When I walked out of the theater after seeing the original cut of Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof presented as part of the Grindhouse double bill my thinking was that the film had significant problems on two fronts. First, there was a serious marketing problem, Tarantino obviously having completely forgotten that people going to see a film billed as a violent exploitation picture do not expect that picture to be three quarters women talking pointlessly about nothing. Now there is actually a market out there for films featuring women talking pointlessly about nothing so this is not necessarily a sign that Death Proof was necessarily bad but it sure as hell wasn't what people expected it to be. Which brings us to issue two, a far more serious structural problem. Tarantino never quite seems to realize that the film is about two people and two people only, Stuntman Mike - as played by Kurt Russell - and Zoe Bell - as played by herself - and so what should have been no more than a fifteen minute prologue to introduce Mike to the crowd as he feeds on the early body-count fodder gets stretched out to a whopping fifty minutes that goes precisely nowhere and needlessly splits the film into two distinct halves.
Are these problems solved with this new cut? Sadly, no. All this does is re-insert the supposed 'missing reels' - a blatant marketing ploy designed to 'add value' to the DVD - making a film badly in need of cutting even longer. Yes, you get the Vanessa Ferlito (fully clothed) lap dance scene, which is pretty hard to argue with but none of the core issues are resolved so if you have problems with the original cut don't expect to like this version any better. Death Proof the film is a sketch of a piece blessed with one iconic character in Stuntman Mike - surely the best thing on Kurt Russell's resume over the past decade - one compelling performance from Vanessa Ferlito that should put her in high demand, one arresting true life talent in Zoe Bell, and a pair of stunning stunt sequences unfortunately adrift in a film that nobody dared to tell Tarantino was short one plot.
Mileage on Death Proof the DVD will vary depending on your feelings about Tarantino, the man, as he is the dominant feature amongst all of the features, nearly ubiquitous and always talking. The film gets an excellent, anamorphic transfer but is - surprisingly, considering Tarantino's constant chatter - lacking a commentary track. The second disc is loaded up, though, with an excellent twenty minute feature on the stunt driving, nine minutes on Zoe Bell, another nine on Kurt Russell, twenty on the casting process around the many women, the uncut recording of a song sung within the film, eight minutes on casting the male players, and four minutes of Tarantino praising his editor. While it would've been nice to have Tarantino's thoughts balanced out by one or two other voices through the feature set it is nevertheless a solid package. The film remains underwhelming, though, repeated viewings serving only to reinforce that Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror was the worthwhile reason to enter the Grindhouse.
Thanks Todd for the great review! It sounds like there is little improvement with the extended "Death Proof" movie over the "Grindhouse" version. That's disappointing. I agree the movie should have just been Kurt Russell (Stuntman Mike) vs Zoe Bell in a car vs car match up a la "Death Race 2000" (even though I like Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms in the film). Unlike Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror", "Death Proof" didn't really seem like a grindhouse film...there really wasn't anything gritty, shocking, exploitative or retro 70s about the film at all except for the slash film elements. I was hoping that Tarantino would have make something wild and crazy like Russ Meyer's "Faster Pussycat Kill, Kill Kill" (is that considered Grindhouse?). Now that would have been cool!
Good point about people not wanting to sit through a film filled with broads yapping non stop, if people wanted that they'd go and see a chick flick.
I thought Zoe Bells terrible acting skills completely ruined the 2nd half of the film though, all because Tarantino wanted the stunts to appear authentic he revolves the film around a novice actor.
Shit, here I go again...
I also hate it when people say that this is pointless chick talk. The first half is like the beginning of tons of slasher movies. People talking about heading out to camp, to a party, to a cottage, whatever, only for them to be picked off one by one when they get there. Except in this, it's a Tarantino movie, so they talk longer, and then they're all killed off in one amazing setpiece.
And, diner scene in particular, the second half's dialogue is anything but pointless. The diner sets up all four characters, sets up why Kim and Zoe would do what they do on the test drive, sets up the dynamics between the 4 characters, that Lee is an outside, that Abby, Kim and Zoe don't really respect her as a person. It sets up the WHOLE rest of the movie. Some of this dialogue is amazing.
And the extended version of Earl & Son Macgraw is flat out hilarious...the stuff that was added.
I'm just irritated that there's no word on a full "Grindhouse" dvd release of both films -- particularly for those of us who live in a place where they either haven't released either movie or are putting them out separately. I don't think it's played here in Seoul at all (unless it came out and then vanished while I was at a month-long class).
The problem isn't so much that the film is dialog driven - I expect that from a Tarantino film - it's that he spends FIFTY SOLID MINUTES doing nothing with characters that have no bearing whatsoever on the rest of the film. If even one of them had survived to carry through the rest of the film it would have been worthwhile but the basic structure of this thing is just horrible, it completely breaks the film into chunks with no continuity whatsoever.
I cant get enough of Death Proof.I've watched it 5 times already.I got the same vibe watching films like Vanishing Point & Two Lane Blacktop.Both were heavy on dialogue.Plus it featured some kick ass muscle cars doing what muscle cars do best.Why dont people ever mention that yet cry about the girls talkin.Ya buncha hybrid lovin pansies ;)
Almost through all the special features on this set, and i can't say i'm disappointed with the extended cut of the film itself. My original "Grindhouse" review here states my affinity for "Death Proof" over "Planet Terror", which I'm not sure I have any interest in owning. I am a little bummed by the lack of more solid special features, although, yes, the stunt driving one was nicely eye-openning. Only goes to show that the stunt community really doesn't get it's fair shake when it comes to the whole of film appreciation. (You hear that, Academy Awards??) (Of course you don't...)
