Universal has released the first movie trailer for Paul W.S. Anderson’s Death Race remake starring Jason Statham. The prisoners who participate in death race have access to explosives and big guns which they incorporate into their cars in this anything goes race for freedom, but they don’t try to use them to escape? Seems to defy logic. But then again, when did we ever expect a Paul W.S. Anderson movie to conform to laws of logic. Check out the new trailer below and tell me what you think in the comments.

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You can also watch the trailer in High Definition on Yahoo. Death Race will hit theaters on August 22nd 2008.

Plot Synopsis: Jason Statham leads the cast of an action-thriller set in the post-industrial wasteland of tomorrow, with the world’s most brutal sporting event as its backdrop. A penitentiary full of felons has inspired the jailers to create a grisly pastime ripe for lucrative kickbacks. Now, adrenalized inmates, a global audience hungry for televised violence and a spectacular arena come together to form the “Death Race.”

Three-time speedway champion Jensen Ames (Statham) is an expert at survival in the harsh landscape that has become our country. Just as he thinks he has turned his life around, the ex-con is framed for a gruesome murder he didn’t commit. Forced to don the mask of the mythical driver Frankenstein — a crowd favorite who seems impossible to kill — Ames is given an easy choice by Terminal Island’s warden (Joan Allen): suit up or rot away in a cell.

His face hidden by a metallic mask, one convict will be put through an insane three-day challenge. Ames must survive a gauntlet of the most vicious criminals in the country’s toughest prison to claim the prize of freedom. Driving a monster car outfitted with machine guns, flamethrowers and grenade launchers, one desperate man will destroy anything in his path to win the most twisted spectator sport on Earth.