1h 53m
Director: Quentin Tarantino

This is half of the Grindhouse double bill project that Quentin Tarantino did with Robert Rodriguez. The other film is Planet Terror.

I've heard a lot of dissension regarding this flick but I would argue that even though the plot might be a bit disappointing if you are expecting a typical Quentin Tarantino movie - From a technical point of view, in my subjective opinion (of course), it is his best shot film. I think that being delivered in contrast to Planet Terror doesn't help it either.

The test to work out if a film is well shot is traditionally whether you can still read it with no sound. It's a good test, try it with a film you know well (no subs!) and I think you'll be surprised just how much work the sound track does, there's a lot of information there we take for granted so when you can read a flick without sound it's a good indication that there's enough information in the visuals to communicate the plot. Death Proof is like that.

Stuntman Mike has modified his stunt vehicle so that he can survive a crash. He has a penchant for picking up young ladies and then killing them. It's a slasher movie. The first half of the narrative establishes him as a sadistic murderer and gives us an insight into his pattern.

Not exactly a complicated plot line is it? One of the reasons it reads so well is that it apes early Grindhouse films which also had simple narratives although it does appear to be set in the modern era.

There's the usual Tarantino foot fetish stuff (insert your own joke about how many 'feet' of film this man has shot!). There is definitely a very voyeuristic feel to the shooting style in this movie, even when Stuntman Mike is not in frame.

It's a bit jarring seeing modern mobile phones appear in a film that really looks like it was shot on old film stock.

Not gonna lie, I find the lap dance scene pretty cringe in this movie. It feels like an old man perving over much younger women and comes across very creepy which I suppose adds menace to the character of Stuntman Mike. It feels awkward though and somewhat unnecessary. Probably sounded good on paper!

Rosario Dawson's hair cut in this film reminds me a bit of Sandy from Monkey Magic, not flattering at all! (Sorry Sandy and Rosario). There is also noticeably less film grain and scratches in the second half of the movie, possibly because it's meant to be shot on a newer reel of film.

It's worth noting that all of the dangerous looking car stunts near the end of the movie were captured in-camera and performed by the actress herself (Zoë Bell).

Zoë is riding on the bonnet of the car when Stuntman Mike decides to terrorise the girls in his own muscle car. He chases them for a while but he doesn't count on the girls having a gun which they use to scare him off. They chase after him (something else he isn't counting on) and in a car chase that you can only really compare to a 70's style chase (2 duelling muscle cars set to a jazz band) they run him off the road and then beat him brutally (but somewhat triumphantly) to death.

So you can see that whereas Rodriguez has leant on modern film making techniques to present his science fiction headliner Planet Terror (lots of special effects digitally added in post), Tarantino has restricted himself to the methods used in the 'Grindhouse' era. Another reason why it might seem a bit bland by comparison.

The best advice for getting the most out of this film is to forget the pedigree (don't expect typical Tarantino fare) and remember it's trying to reflect a much earlier phase of cinema. As I said earlier, I like it because I think it's technically very well shot but I appreciate that we all watch movies in different ways and for different reasons so it might not be everyone's cup of tea!

So there you go, much more of a technical recommendation really more for those who are interested in how the sausage is made as it were, rather than just the emotional journey communicated by the narrative. There's lots of discussion to be had within the piece about shots, angles, framing, blocking and business - those things which constitute some of the language of film, it's fertile ground if you're interested in that sort of thing!.

Promise I haven't disappeared up my own arse!



Trailer: