Director Roel Reine is not a household name, as very few movie directors are, but that doesn't mean his name is not in your home. Reine has mastered the art, and it is an art, of making movies that are produced to go directly to DVD for distribution.
Reine's film credits include The Marine 2, The Lost Tribe, and the recently released Death Race 2, and what is remarkable about this latest project, Death Race 2, a prequel to the 2008 film Death Race, is that he assembled an incredible cast of "A" list actors including Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, Con Air), Danny Trejo (Grindhouse, From Dusk to Dawn), and Sean Bean (Golden Eye). What I find remarkable about that is most would think that a movie that will never see a theatrical release would not be of interest to an "A" list actor but as technology advances it is clear that the stigma of straight-to-DVD movies may just have transcended any negativity they may have had.
Movie budgets that run into the many millions of dollars are not part of the conversation when it comes to the DVD market and the constraints of making a high energy, action packed, special effects laden film might scare many directors away, but for Roel Reine it was actually one of the things that attracted him to this project. Reine shared that, "I saw the challenge of making a move with one tenth of the budget of the original but I also have relationships with industry professionals that are still hungry, very creative people that enjoy making magic happen even while understanding how little money we have to work with."
Money aside, I asked Reine what attracted him to this project, understanding that the ultimate comparisons would be made to the original Death Race, which has become sort of a cult classic. In fairness, Death Race 2 is actually a prequel to Death Race making it somewhat easier as far as audience expectations go but Reine also held the philosophy that in order to respect the original material he had to be sure his cast and his vision were pristine. Furthermore, it was the script that untimely made the decision to direct Death Race 2 an easy one.
"Death Race 2 tells a larger, more important story than the original film and the drama and character development was critical to ensure the audience connected with the cast. I created and fought for some of the scenes that made the film deeper because the true story that is told is as important this time as the action, which I am quite proud of" said Reine. So, you ask, why is the story so important? According to Reine, "Death Race 2 answers many of the questions that Death Race presented and investing in the story line and making sure we delivered those answers mattered to me. The emotional aspect of these characters and that you feel you know them and how they are feeling helps make the story richer. It connects you to the film."
Beyond the cast there is a component of this film that was mandatory: the cars. Reine was successfully able to find all but one of the vehicles and was able to buy them back from the collectors who had purchased them, with the exception of the Dodge Ram which they had to rebuild, and make no mistake; the cars are still a major player in Death Race 2.
Death Race 2 (see review) may surprise some with its story development and the astounding amount of work that was accomplished for so little money. Director Reine clearly has a passion for the arts and his insistence on being a player in the movie may not be evident to the audience but it is to not only the look of the film, but the cast as well.
Reine also serves as a cameraman on all his films as he also serves as the Director of Photography, not a simple task. Reine also prides himself on working quickly and with organized purpose, which the cast appreciated as well. In fact Reine shared that Sean Bean commented how amazing it was to work with a director who knew his vision and was able to relay it to the cast and shoot it as profoundly as he did. A compliment indeed.
Reine is now in post production on a remake of The Scorpion King and has a few other projects in the hopper, but let me say that Roel Reine takes his work very seriously, and if Death Race 2 is any indication of what we can start to expect from straight-to-DVD movies, we are in for a real treat.
The Blu-ray edition of this Universal Studies movie also includes a digital copy that can be transferred to any mobile device you may own and the way this film was shot, acted, edited and directed you are in for quite a visual ride.
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