Death Proof Review (2007)

2 Words- Climatic Car Chase. With It, Tarantino goes into full blown action territory, something he went in his previous film Kill Bill, but achieves here something so mindblowing, that if it involved just the second storyline which built up to the climatic masterpiece, this might just have been my Masterpiece (of Tarantino). The Blocking is so absolutely on point, every scene constantly keeps you on the tension and keeps the action flowing extremely well. The scenes before the first and last action sequences (which are only 2 btw but still strong), involve mainly the characters just talking, drinking, smoking and chilling. Tarantino’s writing in some of the opening portions have too much style in it, it becomes irritating after a point, but as the film goes on we get into the vibe of the film. There is a committed attempt to pay homage to the exploitation double feature of the 70s ( Death Proof is 1 part of Grindhouse, the 2nd of which is Planet Terror) and the cheap style of the film and grains are extremely beautiful to watch.

Its to Tarantino’s credit that eventhough the dialogue portions don’t necessarily mean anything that he still is able to keep us invested in the film. To quote Pauline Kael: “At forty, Brian De Palma has more than twenty years of moviemaking behind him, and he has been growing better and better. Each time a new film of his opens, everything he has done before seems to have been preparation for it.”

While Pauline told this for Tarantino’s favourite Brian de Palma, this is something that could very well be true for Tarantino. The cinephillic energy and his masterful writing he has made up for his inexperience in his beginning films but with each film he constantly has levelled up his expertise. His recurring stylistic shot like the 360 degree camera shot again comes here but also has an element of suspense which immediately latches on to us from the moment we see the information. When in the Beginning, he used the 360 degree as a stylistic showcase, by the time Death Proof came out, he had begun using it not just as a means of recording, but also as a cinematic tool; to tell his story, to mystify his story.

Even his usage of the split dioptre here, comes when 2 characters have a certain small disagreement, and by this point, he has begun to assume control over the medium. Like for example when we see a long shot of the ladies’s car drive away and the shot holds, we immediately feel tensed and fear the arrival of StuntMan Mike. Kurt Russel plays Mike with a terrific swagger and style and with the menace of a killer in the haunted movies. We are wowed by his style but repulsed by his sickening attitude especially when he is revealed to be a cry baby in the climax. The girls, mainly the 2nd group all have wonderful chemistry especially Zoe bell, who attracts us not only with her charm but also with the tenacity with which she performs the final chase scene (Zoe is mainly a stunt double but Tarantino cast her in the film as herself).

Tarantino might Consider Death Proof to be his worst film, but even in his worst Tarantino is at the top of his game.