Death Proof (2007)

Rated: R

Grade: BJBA=B
Note: All figures are for the combined Planet Terror/Deathproof Grindhouse double feature.
Budget: $53 million
Box Office: $25 million US, $20 million int’l, $16 million DVD

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino. If you don’t know, you shouldn’t watch. But, still, Sin City, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction.
Starring: Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Tracie Thomas, Rose McGowan, Jordan Ladd, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

Comments: Quentin Tarantino is a genius of a filmmaker and a dialogue writer. Unfortunately, he can’t do either without ridiculous amounts of profanity and at least a couple of really disturbing violent scenes. In this case, the idea is to make a car chase horror movie paying homage to 70s moviemaking and muscle cars. It’s full of excellent music, tense scenes, and just plain fascinating people. What makes this movie so interesting is that you don’t trust him. Thus, you don’t know what to expect. It’s very entertaining all the way to the end, but I will not recommend it to anyone who doesn’t already know they enjoy Tarantino films. Even I, as a fan of his work, found this unpleasant to watch in parts and wish I could unsee some of it. Also, I can’t write a full review of it without disclosing significant plot elements. So, I’ll simply say that for those who love his work, you’ll probably like this. For those who do not, move along…quickly.

Discussion Questions:
~When the sheriff is talking with his son, he says that Kurt Russell’s actions indicate a sex crime and the violence is his turn-on. What do you think of this analysis? How does it apply to people who like horror films? How might it apply to Tarantino himself? Consider the fact that his films rarely have any nudity in them.
~Did you enjoy the ending or hate the ending? Whichever reaction you had, why did you have it? How does the fact that we have learned that we cannot trust Tarantino to be predictable factor into the entertainment value of his movies?

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Overall Grade: B I didn’t think this was his best movie, but it was good enough that I’ll probably watch the other half of the double-feature. I would so love to see Tarantino make a PG-13 or even PG film just to find out if he'd be good at it. Stephen King wrote "The Eyes of The Dragon" for his kids. So, why not?