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| Genres: | ActionSportSci |
| Starring: | David Carradine, Gene Hartline, William Smithers, H.B. Haggerty, Richard Lynch, Jesse Vint, Claudia Jennings |
| Director(s): | Allan Arkush, Nicholas Niciphor |
| Country: | USA |
| Year: | 1978 |
| IMDB Rating: | 3.3 |
Futuristic Science Fiction about a sport to the death, using destructocycles.
Visitor Reviews: (12)MARIO GAUCI 16 May 2012
I distinctly recall this being on Italian TV when I was still a kidand, as far as I can tell, I watched it along with another violentDavid Carradine sport flick CANNONBALL (1976); however, at thisjuncture, I couldn't remember any of the details relating to its plot(if so it can be called)! The film is confused (a mix of DEATH RACE 2000 and ROLLERBALL {both1975}) and dreary post-apocalyptic junk passing off as thrillingentertainment: apparently, the world has been reduced to two warringfactions  gladiator-type 'runners' (complete with anachronistic skimpycostumes), among them Carradine, son of a legendary female leader, andvicious motorcyclists determined to eliminate the former, includingRichard Lynch (who had already killed Carradine's mother); ruling theplanet, then, is an old man slowly succumbing to brain damage! Ofcourse, a tough woman (Claudia Jennings) is bound to figure in all ofthis  even so, her most notable contributions are a couple of totallygratuitous nude torture sequences! The repetitive action, hampered by the obvious low-budget, isn'texactly exciting and certainly not credible (definitely seeming sillyin the age of STAR WARS [1977]); predictably, it all ends with aduel-to-the-death between Carradine and Lynch  no guess as to whoemerges victorious either! I guess the film is a harmless way to kill80 minutes, but there's nothing remotely remarkable about it  which iswhy it's so forgettable in the first place!
Latheman-9 16 May 2012
Some film makers, such as Ed Wood, produce movies so bad that they havea peculiar charm in spite of their overwhelming flaws. And then there'sRoger Corman."Deathsport" was meant to ride on the coat tails of its successfulpredecessor "Death Race 2000," using motorcycles in place ofautomobiles as principal motif. However, although it does feature thesame leading man (David Carradine), it lacks two key elements from thefirst film -- the self-caricature known as Sylvester Stallone, and thearch humor of director Paul Bartel who went on to direct cult favorites"Eating Raoul" (1982) and "Lust in the Dust" (1985). Principal directorAllan Arkush, on the other hand, was soon relegated to the wasteland oftelevision. Roger Corman wears his producer's hat for "Deathsport" butis also listed as an uncredited director. One noteworthy point: listedin the credits for "guitar" is Jerry Garcia. Could it really be THEJerry Garcia of Grateful Dead fame?This film should be seen by anybody interested in learning how NOT tomake a movie. It is bad in so many ways that the 1000 word IMDb commentlimit precludes me from even beginning to describe them. I would ratethis film as low as possible if it weren't for two redeeming features:hilarious trailers for other Corman productions (in the video version),and completely gratuitous full frontal female nudity. Rating: 2/10.
drystyx 16 May 2012
This should have been a fun movie, but the directors took all of thefun out of it.It's just an action movie, and probably would've been better withhorses, but motorcycles are somewhat more cinematic than other motorvehicles.Still, while it's people killing each other on motorcycles, it makes nosense. Very early, a bunch of guys kill off the gorgeous sexy girl (Iguess they're gay, I don't know} and there's nothing for the guys to beinterested in). Then there's a bunch of boredom after that. Like Isaid, nothing at all for the guys, and for women, only die hard bikerbabes could keep interested in this.So we have a movie that is supposed to be Action, which comes across asno fun for the male audience, and actually boring. I don't know if I'llput it on the ten worst movies ever list, because I think to make thatkind of list, you have to have "great expectations", and there reallyisn't any great expectation for this.
