Death Proof is the second movie from the Grindhouse package (the first one is Planet Terror) and is a product of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s cooperation. This time story revolves around Stuntman Mike, a killer with an unusual weapon, his “death-proof” stunt car. As you probably guessed, this slow-burner is also another homage to the exploitation genre, highly popular during the sixties and seventies. This time American fascination with muscle cars, pretty girls, and murder created one hell of a movie.
Quentin really defined the standards when we’re talking about projects like this. The thick atmosphere, incredibly cool characters, and impressive visuals are something that I truly enjoyed. And if you have a foot fetish like him, you’re in for a treat! Fucking Kurt Russel nailed his role as Stuntman Mike. He was fucking born to play these roles of rugged and extremely self-confident cool guys. Joined by not only very beautiful but also talented Zoe, Rosario, Vanessa, and finally, Quentin’s favorite Rose, Rose McGowan.
There are seven different versions of Death Proof but Subversive Rabbit recommends you watch the Extended Version doubling as the Director’s Cut. Quentin got the idea for the movie after talking to Sean Penn who told him about the concept of death-proofing your car. And the rest is history. I find it difficult to write about famous masterpieces like this one. Not only you’ve probably already seen the movie but you can see, feel, and hear just how good it is. A perfect movie to smoke some weed, drink some beers and disappear from this world for two hours.
His name is Mike, Mike the Stuntman. Driving around in his stunt car, equipped with a roll cage and many other tweaks, he’s looking for young and pretty girls. Why is he looking for them, is up to you to find out.
So, there are a couple of layers in this movie. The first one is the most obvious one, classic pulpy horror. We can enjoy strong characters, impressive visuals, and stunts. Speaking of the special effects and stunts, I must admit that they are some of the best in business. Old school carnage, without that fake CGI special effects. If you took this layer and said that’s it, there’s nothing more to this movie, you would be wrong.
The second layer consists of homage to exploitation, best check out this review of another grindhouse flick called Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! from 1965. The third layer is the place where we really get into the meat of this movie. Strange and fascinating dialogue, slow pacing, hidden and not-so-hidden drives in action (sexual, death drive), and finally, the entertainment factor created the ultimate guilty pleasure. A guilty pleasure that exists in this parallel universe making Death Proof the ultimate escapism experience.
Depending on your taste, you will be able to see certain layers and this will ultimately create your opinion about this strange movie. This is a purely personal preference, so be sure you like this type of stuff before you hit play. Finally, you’ll also be able to enjoy some mighty fine-looking cars. Stuntman Mike drives a Chevy Nova while the girls drive a 1970 Dodge Challenger for example.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Rose McGowan, Eli Roth
Fun Facts: Zoe Bell does all her own stunts (she was the stunt double for Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill series, which was also directed by Quentin Tarantino).
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IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1028528/
