It’s no surprise that Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, his addition to the B-movie throwback experiment Grindhouse, feels like a faster and funnier ride when separated from its double-feature partner, Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror. It’s easier to sit through this chatty thriller when it doesn’t come after a humdrum 80-minute zombie flick.
Death Proof, just released on DVD, almost unfolds like a double feature on its own. Tarantino splits the movie into two distinct halves, both featuring Kurt Russel’s sleazy Stuntman Mike stalking and tormenting a group of comely young chatterboxes with his scary stunt car. The two halves are not equal though, and the disparities aren’t limited to plot points.
The first half is Tarantino’s personal take on the stock ’70s exploitation thriller. (Creating quirky homages to low-budget ’70s genre flicks was pretty much the point of Grindhouse.) The director delivers all the hallmarks of his chosen trashy genre - boy crazed girls in tight clothes, choppy editing, scratched-up film and outrageous action. We also get great music and a few subtle surprises, but some scenes are dulled by long stretches of inconsequential dialogue. The actresses who play the chatterboxes (Vanessa Ferlito, Sydney T. Poitier and Jordan Ladd) are all very natural, but the dialogue doesn’t have that usual Tarantino spark. The problem is that these characters are pretty one-dimensional. Tarantino wants you to care about them as much as he does, but in the end it doesn’t hurt like it should when they get mowed down by Mike’s “death proof” ride. This first half does have its pleasures though, mostly thanks to Russell’s great burly performance and Rose McGowan’s fine turn as his first victim.
The second half is instantly breezier and mostly devoid of the intentionally dingy visual style of the first. We get more scenes featuring talky ladies, but the characters are more dynamic here, and the dialogue is funnier. Stunt woman Zoe Bell has a natural charm and Tracie Thoms’ hilarious, wiry performance alone is almost enough to recommend the movie. All the talk is cut up between a few farcical scenes and some of the best car chase and CGI-free stunt sequences I’ve ever seen. Watching Bell slide around the hood of a speeding muscle car that’s being slammed by Stuntman Mike’s deathmobile is nerve-wracking and fun. Like most everything in “Death Proof,” the action is pure lowbrow sleaze entertainment, but it’s done in high Hollywood style.
The twist the movie takes in the end is pretty rewarding. Russell really delivers here, especially when we get to see what Stuntman Mike is really made of. Rosario Dawson and Mary Elizabeth Winstead make the most out of their small roles.
Some viewers might find Death Proof a little tedious. I did when I first screened it at a theater on a double bill with Planet Terror, but the thing plays a lot better on its own. Those looking for a truly original, offbeat thriller - or a Tarantino fix - won’t be disappointed.
Key DVD Features: The 2-disc set features a number of decent documentaries mostly about the movie’s stunts and stunt performers. The bizarre Double Dare trailer is also included.
Originally posted at Screen Time.