Dick-Clark-1970 15 May 2012
*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS* The basic, and I mean basic, premise of this film is that a derangedpresident (John Hulmes) and his `Statesmen' capture wandering nomads tofight against `death machines' to gain their freedom and to satisfy hissadistic needs. However, the President's mental health is failing andsensing weakness, his right hand man Ankar Moor (Richard Lynch) decides thatthe time is right to increase his own grip on power. Whilst this may sound like a promising story line it is unfortunately as faras the writers managed to develop the script, so essentially a five minuteidea gets padded out to make a 90 minute film. This is achieved by adding acompletely pointless `sub-plot' involving mutants kidnapping a young girlfrom Deneer's (Claudia Jeenings) tribe and lots of footage of bike chases.Who the mutants are and why they kidnap the girl is deemed by the writers tobe completely irrelevant to the viewer. The prop budget in this film is minimal to say the least and makes a Dr Whoepisode seem grossly lavish. The `death machines' are essentiallymotorbikes with bits of silver metal attached and have an alarming tendencyto explode at slightest contact (reminiscent of The Simpsons' vehicles). Infact a large chunk of the budget must have been spent on pyrotechnicsbecause things explode and catch on fire throughout the last half of thefilm. The dialogue is extremely cumbersome and was probably written during a heavysmoking session. Corradine seems distracted and listless, whilst Lynchhalf-heartedly hams it up, leaving only former Playboy Playmate Jeeningsseemingly intent on making any effort. This being a Corman production she ofcourse has to be nude at some point (which must be considered a positive inthis film) and she duly obliges during a bizarre light bulb torture scene.The same device is also used to provide a rather lame conclusion to thePresident story line. Another oddity in this film is the `musical score' which at times soundslike the keyboard player is suffering from a fit and at times alternatesbetween droning sounds and jazz! The sound effects seemingly `borrow'heavily from the Star Wars library  listen out for what sounds likeVader's breathing, the phazer effects and the Tie-Fighter like `screaming'sound whilst the bikes travel through the tunnels. With the film meandering aimlessly mid-production and in danger of notgetting finished Corman stepped in and the sense of desperation can be seenin the final product. This is essentially a poor second cousin to Deathrace2000, a film that strangely benefited from Stallone's character. I'd onlyrecommend this to Corman die-hards or cult completists. Note: Watch out for the unfortunate extra who gets unintentionally setalight during the cave scenes (you can see him frantically diving to theground and becoming engulfed in a plume of extinguisher vapour).
DJJOEINC 15 May 2012
Death Sport a non-sequel sequel to the Corman produced Death Race2000-this one lacks the goofy humour of Death Race.Basically DavidCarradine and Claudia Jennings are "guides"(sort of likehunter/fighter/gypsy leaders) and they are corralled by the derangedleader of a local city-state to participate in a gladiator type gamewith motorcycles that are called death machines-The movie has tons ofexplosions- a typical plot and a sword fight that seems tostylistically ape Star Wars.One of the more bizarre sequences in theflick is when the insane leader of the city state has nude women dancefor him among hanging poles that have shocksticks in them.Very datedand odd flick- nothing special or worth seeking out- it was worth the$4.99 I paid for it on DVD.
zetes 15 May 2012
This film has an abysmal 2.8 rating on IMDb, but I didn't think it wasanywhere near that bad. In my opinion, a movie can only really be badif it's boring, and this movie isn't that. It is cheap and poorly made,but it's moderately fun and you can laugh at it. So it's not any kindof horrid failure. It's kind of an unofficial follow-up to one of RogerCorman's more popular productions, Death Race 2000, in that it's abouta motor sport created to distract the unwashed masses and stars DavidCarradine. It also takes place in the future. This future ispost-apocalyptic, and David Carrdine, along with hottie ClaudiaJennings, are warriors who live in the wastelands. They are captured by"civilization" (which includes crazy ruler David McLean and his minionRichard Lynch) and, along with a doctor who diagnosed McLean's sanityand his rebel son (William Smithers and Will Walker, respectively),they're forced to participate in deathsport, where they basically tryto survive while menacing soldiers on deathcycles try to waste them.The titular deathsport really only lasts for a few minutes in the film,and then the rest of the movie has the four heroes escaping on thedeathcycles while pursued by Lynch and his thugs. The movie ends with ahilarious duel between Carradine and Lynch, using "whistlers", whichare clear plastic swords that whistle when you swing them.
Tim O'Shea [tmo] 08 May 2012
Heralded as a pseudo-sequel to DeathRace 2000, this film is a weak, poorlycomposed annoyance. Between the empty plot, misdirected actors, andabsolutely bothersome soundtrack/sound effects you'll be reaching for theremote before the halfway point. You'd be happier watching DeathRace2000... OR, grab a forty and some friends and make whatever jokes you canabout Deathsport.
biggeorge1977 08 May 2012
A followup flick to Deathrace 2000,Deathsport is a wild thrillingride.Very much underrated,and a cult classic for sure.You like deadlylaser blasting dirt bikes?Futuristic noble knights of theapocalypse?Crystal sword fights?And a host of bad-guys dying ever fewminutes?And an insane dictator with sadistic sexual tastes?If you findyou like this movie or Deathrace 2000,check out Circle of Iron,anotherlost Carradine seventies classic that was scripted by Bruce Lee andstars Mr Carradine in four different roles.This ain't no academy awardwinning stuff,so don't expect a lot from a low budget sci fi opus.Justenjoy it for what it is,and tell all your friends.
