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Death Proof, Entertainment Proof More Like.
Ok Ok, I'm about to do the unthinkable here, I'm about to risk alienating everyone on this site before my tenure has even begun.That's right, I'm about to give a Tarantino movie, a man who personifies the term 'Critic Proof' (which would have been a laughably ironic title for this movie) a bad review GASP!!! Well lets be honest, it's more of a rant really. So if you love old Quenty, and wouldn't be adverse to eating his turds, if only he'd call you one of his buddies, then look away now.
Being a huge Kurt Russell fan, and something of a Tarantino sceptic (he hasn't made a truly great film since 'Jackie Brown' in my opinion) I've finally gotten round to 'Death Proof', and I'm unthrilled. I have two words for this mess, 'Time' and 'Waster'.
The Plot? A mysterious ex demolition derby driver stalks and murders young girls, that's it.
Firstly let me start by admitting I watched the extended UK cut of the movie (not as Tarantino intended it to be shown) so I'm prepared to cut the guy a little slack in the pacing department. Yes it's slow, it's so slow, my grandmother riding a tortoise would leave this clunker for dust, and she's been dead for over thirty years. My biggest gripe however is that it's boring too, I can handle a slow movie if there's something to hold my attention. Instead Tarantino gives us a gutter mouthed bunch of obnoxious girls, rambling on about inane crap. Was I supposed to be rooting for Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell)? because sicko or not, I couldn't wait for him to turn up, and plow right into them before my brain turned to mush. We all know Tarantino writes great dialogue, but here it feels maddeningly self indulgent.
My other major gripe, is this movie only really comes alive when Russell is on screen, Stuntman Mike is a hoot, but where the hell is he? I was starting to think I'd put the wrong disc in the machine because it felt like an eternity before he showed up. When he does finally appear you get the best scene in the movie, his bar encounter with, and subsequent murder of the first group of girls. The scene in which Stuntman Mike traps a girl in his car is vintage Tarantino, in that it's both unexpectedly shocking and thrilling all at once. I'd even go as far to say it's one of the most effectively frightening scenes I've seen in recent years. This is mainly because said girl has already been established as likable (in that she's not part of the initial group). It's also a painful reminder that you've just sat through twenty five minutes of banal garbage, for just five minutes of decent movie.
The second half of the movie gargles balls, yes we get more girls (this lot come off like they've just got back from a Germain Greer book reading) and the end car chase is so unremarkable (it didn't help that they kept name dropping 'Vanishing Point', a far better film) that I'm sure I began humming some mindless tune whilst staring out of the window and picking my toenails. Where was the grand smash em' up 'Mad Max 2' finale we'd all been expecting? Well if you listened to the great man himself, this is an authentic 'Grindhouse' movie, a genre of film that rarely delivered on it's initial premise. Well Quentin, you certainly got that part right.
Grindhouse tribute or not, if you're making a trash movie, at least make it entertaining, not just a private excercise in self indulgance. A good DJ plays his favourite tracks, but he also has the crowd in mind, a good director (which Tarantino most certainly IS) should do the same. AVOID **Stars (based on 5 star rating)
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100 Favourites From The Future: REWIRED
100 Favourites From The Future: REWIRED
Last edited by Used Future; 07-17-08 at 10:45 AM.
