Movies

Ace racers

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Speed demons fight for survival

Speed Racer is set in the imaginary city of Cosmopolis. In this bright and colourful metropolis full of billboards and skyscrapers, car racing isn�t just a sport � it�s a way of life.

The cars in Cosmopolis are highly stylised works of automotive art, but the method of racing that takes place is way beyond anything you�ve seen before. As many as 20 cars might start a race, but over the course of gravity-defying racetracks and insane stunt driving, only a handful of drivers will finish.

The film is all about champion driver Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) and his inner circle, including girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci), mechanic

Pops Racer (John Goodman) and family matriarch Mom Racer (Susan Sarandon).

Speed engages in a dangerous cross-country race � a race that took the life of his older brother.

At the same time, he uncovers a secret plot that involves corporate sponsors fixing races to gain maximum profit.

As he goes up against competitors like Taejo Togokahn (Rain), Delila (Jana Pallaska) and Ben Burns (Richard Roundtree), Speed Racer must help his family and save racing from evil corruption.

Check out the action when Speed Racer roars into cinemas on May 8.

	metropolis (n): a large important city automotive (adj): connected with motor vehicles stunt (n): a dangerous and difficult action that somebody does to entertain people inner circle (n): the small group of people who are important and close to somebody who is in charge of a team or organization matriarch (n): the woman who is the head of a family fix (v): to arrange the result of something in a way that is not honest or fair