Death proof Movie review

 

Death Poof Movie Poster

Death proof is an original grindhouse movie, made by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. It was made in 2007 but was set in the 70's. And it is about a posse of women taking revenge on a murderous, misogynist stunt-driver called Mike, played by Kurt Russell.

 Death proof is an exhilarating, bloodbath of a movie which will be Shure to have you on the edge of your seat. Originally released into theatres on a double bill with Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror under the Grindhouse banner, Death Proof is one of the original Grindhouse movies. Grindhouse films characteristically contain large amounts of sex, violence or bizarre subject matter. One genre of film featured were "roughies" or sexploitation, a mix of sex, violence and sadism. Quality varied, but low budget production values and poor print quality were common. Critical opinions varied regarding typical grindhouse fare, but many films acquired cult following and critical praise.

 

The movie was shot by only Quentin Tarantino himself for the first time in his career, and in my opinion he did it justice. He also never used CGI in his film!

The fact that Stunt man Mike is a stuntman is important; it's another ode on Tarantino's part to the days of practical movie magic. Most modern movies involving car chases and crashes are performed digitally by computers. In the film Stuntman Mike has a conversation with his first victim, Pam (Rose McGowan). Mike says he belongs to that great old tradition where "anyone fool enough to throw himself down a flight of stairs" could "usually find someone to pay him for it." And Tarantino is clearly in awe of that old brotherhood, and he elevates Mike to the status of a near-immortal. In that death-proof car of his, Mike is literally untouchable.

In fact, the only person tough enough and cool enough to kill Stuntman Mike is another stuntman -- or stuntwoman, in this case. Zoe Bell doubled for Uma Thurman in Tarantino's "Kill Bill" and here he gives her a showcase all her own. The remarkable final car chase includes a lengthy sequence, shot practically, where Bell hangs on to the hood of a speeding car as Stuntman Mike crashes into it in his own death-proof vehicle.
 

 Empire magazine gave the film four out of five stars and a mostly positive review, describing the film as "Tarantino driving wildly under the influence" and "seriously entertaining". The BBC's Anna Smith said that while there was "fun to be had" with the film, "its imitation of a defunct, low-budget style of movie-making is perhaps too accurate when it comes to the genre's flaws". and gave the film three out of five stars. Roger Ebert gave Grindhouse 2.5 out of 4 stars, arguing that while Death Proof was the more enjoyable half of the bill, it was still marred by overlong scenes of expository dialogue. On the more negative end of the scale, The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw expressed admiration for the car crash scene, describing it as "a lethal roar of entertainment", but said that the film was padded with "long, long, long stretches of bizarrely inconsequential conversation which are a big comedown from the glorious riffs from Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction", and that overall "Tarantino's twisted genius is there for all to see but, it must now be admitted, all too briefly".