudia Jennings, who looks great in some of the outfits), it is fine, albeit hurt by the low budget.

Clearly influenced by Star Wars with its swords, swooping sound effects, a villain who was once a goody but turned evil to serve an evil lord, sand-people type creatures; Carradine wears a loin cloth a lot of the time but he and Jennings actually pass believably for warriors. Richard Lynch is a strong opponent. 

 

There is some gratuitous nudity, unfortunately mostly in torture scenes (Jennings appears in one - it seems like a 70s disco where you go nude only get electrocuted; this was her penultimate film). 

 

The choppy nature of the film is partly explained by the fact that two directors are credited - Allan Arkush apparently took over when original director, writer Nicholas Niciphor, wasn't producing the goods. Produced by Roger Corman.