I'm a little more bummed because i went ahead and sprung for the exclusive "steel book" packaging that came packaged with an exclusive bonus disc, courtesy of Best Buy stores. Well, the bonus disc was fluff for promoting "Grindhouse" theatrical release, and the special packaging is cool, but not worth the significant added expense. It is, after all, only packaging - an element that's important, but not the be-all end-all.
So yeah, Kurt and Garth, i'm with you fellas. The openning fifty minutes is not at all pointless. And yes, while the yakking does get a bit excessive, but this is Tarantino, so it all rolls off.
Death Proof seemed more like an actual grindhouse film and Planet Terror was more like a grindhouse parody. It came off that Tarantino knew grindhouse and grew up with it, and Rordiguez was someone who was told about it. I'm not one of those QT fanboys, but I think he definitely nailed it more that RR. I mean RR looked like he was just messing around, while QT actually tried to make a legitimate grindhouse film.
That's a good point if you're comparing the films - Rodriguez's film seemed like it was more an homage to '80s DTV titles that tread on grindhouse material without actually being grindhouse (in no small part because most of them never saw the inside of a 42nd street projection booth).
I'm be on board for Rodriguez taking on an AIP / PM Entertainment re-creation!
There seems to be an insinuation that if you didn't like DP, you don't understand grindhouse flicks, but I disagree. I'm not disputing the fact that QT has made a grindhouse movie. In fact, QT didn't do a parody of said films (which RR did), he made an authentic grindhouse film. I just didn't think it was a very entertaining or really even interesting feature.
And I also understand that dialogue plays an important role in QT flicks. The dialogue was endless in "Pulp Fiction". But most other movies from QT had great, memorable lines. The DP dialogue was drab and easy to forget. I really think the movie would have been better with less talking and more visuals.
And furthermore, I don't think I'm out of line in suggesting that a Rosario Dawson nude scene would have been appreciated.
let me also put in a few cents. I am on the side of the Death Proof lovers here.
About the dialogue not being good. Totally disagree. It isn't bad ass gangster speak we are dealing with here but, no, so it might be light on quotable phrases but it is good dialogue for the characters it is written for and has all the usual Tarantino touches.
About the structure. I like low budget exploitation because it allows directors to get a way with (almost) anything. Roger Corman said to his directors 'just deliver me enough action to cut together an interesting trailer and what you do with the rest of your budget is your decision' And another example is Japanese pinku - with the most bizarre titles to get people into the theatres - and directors like Koji Wakamatsu and Seijun Suzuki (inspired by the nouvelle vague) pushing the boundaries with what they actually made with their producers money. So I love Tarantino for letting his characters talk for 50 minutes and then just killing them off in one go. I see the fun of going against expectations and against structures. being different is not the same as being bad. And as said before the structure is actually very accurate to the slasher genre and most authentic grindhouse fare.
...with special appearances by Kathy Ireland and Cynthia Rothrock
And don't forget Michael Dudikoff and Lorenso Lamaz.
Amen to that sarkoffagus. My issue with Death Proof isn't that it isn't "authentic" and I don't prefer Planet Terror on the belief that it is. I don't really care which is more authentic. I know one is entertaining and one isn't.
Saying, "Oh, that's grindhouse" doesn't excuse Tarantino for not bothering to write a plot. Which he didn't. He's got two characters and one kick ass car chase and, in my book at least, no reason to give a damn about what happens to any of them. Subverting expectations is one thing but wasting my time by taking fifty minutes to set up a single kill shot is entirely something else and that's ALL the first half of the movie is. I care about the characters in Vanishing Point. I don't give a damn about the huge majority of them here and that's why the film fails.
Hmmm, but the same defenders out there do absolutely find Death Proof entertaining. Certainly I find it entertaining in the same way I found Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Deniro sitting on the couch hanging, or Robert Forster and Pam Grier having coffee and discussing the Delfonics (spelling?). Yes, Mr. Tarantino in 'hanging out mode' is definitely entertaining.
The texture of Austin, The great lap dance sequence, "Fuck it, We go to Jagermeister!" Russell munching away on Nachos Grande.
Yep. I love this damn film. End to end.
agreed. you can be entertained or not entertained by a movie. tastes differ. I just don't agree with the arguments given by those who were not entertained. fifty minutes to set up a single kill is not a waste of time. It only is that if you'd only care about the kill. I found the movie, like Kurt and others, entertaining from start to finish. I always wonder why some people only want to call a movie a good movie if it has 'a good story' and 'rounded characters'. The cinematic medium is so much more versatile and powerfull to be reduced to those two simple elements. For me they are always the skeleton of the movie never the flesh. a small gesture of an eye, a haunting close up, a nice tracking shot, a dialogue with good rythm and so much more, all these elements are of equal importance as that one amazing kill in the end.
i was not sure the first time i saw it (inside the grindhouse setting) but now after seeing it yesterday on DVD i like it much more. the dialogues, cutting and music have a rythm to them and go down like honey to my ears.
I think Tarantino did what he could with Zoe and she is not too off putting.
of course the 20minutes car-chase is the best car action in decades and shows how good an action director Tarantino has become. all in all a solid "B".