Death Race 2000 is a 1975 American dystopian science-fiction action film directed by Paul Bartel and produced by Roger Corman for New World Pictures.

[4] Set in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, the film centers on the murderous Transcontinental Road Race, in which participants score points by striking and killing pedestrians.

In 2000, the five drivers in the 20th annual race, who all adhere to professional wrestling-style personas and drive appropriately themed cars, include Frankenstein, the mysterious black-garbed champion and national hero; Machine Gun Joe Viterbo, a Chicago gangster; Calamity Jane, a cowgirl; Matilda the Hun, a Neo-Nazi; and Nero the Hero, a Roman gladiator.

At first, the Resistance's plan seems to bear fruit: Nero the Hero is killed when a "baby" he runs over for points turns out to be a bomb, Matilda the Hun drives off a cliff while following a fake detour route set up by the Resistance, and Calamity Jane, who witnessed Matilda the Hun's death, inadvertently drives over a land mine.

Having successfully outmaneuvered both the rival drivers and the Resistance, Frankenstein is declared the winner of the race, although he is wounded and unable to carry out his original "hand grenade" attack plan.

The real Frankenstein takes advantage of the confusion and rams Mr. President's stage with his car, finally fulfilling his lifelong desire to kill him.

Roger Corman wanted to make a futuristic action sports film to take advantage of the advance publicity of Rollerball (1975).

He optioned a short story by Ib Melchior, an associate from his American International Pictures days, and hired Robert Thom to adapt it.

And I am pleased by the scene introducing the Girl Fan (played very effectively by my sister Wendy) who is to sacrifice herself beneath the wheels of David Carradine's race car and wants to meet him so that the gesture will have 'meaning'.

Corman disagreed with the idea envisioned by Bartel for the ending involving a running over of a reporter character because the producer thought "it would compromise the hero".

Instead, Corman thought of an idea where the reporter is instead shot on the spot by FBI agents while Frankenstein makes light of such as "sort of irresponsible question" When it came time to film the ending, Bartel shot the ending seen in the final print without shooting the one envisioned by Corman because Carradine stated he "wasn't interested in fooling with the other one" so the two simply moved on.

Character actress and dialect coach Harriet White Medin won the role after doing a pitch-perfect impression of Eleanor Roosevelt at an audition.

Leslie McRay, who played Cleopatra, was originally offered the lead role of Annie, but she turned it down because she didn't want to perform nude.

Critic Donald Guarisco described Chihara's score as "eclectic ... [mixing] jazz, symphonic, funk, prog and electronica elements to create a constantly-shifting musical background with a delightful retro-futurist feel".

"[18] Richard Combs of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that the comic conceits were "too shaky to hold the movie together and tend to self-destruct some distance short of any pop allegory for America".

[20] Tom Shales of The Washington Post praised the film as "one of the zippier little B pictures of the year", adding that "it is designed primarily as a spectacle of kinetic titillation, and on that level, it's a foregone smash hit".

[21] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times was also positive, calling it "a fine little action picture with big ideas" and finding Carradine "terrific" in his role.

The film has garnered critical acclaim over the years, having a score of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10, deeming it "fresh".

The site's critical consensus states, "Death Race 2000 is a fun, campy classic, drawing genuine thrills from its mindless ultra-violence.

[29] The Carmageddon video game series borrows heavily from the plot, characters and car designs from the film Death Race 2000.

The comic book series, as the title indicates, takes place 20 years after the film ended and deals with Frankenstein's return to the race.