Originally released as part of the Grindhouse double feature, Quentin Tarantino
has expanded Death Proof to an hour and fifty plus minutes, and the result is an
enjoyable, if long-winded, movie. Kurt Russell stars as Stuntman Mike, a psychopath with a unique
method of killing people: vehicular manslaughter. Driving a beefed up Chevy Nova,
which he claims has been made Death Proof, Mike carefully stalks pretty young
women until just the right moment, and then he pounces. A former stunt man for
TV shows, Mike’s car is equipped with a roll bar and other safety features that
would be the envy of any NASCAR driver. But as he points out to a terrified
victim, only the driver of his souped up Nova enjoys the benefit of the special
safety equipment.
Russell is very good as Mike, who projects a persona that’s as cool as a
cucumber, but it’s really just a mask for the raging insecurities that boil
beneath the surface. Taking place first in Austin, Texas and then Tennessee,
Death Proof spends some time letting the viewer to get to know the characters,
most of whom are hot young empowered females. The girls engage in these long, in depth,
personality-revealing conversations that Tarantino is famous for in his other
films like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill movies.
Yet these conversation scenes, especially in the first half of the film, feel as
if they run a bit too long--I caught myself checking the time and wondering if I
should fast forward on more than one occasion. Maybe extending the film was a bad
idea after all.
In addition to
Russell, Sydney Poitier is also very good as Jungle Julia, and Rosario Dawson is
engaging as Abernathy, a woman who finds herself caught up in a bizarre battle
of gear heads. And that’s pretty much what Death Proof is, an ode to such 1970s car movies as
Vanishing Point; Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry and the original Gone In 60 Seconds. The last half of Death Proof is a petal to the metal battle between a
pair of classic ‘70s muscle cars on the back roads of Tennessee, and in the
hands of Tarantino and an expert cadre of stunt drivers, this is an exhilarating
ride to watch. The two-disc DVD has plenty of special features, including a
music selection feature, where you can chose the songs in the movie, in addition
to the scene selection.
Perhaps making up for the dearth of extras on the Kill Bill DVDs, the second
disc of the Death Proof set has a slew of making of documentaries, including an
introduction to Zoë Bell, the affable Kiwi stuntwoman who’s worked with
Tarantino on Kill Bill, and who’s been given her first major acting role in this
film. There’s also a look at the stunt drivers, how Tarantino cast the female
leads, a trailer and poster gallery, and more. I’ve haven’t seen Grindhouse,
which Death Proof was originally a part of, so I can’t really comment on how
different this version is. I can say that the fake trailers that were made for Grindhouse are
not included here. But as a stand-alone film, Death Proof is still a wild, fun
ride. Highly recommended for action movie fans, as well as fans of car movies. --SF
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