FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

A group of four young girls go out on the town to have some fun and hang out at a local bar. There they trash talk people they know, dance around, act a little rowdy and generally do what girls who think they’re better than everyone else do. They also meet Stuntman Mike. He’s a washed up stuntman from TV and movies in the 70s, who may be the most interesting person in the bar that they don’t care to give the time of day. Well after they part ways, they run into him again – literally. You see, Stuntman Mike has made his car “death proof,” meaning no matter what he does to his car, he’ll be safe inside thanks to all the contraptions inside. He tests this theory out, has he has many times before, on this group of four. You can guess what happened to them. Will the next group of four fair any better?

Quentin Tarantino’s half of the “Grindhouse” double-feature gives audiences a completely different flavor of bad movie glory. Where “Planet Terror” focuses more on the gory horror and sci-fi violence side of things, “Death Proof” offers up a fetish tale, with elements of gore and violence to be sure. It’s not a bad approach, but I think the execution isn’t quite what we’re expecting after such the hilarious thrill ride of “Planet Terror.”

The problem is that the picture just moves too slowly. There’s a lot of horrible dialogue, which I assume is partly homage, but is also probably largely because that’s what you get out of Tarantino. The very beginning is dull, then the death scene piques your interest, and then it’s just dead for a very long time before slamming us right into the action. I really could care less about these (purposefully) underdeveloped characters, because I just wanted to see more mayhem and destruction and car wheels digging into faces. Is that bad? The decision to tell a lame, boring story that drags before it drag races had to be an intentional one, but that doesn’t make the movie interesting.

The big saving grace is that once the action picks up again, it doesn’t let up. The stunt work and the climactic car scene in general is simply incredible. The best part is that it’s all really playing out in front of your eyes. They aren’t acting in front of a green screen. Oh no. They are actually holding on to the hood of the car going at high speeds while another car rams into it. That sense of actual danger glues your eyes to the picture for the remainder of the picture. And even though I wish they would have revisited one specific character at some point, that ending is probably one of the best I’ve seen in years. It really helps to encapsulate the whole experience. If only the middle wasn’t so insanely boring.

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