Death Proof

A little while ago I finally sat down to watch Death Proof; Quentin Tarantino's 2007 thriller that served as part of a double bill with Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror to form Grindhouse that was a tribute to gnarly 1970s flicks of old. Being a fan of the director, including his more recent films, I was curious to see why this has largely dropped off the radar and made me wonder if this was part of his wilderness years before finding success in 2009 with Inglorious Basterds or if it was, dare I use the word, underrated?

The story follows three girls at a small bar in Austin, Texas who happen upon an aging Hollywood stunt driver who has made his car "death-proof" but carries with him a scar down his face. Nonetheless, he seems charming and enjoys an evening with the guests but is in fact a psychotic killer who enjoys taking his passengers for a dangerous ride in the passenger seat which doesn't enjoy all the same safety features. 

Summarising this film is tricky as Tarantino spends much of his time setting the scene between the three girls with his signature, talky dialogue, which gives plenty of background and perspective to each character but it does quickly wear out its welcome and verges onto the excessive by the midway point when the story shifts gears. However, the setup in the first half does show plenty of promise with a sense of foreboding dread that kept me engaged but is quickly lost in the second half and then I became all too aware of the near two hour running time. This is where I started to check the time as I couldn't quite engage with ever-expanding cast despite the writer and director's best efforts.

The cast do a great job, particularly Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike, and we do get plenty of glimpses to Tarantino's greatness as a writer and director but it just doesn't come together in a way that is satisfying to make me want to recommend this anyone except his die hard fans. Coupled with this being produced by Harvey Weinstein and starring Rose McGowan as one of the three girls, where a real predator was involved, it does somewhat influence the outlook on this one. So while the grainy, video-scratched look does give this some of the 1970s slasher flick feel, it is unfortunately one of the director's weaker efforts which he was thankfully able to put behind him and move on to better projects.