Death Proof

By: The Dude

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, RoseMcGowan
Rating: 1.5 out of 5

As someone who grew up just inside the 70s – okay, way inside – I can’t decide if Death Proof pays homage to the retro movies of the era, or takes the piss. Is the grainy, jumpy, low-budget style meant to be a respectful tip o’ the lid to the B-grade genre, or is it a sarcastic joke?

The Dude can’t decide. He was way too excited about seeing Kurt Russell in a movie again! I mean, this here is the same guy who Escaped from New York – twice, faced some Big Trouble in Little China, kicked the back of Sylvester Stallone’s head out in Tango and Cash, and killed off Steve Segal in Executive Decision (for which the man should have been awarded his own Oscar category!).

And that’s not to mention his fine work in Breakdown, Stargate, Backdraft, Tombstone, the widely misunderstood Overboard and many other single word-titled fil-ums.

What we have here with this piece o’ Death Proof is a Quentin Tarantino flick – his fifth the DVD cover is to be believed – that concerns itself with Stuntman Mike, a former Hollywood stunt driver (hence the name) who stalks women for to kill them. Me thinks he’d have more luck and less screaming if he tried to date them, but that’s Stuntman Mike for ya.  

Anyways, what eventually happens is that a group of sexy young fillies (“badass babes” the DVD refers to them as, which I must admit, the Dude finds a little sexist) turn the tables on Mike and set out on a little revenge.

Sounds a lot more interestin’ that what it is as a matter o’ fact.

What left me scratching my head was that the normally snappy dialogue through which QT made his name is mysteriously lacking in this here number five film. Instead, it’s been replaced by somewhat boring dribble.

Also, I’m not sure I understood quite how a movie could be set in 2007, but shot in 1972. This is the biggest movie conundrum the Dude has faced since working out how Star Wars happened a long time ago, when everything looks so futuristic. Okay, so the original looks like it happened in the 70s, what with the dodgy hair styles and clothes, not to mention the woeful FX compared to modern day, but even then it all supposedly happened a “long time ago…” And that puzzle was made even worse when the next three movies (or is it first three?) was set earlier than the first (or is it the third) what goes by the name A New Hope. These so-called earlier movies looked way more advanced than the third. What, did everything de-evolve when Darth Vadar took over the Empire? Not such a frightening villain when his only dark side power is to revert technology backwards.

Back to the issues at hand though. If you can overlooked the blunt dialogue and the ‘70s style B-grade, low-budget look, you may just enjoy Death Proof. If not, get something else … I would.  

Verbatim:
Stuntman Mike: “Hey, Pam, remember when I said this car was death proof? Well, that wasn't a lie. This car is 100% death proof. Only to get the benefit of it, honey, you REALLY need to be sitting in my seat.”

In a word: Retro