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Director: Quentin Tarantino
Release Date: April 6th, 2007
Rating: R for strong graphic bloody violence and gore, pervasive language, some sexuality, nudity and drug use.
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I was one of the unfortunate people who saw the double feature of Planet Terror and Death Proof in the theaters. Both were entertaining films, but it was just way too long to be sitting in a theater. By the time Death Proof got to its climatic ending, the audience was just too drained to enjoy it.
Luckily, I picked up the DVD of Death Proof to give it another go. I'm glad I did, because this movie rocks.
Quentin Tarantino has attempted to make some sort of homage to low-budget 70's flicks staring strong women characters. These are the types of movies you catch in a cheap motel at 1:00 AM in the morning when you can't sleep. You flip channels and end-up stopping for about 10 minutes to see a movie with unfamiliar actors and a weird storyline.
The film is filled with "mistakes", broken plot lines, and drastic personality changes in characters to give viewers the sense that they are watching two unfinished films merged into one. At the very beginning of the film, a title is shown for a millisecond and quickly covered up with "DEATH PROOF" in fancy lettering.
The "cheap budget" tones are all entertaining and fun to catch, but they are not overdone. Tarantino let that be a backdrop to his characters and dialogue that have become his trademark.
No one will ever forget Samuel Jackson quoting Ezekiel before gunning down a man or Uma Thurman hunting down Bill. And who doesn't remember lines like "Get the gimp" or "Oh, you sending the Wolf?" This film is no exception. With loads of dialogue, Tarantino has once again made interesting characters like Stuntman Mike (played by Kurt Russell) that will be quoted for years go come.
With all that going for the movie, not enough could be said for the climatic and devilishly entertaining ending. The final sequence lasted a good 10 minutes and I can't remember the last time the final minute of a film made me hoop and holler like this flick. Everything in the movie led up to this final scene to give the viewer the ultimate enjoyment.
There are a few violent scenes. While they are quick and short, they are extremely violent and viewers should be prepared to see people killed in creative ways with a car.
Death Proof stands on its own. It's a shame it was released in theaters as part of a double-feature, because it would have gotten more attention. In the end, this will be one of Tarantino's little-viewed films. But maybe it's fitting that this gem of a film would be tucked away in obscurity to more closely resemble the films it was made as a homage. |
