DEATH RACE: BEYOND ANARCHY (2018)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *sociological*

It is devoutly to be hoped that this is the last of the DEATH RACE series. I've certainly seen worse serials, but from the first in the series, the franchise, as re-invented for the 21st century, has remained resolutely formulaic.

BEYOND ANARCHY takes place some time after the 2008 DEATH RACE, making this the only direct sequel. The 2008 sequel focused on the prison's attempt to make "new fish" Jensen Ames assume the identity of the once-popular racer Frankenstein. One presumes that even after the demise of the 2008 villains, someone else picked up the gauntlet and eventually enlisted someone to take over the role. In fact, the new Frankenstein is so successful that he becomes the de facto ruler of "The Sprawl," a subculture that has grown out of the prison community. Indeed, there are only occasional scenes of oversight of the Sprawl by prison authorities. The Sprawl is actually closer in concept to the aforementioned film TERMINAL ISLAND, in which convicts are turned loose on a remote island to sort out their own affairs.

Frankenstein isn't the hero this time, though. Another new fish, Connor Gibson (Zack McGowan, a dead ringer for Keanu Reeves), is enlisted by the warden to challenge the power of Frankenstein so that the prison can bring the cons back into line. Danny Trejo reprises his role from the other films to serve in Gibson's pit crew, while Danny Glover signs on in a related support-role. Gibson and Frankenstein exchange bon mots about their destined encounter, and despite all the distractions Gibson finds time to romance a local girl from the Sprawl.

There are enough fights and fast-cars to keep one engaged on the purely kinetic level, and a few of the lines are at least passable "tough guy" dialogue. But I don't think the returns can diminish much more than this before descending into total incoherence, and so ANARCHY seems like an ideal place to park this particular vehicle for good.