Death Proof

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito

Mike is a friendly, roughed, and scar-bearing local stuntman. So when he offers Pam a ride in his car one night, she gratefully accepts. He assures her his car is 100% death proof, but when they both get into the car, it is revealed that he is a psychopathic serial killer who enjoys murdering women. He appears to be fearfully brutal and acts without any remorse, but what if there is a turn of events? What does a psychopath do when confronted with his greatest fear?

In one of the two parts of Grindhouse, Tarantino gives us another thrilling movie which makes violence a form of art. This is his answer to 60s and 70s B-movies, where the posters were better than the movies, but he has made a movie which lives up to the posters. This new look in the genre does not mean that Tarantino puts his visual and verbal obsessions aside. The dialogue is as funny and imaginative as it has always been. Although this time, a lot of it is from a female perspective, and it gives an alternative and refreshing taste. The car chase scene is specially done with real stunts and no CGI, since he wanted to make it as impressive as possible and the audience to really feel it in their stomach. This is film is about entertainment, and Tarantino has given it to us.

Kurt Russell puts in an exceptional performance playing the part of stuntman Mike. First he is all about the good guy turning into the cold blooded killer, who uses the death proof car as his weapon of choice. Russell’s character goes through a vast transformation as the film runs, and what he is really like inside is shown, giving us a greater depth of character in the villain. The female actors put in a strong performance, making the atmosphere lively with their tone and attitude. They add the extra edge to the film. Tarantino himself makes an appearance on the screen, and breathes his own life into the movie.

Death Proof is a kind of film they don’t make anymore: old fashioned, irony-free, and exciting as hell.

Minato Kobori