(Warning: May contain spoilers)

Picture this: By 2012, the U.S. economy’s collapsed, crime’s on the rise and private corporations run most of the nation’s prisons for profit. Perhaps the most notorious of these “correctional facilities” is Terminal Island, which broadcasts the show Death Race-a deadly, three-day race to the finish pitting drivers against each other for a shot at freedom.

That’s the set-up for “Death Race,” a greasy, one-dimensional, bad-boy action flick loaded with as many guns as your average first-person shooter. Indeed, the video game-like action that comprises most of the movie could have been conceived in the sweaty, testosterone-thick environment of an auto body shop, but that’s not to say director Paul W.S. Anderson doesn’t try to string together a plot: Framed for his wife’s murder, former convict Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) is sent to Terminal Island, where corrupt warden Hennessey (Joan Allen) offers him a shot at freedom if he can win the Death Race. Driving as ratings favorite Frankenstein (David Carradine in a voiceover cameo), Ames teams with pit crew chief Coach (Ian McShane) and navigator Case (Natalie Martinez) to beat arch-rival Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson) and get back to his orphaned baby daughter. Plot-wise, it’s reminiscent of the Schwarzenegger flick “The Running Man.”

Speaking of Schwarzenegger, “Death Race” is basically what MarioKart might look like on lots and lots of steroids. Engines throttle through a gritty industrial complex as tattooed inmates lay waste to a dozen souped-up sets of wheels. If that’s not enough, the filmmakers up the destruction factor midway through the action with a weapons-loaded 18-wheeler called the Dreadnought. The funny thing is, for me, this is where the movie’s at its best. If you’re target market is males aged 18-35, you might as well pull out all the stops, right? Forget the plot holes, forgive the acting and just enjoy the flamethrowers, machine guns and decapitations. But there are also times when the movie seems to take itself a bit too seriously or, at the least, fails to inject the sort of campy humor that made “The Running Man” more entertaining.

Character-wise, there’s not much here to critique, though I should say I found Joan Allen’s Hennessey to be a melodramatic distraction. How many times have we seen a corrupt warden with nothing new brought to the role? On a sliding scale that includes examples both good (Bob Gunton in “The Shawshank Redemption“) and bad (Donald Sutherland in “Lock Up“), I’d rate her performance as robotic at best. Then again, her scenes balance out the movie somewhat, allowing the audience a bathroom break before another frenetic round of the Death Race! And, after all-what character here isn’t canned or intentionally over the top?

As far as Statham vehicles go, I admit I’m a stranger in a strange land, so it’s hard for me to comment on the quality of his work. But seeing as how movies like this are his bread ‘n’ butter, I imagine Statham fans won’t be disappointed. Unfortunately, I’m also unfamiliar with Paul Bartel’s “Death Race 2000,” of which this 2008 release is a loose remake. As a result, I can only guess at whether or not it rates as well as the predecessor. With Carradine appearing in both and Roger Corman again in the producer’s chair, it’s clear an effort was made to recreate some of the original recipe, though…so I’m curious to hear from those who have seen both, and what they thought.

DVD buyers get both the theatrical and unrated versions of “Death Race;” the latter includes a director’s commentary. Also included are a making-of featurette and a behind-the-scenes look at the stunts in the film.