A very fun dystopian action thriller movie is on TV tonight

It's the type of film best enjoyed with beer and pizza.

A reboot of the cult '70s film Death Race 2000, it takes place in a near-future United States. The economy has collapsed, and the resulting increase in crime rates has led to the rise of privatised prisons.

One of these prisons is Terminal Island Penitentiary, whose warden, Claire Hennessey (Oscar-nominee Joan Allen, The Contender), earns profits from broadcasting Death Race, a vehicular combat racing series.

Throughout the season, the prison's inmates battle each other in specially modified, weaponised and armoured cars on a track cut into the jail's grounds, with the goal of winning their freedom.

Statham plays Jensen Ames, a man framed for a murder he did not commit who finds himself in lock-up at Terminal Island.

While there, the warden offers him a choice: compete in the Death Race under the pre-existing alias 'Frankenstein' or rot in a cell forever.

"Riding in a car equipped with flamethrowers and grenade launchers, Ames must survive a gauntlet of vicious criminals to win his freedom - or die trying," the plot synopsis adds.

Co-starring Jason Clarke (Oppenheimer), Ian McShane (John Wick), Natalie Martinez (End of Watch) and Tyrese Gibson (the Fast & Furious franchise), Death Race was written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Event Horizon, Resident Evil).

We at JOE would argue that the movie's great cast, thrilling racing sequences and energetic filmmaking make it a highly entertaining B-movie, best enjoyed with beers and pizza.

Spawning three direct-to-video sequels, the 2008 version of Death Race is airing on TV tonight on Legend at 9pm.

Here are the other movies on TV tonight:

Movies on TV, Sunday, 27 September