Death Proof

GREEN'S "WHAT ARE WE GONNA TELL JASPER WHEN WE GET BACK?" REVIEW:

Hands down, this has got to be one of the stupidest movies I have ever had the un-pleasure of sitting through. But I did watch it all - albeit over two nights.

"Death Proof" may be a Tarantino homage film and that's fine, if that's what he wants to make. I suppose it makes some kind of perverted sense to pay homage to a crappy movie genre with an equally crappy movie.

The acting was horrible, even from an actor as decent as Kurt Russell occasionally is. Overall, the script sucked and there was no character development to the point where you want to give a rat's poo-poo about any of these characters. Just two sets of not so hot chicks talking smack tied loosely together by the actions of one crazy mofo called 'Stuntman Mike'...

The best looking chick in the film was probably the smartest. She's the cheerleader chick that got left behind/left out of the action in Act II. The next best-looking chick might have been Zoe, but that stupid pierced lip evaporated any sexiness she might otherwise have had.

I watched the unrated, extended version which at just under two hours is well - just under two hours too long.

The lone bright spot in the film is near the end - the precious third act that I shan't reveal, lest I incur the mighty wrath o' the scribester.

That part alone warrants the rating I give this disaster on wheels:

[barely] * out of *****

SCRIBE'S VEHICULAR HOMICIDE REVIEW:

For years, Quentin Tarantino has displayed his love of Seventies hipster flicks with lots of references to movies hardly anybody else has ever heard of or seen. In fact, he ushered in a new form of hipness: The fan of obscure, low budget films who sees them as art.

Whether or not the films that inspired him were art, there is no doubt that his are. Having re-worked Seventies grit and lack of generational focus into something on a much higher level, “Q” has reinvigorated a genre most of us never experienced the first time around except on TV.

“Death Proof” is another in a line of Tarantino homages, this time centered on the muscle car suspense genre. All the familiar staples are there. Overly sexual females discussing boys in a classic car, planning a getaway to some remote lakefront and trying desperately to connect with the world around them through alcohol and drugs. Naturally, at least two of these girls have an ass that is mesmerizingly hot and Tarantino makes sure he gets some down ‘n dirty camera angles to remind us, which of course is what he should be doing to strive for authenticity, so shut up, feminists!

Add to this a mysterious black muscle car that seems to show up wherever they go and you have the makings of quite the grindhouse flick. What distinguishes this film from the genre films of the 1970’s is the amount of time devoted to character development. Tarantino does everything he can to make sure we feel like we know these women by the film’s tragic mid-point. We also think we know Kurt Russell’s “Stuntman Mike” character, although he repeatedly displays a knack for surprising us.

Filled with Tarantino’s trademark self-aware, pop culture laced dialogue peppered with repeated usage of the “F” and “N” words, Death Proof transcends its genre to become a commentary on the inner desperation we all feel when we suspect the world has no real use for us anymore.

The acting is top notch, especially on the parts of Kurt Russell and Rose McGowan. The on-screen chemistry between these two is amazing and unexpected. The extended foreshadowing of the first act is so methodically handled the viewer forgets what kind of movie this is until the shocking events in the middle. Employing a conceit most writer/directors wouldn’t be able to pull off, Tarantino literally starts the movie over for its second act with a different cast of characters who may or may not endure the experiences of the previous group.

Again, Tarantino skillfully makes us almost forget what happened earlier in the film, firmly throwing us into the lives of these newcomers. Rosario Dawson is the known actress in this group and she brings a girlish charm to what quickly morphs into a disturbing and brilliant film.

I am trying very hard not to give away the third act, which I hope green will also do, but suffice to say there is a huge switch around that works so successfully it causes the viewer to reevaluate everything they’ve seen up until that point.


***** out of *****

(This is who Green considers "not so hot")

Could you make the picture any smaller?