Running time: 113 minutes
Starring: Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Rose McGowan, Sydney Poitier, Zoë Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Rating 4 out of 10
Nostalgia can be a terrible affliction. The old exploitation movies of the Sixties and Seventies, with their ludicrous plots, corny dialogue and primitive production values, might possess a naïve charm set against the sophisticated, big budget spectaculars of today, but that doesn't make them good movies. Nevertheless, that hasn't prevented Quentin Tarantino doing his rose-tinted version. The director has long professed his affection for grindhouse cinema, with his work often incorporating respectful nods to a style that is no longer in vogue. And while Death Proof has a certain kitsch appeal, it's not enough to win you over. Particularly now in its extended version which has tagged on an additional 27 minutes to the cut that was released in America as a double-bill with Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror.
Death Proof is Tarantino's homage to a specific type of B-movie, the women's action film. Except there's one fundamental difference. Exploitation movies rarely boasted Oscar-winning directors, recognizable stars and, more importantly, healthy budgets. Indeed, what defined the films of the genre was that they were all made on a shoestring. The irony with Death Proof is that with its faux scratches, grainy footage and skipped frames, Tarantino has gone to great lengths and expense to make it appear cheap.
In the central role of the baddie is Kurt Russell. Stuntman Mike is a gnarly loner who stalks and terrorizes women in his souped-up and reinforced Dodge Charger. The character has much in common with Russell's most famous character, the indelible Snake Plissken from Escape From New York. Russell's performance is the film's most redeeming feature and his all too short screen time, one of its most frustrating. Stuntman Mike hangs out in bars and cafes looking for victims, of which there are a bountiful number. Indeed, in Death Proof the women predominate, often banded together in groups.
Tarantino established his reputation with his vibrant dialogue, and Death Proof certainly has some snappy exchanges, but when it involves a bunch of women sitting around discussing the virtues of the 1971 cult car movie Vanishing Point or Sixties group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, then it feels more like you're eavesdropping on a conversation Tarantino had with friends. Shooting a one-take, seven-minute sequence of girls chatting in a café may have been an interesting technical exercise, but when the conversation is inane drivel, the filmmaking achievement is irrelevant.
The climax involves a prolonged car chase in which Stuntman Mike pursues a Dodge Challenger filled with three frightened women and one very plucky one. Zoe Bell was Uma Thurman's stunt double in Kill Bill, and her ability to hang on to the outside of a speeding car is certainly impressive, though by that point I just wanted her to fall off so it would all be over.
Kevin Murphy
Death Proof is Tarantino's homage to a specific type of B-movie, the women's action film. Except there's one fundamental difference. Exploitation movies rarely boasted Oscar-winning directors, recognizable stars and, more importantly, healthy budgets. Indeed, what defined the films of the genre was that they were all made on a shoestring. The irony with Death Proof is that with its faux scratches, grainy footage and skipped frames, Tarantino has gone to great lengths and expense to make it appear cheap.
In the central role of the baddie is Kurt Russell. Stuntman Mike is a gnarly loner who stalks and terrorizes women in his souped-up and reinforced Dodge Charger. The character has much in common with Russell's most famous character, the indelible Snake Plissken from Escape From New York. Russell's performance is the film's most redeeming feature and his all too short screen time, one of its most frustrating. Stuntman Mike hangs out in bars and cafes looking for victims, of which there are a bountiful number. Indeed, in Death Proof the women predominate, often banded together in groups.
Tarantino established his reputation with his vibrant dialogue, and Death Proof certainly has some snappy exchanges, but when it involves a bunch of women sitting around discussing the virtues of the 1971 cult car movie Vanishing Point or Sixties group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, then it feels more like you're eavesdropping on a conversation Tarantino had with friends. Shooting a one-take, seven-minute sequence of girls chatting in a café may have been an interesting technical exercise, but when the conversation is inane drivel, the filmmaking achievement is irrelevant.
The climax involves a prolonged car chase in which Stuntman Mike pursues a Dodge Challenger filled with three frightened women and one very plucky one. Zoe Bell was Uma Thurman's stunt double in Kill Bill, and her ability to hang on to the outside of a speeding car is certainly impressive, though by that point I just wanted her to fall off so it would all be over.
Kevin Murphy
