Death Proof

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Horrorphile - November 2007

Death Proof

November 16th 2007 00:55

Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s not strictly horror fare, but Death Proof (2007) was designed as a double feature billed with Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror under the umbrella title Grindhouse, inspired by the cinema programs that played host to many a shlocky piece of exploitation, and here at Pleasure of Nightmares, we champion all that is lurid and schlocky, excessive and perverted. Tarantino’s Death Proof fits that bill fairly snugly.

Sidney Poitier as Jungle Julia chillin' on the sofa with a bong at her side

The original grindhouse movies were low-budget flicks filled with violence, nudity, sex, drugs, loud music, bad editing and dubbing (especially the foreign flicks), grungy production values, schonky “acting”, and often missing reels of footage (so films would inexplicably jump in narrative) which were churned out at low-rent cinemas in downtown Manhanttan. But, they possessed a raw, funky aesthetic, and appealed generally to either adrenalin junkies, the dirty mac brigade, or hardened genre lovers of horror, sci-fi, organized crime, martial arts, or vehicular action. And sex. There was always sex.

Stuntman Mike's killer car

Quentin Tarantino has always proclaimed his love of B-grade movies, and so has Robert Rodriguez. So together they concocted the Grindhouse concept; two very modest-length (around 80-odd minutes) features in the grindhouse vein that would screen one after another like a drive-in double feature, complete with fake trailers to other trashy flicks thrown in between for good measure. Brilliant concept, but it bombed, in all the wrong ways.

Tarantino in his de rigour cameo as Warren the bartender

American audiences stayed away in droves, not prepared to sit through a three-hour session, and high-brow cinemas refused to book the double bill as it meant only a handful of screenings per day. The bitter irony was that Euro and Australasian audiences would’ve lapped it up, but for Joe Average in the States, the concept was too radical. So, executive producers, the Weinstein brothers, had a mini-panic and decided to derail the complete Grindhouse experience and have released the movies overseas separately. First up we get Tarantino’s Death Proof (which was screened second in the original bill). There are fears we may never get Rodriguez’s Planet Terror on the big screen down under. Let alone any of the glorious fake trailers!

Death Proof Sidney Poitier, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd

Julia, Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito) and Shanna (Jordan Ladd)

But enough of the background, let’s jump to the foreground, pronto. A white hot juggernaut at 200mph! Death Proof, which had the working title of Thunder Bolt! (and there’s a frame or two of the original title just before the Death Proof title card comes up, in-keeping with grindhouse schonkiness), tells the skeleton tale of Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), a sociopathic killer, with a wicked sense of humour and a nasty taste for wiping out pretty young things on the road.

Kurt Russell is Stuntman Mike

The movie is split into two halves with two sets of young women each being terrorised by the grizzly, scar-faced charmer. In the first half we meet gorgeous Jungle Julia (Sydney Poitier, daughter of Sidney), a radio DJ, and her girlfriends, plucky Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito), and ditsy Shanna (Jordan Ladd, daughter of Cheryl). The three girls go drinking at their local haunt, throwing back margueritas and Wild Turkey shots like they’re goin’ outta fashion. Gug-gug-gug-gug-gug (engine growl) ... enter Stuntman Mike. He keeps on eye on the girls, but ends up giving the gullible bombshell Pam (Rose McGowan) a lift.

Death Proof Kurt Russell and Rose McGowan

Pam (Rose McGowan) flirts with a ride with Stuntman Mike

Meanwhile Julia, Arlene, Shanna hit the road with Lanna (Monica Staggs). Which leads us to the movie’s wholly stunning set-piece where Stuntman Mike, having dealt with Pam, zooms in front of the girls' car, does a 180 and waits, foot resting on the clutch, then as the girls' headlights blaze down on him and with pure psychopathic style he guns it ... and we have a head-on collision. In slow motion. From several different angles. It’s a show-stopper.

Wham! Bam! Thank you, ma'am!!

The second half, 14 months later, has four new chicks; laidback Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), airhead cheerleader Lee (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), feisty Kim (Tracie Thorns), and Kiwi stuntwoman Zoe Bell, as herself (she was Uma Thurman’s stunt double in Kill Bill). Stuntman Mike assumes the position and it’s playtime again, although now he’s up against some serious empowered females. And there'll be hell to pay. Has Stuntman Mike met his match? Well I guess it ain’t over til the stuntman’s in tears.

Death Proof Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosario Dawson, Zoe Bell and Tracie Thorns

Chick posse No # 2: Lee (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Abby (Rosario Dawson), Zoe (Zoe Bell) and Kim (Tracie Thorns)

Death Proof is as dumb as burning rubber, but it squeals plenty good. Tarantino has always been good at casting his movies, although the casting of stuntwoman Zoe Bell didn’t work for me. She’s not very good an actress (and despite the grindhouse concept the calibre of acting is high in this movie), plus her Kiwi accent grated on my ears, which is kinda amusing coming from myself, a Kiwi. But there's some stunning stunt work. Whew!! The movie is overlong though (grindhouse movies were never close to two hours, even the foreign ones were cut down!), with way too much yapping. It’s here that Tarantino’s love of self-conscious, referential dialogue becomes bogged down, his indulgences running away with him. And let’s face it, he’s not a good actor himself, so he should refrain from throwing himself in the mix with every film he does, he did not convince me as a bartender in the slightest, even if he does dig the tasty beverage Chartreuse.

