Mar 16, 2012

Death Proof

The vintage look of this poster gives nostalgia a new meaning.


This is the second time I will attempt to post a review, without dying trying,  about my master, Mr. Quentin Tarantino and his fifth movie: Death Proof. Released in 2007 as part of  the Grindhouse 2x1 revival experience, Tarantino and his longtime fellow partner in crime Robert Rodriguez set their minds into using all their resources to build the ultimate B movie experience, based on the old school cheap movie theaters that featured the now, almost bygone two movies by one program where at the price of a single ticket you could enjoy a double ride of good ol' B movies. Anyways, both movies did sell, and many inspiration movies both Tarantino & Rodriguez watched, were eventually re-released on DVD with the predictable label of "This is the movie Tarantino & Rodriguez to bla bla bla" 

I wish I could hang out in a place like that, with gals like that.
Ladies & Gentlemen, Rosario Dawson!
They're driving a Mustang Mach 1!!!
Jungle Julia.
Holy gal!
Death Proof, tells the story of Stuntman Mike (played masterfuly by Kurt Russel), an expert race car stunt man who's gone a little psycho, as it seems to be a failed B class actor with some skin deep anger, against the world?I don't know, I'm just saying. So, Stuntman Mike has a thing for hot gals (don't we all have a thing for hot gal?) so, he's in town to meet the craziest, hottest bombshells a lousy bar can afford to deliver. The thing is, Stuntman Mike doesn't want to get laid, he's more into crashing his car and killing people in the most violent way his cars can deliver. In between the interesting life of this psycho douchebag we meet two groups of girlfriends that like to chill out in cool places and drive legendary muscle cars.

"Stuntman Mike"
"Do you like my car blondie?"
"Shit, I'm beyond cool"
Those expecting Quentin Tarantino's usual stream of film references will be disappointed: apart from a hilarious restaurant scene that sort of spoofs the opening of Reservoir Dogs and a couple of nods to similarly themed horror flicks (and, of course, the casting of Russell, which is a deliberate homage to John Carpenter), the director is not interested in exposing his absolute knowledge of this kind of cinema. This time, he delivers a straightforward genre movie, albeit with his trademark tough women at the center. The trailer promised a wildly fun B-movie, and that's exactly what Death Proof is: a movie like they don't make anymore, old-fashioned, irony-free and exciting as hell.

However, this does not mean Tarantino has set his visual or verbal obsessions aside: the dialogue is as imaginative and surreal as it has always been, and there are enough shots of bare female feet to keep fans happy. Naturally, being this a QT flick, those feet belong to a quality cast: the only real star in the film (apart from the villain, that is) is Rosario Dawson, but she is part of a talented ensemble, which includes Vanessa Ferlito (CSI: NY), Rose McGowan (Scream) and stunt-woman Zoe Bell (who doubled for Uma Thurman in Kill Bill). The mention of honor, though, goes to Russell, who finally has the opportunity to go all bad again, and boy, does he go bad: even when he is pretending to be a friendly chap who offers you a ride home, he exudes a sense of menace that doesn't leave until the end of the picture. Also worth praise are Michael Parks, reprising his role of foul-mouthed sheriff Earl McGraw (of From Dusk till Dawn and Kill Bill fame) and tying the two halves of the film together, and Tarantino himself, popping up as smug, ridiculously likable bartender Warren. The latter is particularly charming because, unlike other times (From Dusk's Richie Gekko is a good example), QT does not try to prove he can act (although he pulled off a remarkable job in Alias). He's just there for the sheer fun, like everyone else.

Chick Habit.
If I was her, I would definitely stay close to such car too.
Cheerleader!
Challenger V/S Charger, fuck my ass!
The Grindhouse promo poster.
Pure, unadulterated fun and excitement: that's the key to appreciating Death Proof. Do not expect a smart, unusual take on an overused genre, like the director has done in the past: this time around, he sticks to the rules, delivering a loud, silly, sexy, violent piece of Entertainment with a capital "e". It may not be the best film of 2007, but it sure as hell is one of the most purely enjoyable. 

Here's the movie trailer:


And the amazing "Chick Habit" song:

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