Coventry 07 May 2012
"Deathsport" is one of those films that have been lying on my DVD-shelfunwatched since years already because, quite frankly, it always lookedlike a really stupid movie and I have to be in a rare and specific moodto enjoy really stupid movies. But right now I was in urgent need of amovie starring David Carradine and this was the only one within reach.Come to think of it, I ought to have selected a much better movie formy tribute to this terrific cult/action cinema legend that sadly passedaway this week (3rd of June 2009). "Deathsport" is a prototypic RogerCorman product from the late 70's. Obviously cheap and rapidly puttogether in order to further cash in on the unexpected but giantsuccess of the previous "Death Race 2000"; also starring Carradine andalso set in a crazed futuristic setting. But apart from this handful ofsuperficial elements (also including the similar title), there'sactually no real connection between "Death Race" and "Deathsport". Thisis merely an attempt to imitate "Star Wars", with a lot of cheesylight-and-laser weaponry, and an unintentional predecessor topost-apocalyptic gladiator movies that became particularly popularduring the 80's. In a very distant future, practically the entire worldhas been destroyed due to nuclear warfare. Only a few big cities areleft, surrounded by endless wastelands where cannibalistic mutants arecontinuously on the prowl. Life inside the big city isn't that muchbetter, though, as Lord Zirpola is slowly going bonkers through braindisease and becomes increasingly obsessed with "Deathsport". This is aRoman-type of arena battle and Zirpola ordered his right hand  themalignant Ankar Moor  to capture the mystically empowered Range GuidesKaz Oshay and Deneer to fight till the death. The Guides are goodhearted nomads, however, and rather than to obey and fight, they fleeinto the wastelands. Okay, admittedly this sounds like a rather complexand ambitious plot, but I can assure you that "Deathsport" is actuallya pretty brainless and rudimentary Sci-Fi vehicle. Everybody alwayscomplains about the low quality level of early 80's Italian apocalypsemovies, but honestly flicks like "The New Gladiators", "The AtlantisInterceptors", "Endgame" and "The New Barbarians" are a whole lotbetter than this dud. "Deathsport" is boring and repetitive, withreally laughable special effects (the vaporizing weapon looks like avacuum cleaner) and pitiable scenery (the so-called Death Machines areordinary bikes with a metal plant on the front). The only highlights inthe film occur whenever Richard Lynch appears on screen, as he givesaway a deliciously over-the-top cheesy performance as the evil andcrazy-eyed Ankar Moor. Well okay, other highlights include ClaudiaJennings' multiple nude sequences and the scene where a dude drives offof a tremendously high cliff in slow-motion. David Carradine is sadlymundane and uninspired in this lame production and this definitelyisn't one of the movies he'll get remembered for. I can list at leasttwo dozen of movies that I rather watched instead. Rest in peace,grasshopper. You were the total definition of cool and handsome.
Chris. 07 May 2012
Inexpensive sequel to "Death Race 2000" (1975), that bares littlerelation (both in content and quality) to the original. Gone is thecamp dialogue and black humour - arrived is a painfully ear-splittingsynthesiser score, pyrotechnic displays and banal screenplay. The onlyredemption that can be attributed to "Deathsport" is its cast and someof the action sequences. In a distant, post apocalyptic future,reticent hero David Carradine (no reprisal of his Frankenstein rolehere) competes in a motorcycle race that is actually a spectator sport.Having mashed a few brains beneath the wheels of his motorcycle, ourcyborg hero develops a cult following much to the chagrin of the evilAnkar (Richard Lynch in fine form). Ankar considers himself the biggerenchilada, and sets out to annihilate Carradine and his flock.Formula science fiction fare, with a just a hint of talent, courtesy ofa capable cast and some light humour. Alongside the fearless Carradineis former Playboy playmate, Claudia Jennings, whose frequent disrobingmore than compensates for her apparent lack of thespian skills. Sadly,this was to be her swansong. The three principals are ably assisted byveterans William Smithers (playing it straight, as always), and DavidMacLean (playing it up, as always)."Deathsport" features some fluent action sequences and macabre specialeffects, but unlike its witty predecessor, the laughs are largelyunintentional. When all the trailblazing is over and done, and Jenningshas put her clothes back on, you can't help but feel short-changed. Butthen, as the credits disappear into the back of your TV set, the film'sorigins are revealed. You nod your head and forgive, because youunderstand. It's a New World Picture. They don't write 'em like thatanymore ...
eggamus 01 May 2012
I loved Death Race 2000 when I found out there was a sequel I bought theDVDand was very dissapointed with the film. I dont know why this film iscalleda sequel to DR 2000 as its nothing like it the only similarities are thatitstars David Carradine and has the word Death in the title
sonya90028 30 April 2012
Deathsport, was the sequel to Deathrace 2000. It stars David Carradine,and the late Claudia Jennings. Science fiction films were enjoying aresurgence in the late 70s, after virtually disappearing from thesilver-screen, earlier in the decade. This was no doubt, due to thephenomenal box-office success of Star Wars. This film has lots of flashy special effects, noble heroes (Jenningsand Carradine), sinister villains, high-tech weaponry, fast futuristicvehicles, etc., etc., etc. Only Deathsport is a film that takes placeright here on Earth, rather than in outer space. So, that's mainly whatdifferentiates it from the traditional science fiction movie.The dialog in Deathsport is excessively lofty, and winds-up beinglaughable as a result. You just can't take it seriously. It's a pitythat both Carradine and Jennings, are stuck having to recite such hokeylines. The two of them, are what really holds this otherwise mediocrefilm together. Both Jennings and Carradine have a good chemistrybetween them, and are well-matched in their acting abilities.The performances of Claudia Jennings and David Carradine, are the onlyreason to see Deathsport. Otherwise it's a humorless, boring movie, andnot worth your time.