Death Proof Tracie, Zoe, Rosario and Mary

Kim, Zoe, Abby and Lee gettin' ready to ride

The deliberately scratchy print and jump cuts certainly added flavour, and I loved the opening “feature presentation” and “this movie is restricted” sequence. Curiously I noticed the "scratches" and “bad editing” became less and less frequent as the movie went along, so that by the time we’re well into the second half the movie looks like any other slick flick, albeit directed by Tarantino. Amusingly a couple seated next to me and my fiancé (who, curiously, enjoyed the second half much more than me) failed to understand the grindhouse concept so that every time a "bad cut" happened they groaned and tut-tutted. We couldn’t help but snigger.

Original poster when Mickey Rourke was still attached and Zoe Bell was the co-lead

Kurt Russell, in a role originally intended for Mickey Rourke, is superb. And Rosario Dawson steals her scenes. The shots of Stuntman Mike with his shades on driving his angry Dodge Charger are pure gold. But the much-talked about lap dance Arlene performs for Stuntman Mike (cut from the original version) wasn’t anywhere as sleazy as it should’ve been. In fact, overall the movie wasn’t nearly as dodgy as I wanted it to be (where’s the damn nudity?! Hmph!) There was definitely something restrained about it. Although it harks back to the 70s in so much of its visual style (clothes, music, art direction – loved the Buffy Saint-Marie Soldier Blue poster in Julia’s pad!), it’s actually set in the present, with characters using mobile phones, and modern cars surrounding the featured muscle cars. I’d have preferred the whole movie to have taken place in the mid-70s. Also, the women talk about sex like they're teenagers, which they're so obviously not. Tarantino loves to think he nails it, but he doesn't, not all the time.

Those tan pins and foxy eyes threaten to steal the whole damn show!

Death Proof is almost like another short story cut from the same denim as Pulp Fiction. It’s a fun rollercoaster ride with some nifty moments, but its muffler drags, and its bodywork needs some attention. As a vehicle for its stars, it purrs like a v12, but as a grindhouse flick, it swerves and stalls, the gears grinding their teeth in frustration. Perhaps I need to see it a second time, certainly I’m hanging to see the intended original cut (fingers crossed for a special edition Grindhouse DVD next year), and for Rodriguez's zombie mayhem!

Here's the infamous collision scene, rock on!

Click here to read mate John Doe's review, a tad more gushing.

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

14 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

November 16th 2007 10:12

For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics

It is getting good review here.

The OZ critics get it.

Comment by Bryn

November 17th 2007 02:28

Horrorphile

Damo, yeah, we get it over here, but it ain't doin't good business, it's not on many screens in Sydney, and when I went on Thursday night there were about ten people in the cinema. It's only been on for a week or so.

Comment by Miswanderlust

November 18th 2007 01:25

Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy

I enjoyed it a lot but then I am a sucker for Tarantino.
Mis

Comment by Bryn

November 18th 2007 21:07

Horrorphile

Hi Mis, don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it, I just didn't think it was as great as I had hoped it would be ... Expectation can be a terrible thing.

Comment by Miswanderlust

November 20th 2007 18:17

Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy

Bryn
i have to admit I was a bit disappointed too!
Mis

Comment by Bryn

November 21st 2007 00:02

Horrorphile

Mis, I actually think it would've been better in the shorter intended version ... I hope they release the Grindhouse experience on DVD (at least) ... or even better, put it on the double feature at the Blacktown drive-in!

Comment by Tracy

November 23rd 2007 09:12

Movies and Life

Hi Bryn

I might see the film first and then pop back to read your review. I've heard such oscillating reactions to it that I'm intrigued.

Tracy

Comment by Bryn

November 26th 2007 22:17

Horrorphile

Tracy, if you can get to see it while it's still on the big screen, do so. Tarantino's movies are best that way. And get a big bag of popcorn too.

Comment by Tracy

November 26th 2007 22:21

Movies and Life

Hi Bryn

Yeppie, that's what I aim to do, it sounds like a big screen sort of film. And I always get popcorn...thanks...

Tracy

Comment by Cibbuano

January 23rd 2008 21:45

20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

you're right, the movie did, curiously, get cleaner as it went on... and it wasn't nearly seedy enough!

Comment by Bryn

January 24th 2008 02:38

Horrorphile

Cibby, damn straight .. where were the titties??!!

Comment by hamster kisses

March 12th 2008 01:02

death proof is the best movie ive ever seen

Comment by Bryn

April 11th 2008 02:54

Horrorphile

hamster, you must be easily pleased ... good fer you! (i'm curious, how old are you?)

Comment by Katness

July 20th 2008 09:27

Death Proof is one film in which I resent not having seen at the cinema.

On the other hand, I saw it with no expectations and loved it.

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