Summary
Stuntman Mike is a sociopath who stalks young women, until he messes with the wrong ones.
My Thoughts
“Death Proof” is a purely unadulterated homage to 70s slasher horror films, Quentin Tarantino and occasional collaborator Robert Rodriguez each made their own film for the GrindHouse collection, a nostalgic blast from the past honoring the great B Movie horror films of the 1970s. Rodriguez made “Planet Terror” and Tarantino “Death Proof”, while watching the films together as a set is ultimately a more rewarding experience, Death Proof still proves as much of a technical beast as other Tarantino entrees, with excessive violence, intriguing dialogue, and some excellent technical camerawork. But does “Death Proof” deserve to be in the ranks of this enigmatic directors best films like 'Inglourious Basterds' or 'Django Unchained'? I'd say yeah, but it's definitely on the lower end of the list, as it's definitely not Tarantino's most compelling work, but as I've stated in previous reviews I don't think the guy can do any wrong.
The story is mainly split up into two parts, it follows the 70s exploitation narrative beats almost perfectly, introducing a group of characters only to have them killed off halfway through by the villain, then cutting to a new group of characters who's encounter with the villain goes much differently. Our villain and most interesting part of Death Proof is Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russel, “The Hateful Eight”) a sociopath who gets off by terrorizing young girls in his tricked out Dodge Charger that is literally as the title suggests. While it takes a good thirty minutes to actually be introduced to our titular character, we follow a group of college age girls as they bop around the city, going to bars, looking for boys, the normal stuff one does with their friends.
The girls, led by Jungle Julia (Sydney Poitier) meet up with a couple boyfriends at a sleazy bar ran by Warren (Quentin Tarantino himself!), a man just as sleazy as his bar. After much talking Stuntman Mike eventually arrives at the bar where he sets his target on one of the girls at the bar. It's not that all this set up is bad, Tarantino's usually quippy dialogue is there, and it has his usual flare, it just the characters, excluding Stuntman Mike, just aren't that compelling, they lack a certain substance that would otherwise make them relatable. I know what I'm getting into with this sort of genre, but Tarantino loves his own dialogue, and in Death Proof I think he just takes too much time with it. It's a movie celebrating 70s horror exploration, and it pays its respects well, but that's about all there is to it. Nothing here is wholly quotable or entirely memorable, and it honestly feels longer than it should be. That being said, it does have that Tarantino flare that does keep it from ever being boring.
If there's one thing people should know about Quentin Tarantino is that he makes you wait for the explosive action, but when you get there your patience is paid off ten fold. I would give example, but it's in all of his films, it's a staple of his to build everything up before finally he gives the audience what they've been craving. I believe Death Proof does this the most deliberately, only giving us a sneak peak at Stuntman Mike's chaotic mania in the middle of the film when he slaughters the first group of girls. The first half of the film has a 70s filter over the whole thing, making it look gritty and old, but after the first massacre we're introduced to a new set of girls and the film switches to more modern filmmaking. Once that switch happens, a whole new set up begins with the new characters, it's a bit tedious but never a bore. Tarantino's dialogue and camerawork is always interesting, such as the one 8 minute shot rotating between the girls who are talking about their plan to get a car thats been advertised for sale. It's an impressive shot with great dialogue, but like with the first half, the characters just aren't that compelling. There's no prowess like the girls have in 'Kill Bill' no quirky character traits like those in 'The Hateful Eight' they're fun yes, but even while writing I honestly can't remember any of their names. Tarantino definitely put more time in building up for the set pieces than he did in creating memorable characters. And that's absolutely intentional for the genre and what him and Rodriguez we're aiming to do. No one went or goes to see these movies for the characters, they want the bloodshed and chaos, and if you're patient enough Tarantino delivers the bloody goods.
Despite the main cast(s) not being terribly interesting characters, Kurt Russell's Stuntman Mike absolutely is, and while his screentime is limited, those scenes with him are exhilarating, funny, and of course ultra-violent, what few quotable lines there are from this film, Russell delivers them with astoundingly creepy charisma, he's a sociopathic villain who truly embodies the roll, he brings enough cheese and persona to make him one of Tarantino's most memorable characters. From the fourth wall breaking stare into the camera, to the absurd line of 'now that was a good time ladies!' After he nearly obliterates them in the finale. I would love to see a movie that just follows Stuntman Mike around the city as he preys on his victims, but of course this film is all about delivering the nostalgia, and not so much a commentary on mental illness. Whenever Russell is on screen is when this movie really shines. There's two scenes of pure mayhem, the first I mentioned earlier right about halfway when the first group of girls are killed. But the real magic is in the final twenty minutes, Tarantino finally rewards our patience when our second batch of females are chased relentlessly, being smashed from every side, all while one of the girls is hanging onto the roof of their car. It's one of the best car chase scenes I've ever seen, it's white knuckle intense and it doesn't let up for its entirety. The technicality that went into creating this hectic set piece can be rivaled to the precision of the 'Mad Max' films. At the end of the whole thing the viewer is again rewarded with a satisfactory, bloody conclusion before the end credits roll.
Overall Death Proof isn't one of Tarantino's classics, but that's not to say it's not a bad film, on the contrary it's quite a good film, but one that suffers from some deliberate pacing that really only serves as a throwback to the 70s slasher flicks that this film represents, and not so much on character building. If this wasn't just a GrindHouse throwback film, and had just a little more intrigue rather than memorabilia, this very easily could've been one of Tarantino's greats. The characters that we spend the most time with just aren't nearly as compelling as many other characters that Tarantino has created, but with one exception being Stuntman Mike who is a very menacing villain and one played perfectly by Kurt Russell, he steals the show and is an absolute blast to watch. The film takes its time to build up to the the explosive finish, but when the action finally arrives, Tarantino delivers his best and then some, making one of the greatest car chases in cinematic history. So while Death Proof isn't nearly one of Quentin Tarantino's greatest films, it still has enough flare and action to stay true to his always inspiring aesthetic, and also making a decent movie honoring those nostalgic films of the 70s.
I give Death Proof 4 stars out of 5.
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