Deathproof

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez set out to create the experience of the "grindhouse" films they grew up loving. Their two films were released together as a 3 hours plus of big budget b-movie lovefest. Grindhouse flopped so the studios were quick to split them up for overseas and dvd.

Tarantino's opus is the killer stuntman on the loose Deathproof. Kurt Russell brings his A-game with his turn as Stuntman Mike. The story is basic and completely throwaway. Mike wants to kill some gals for some reason or another that is never really explained. The first half of the film finds him wanting to kill some gals he follows to a local watering hole. After going through the first half of the film, you find yourself watching a similar scenario 5 years down the road. In this scenario though, Mike has the tables turned on him.

The problem with Deathproof is in the design. Tarantino wants to make a throwback to b-movies, but the problem with that is most b-movies suck. The only thing that can redeem the experience is if the film is fun. Is Deathproof fun? Well... watching Kurt Russell get to do some Tarantino dialogue is a lot of fun. Russell has always been a terrific actor and never gets his props for his acting ability. But the plot behind the film limits to Russell to a one dimensional character for the rest of the film.

All the other performances are awful. Sydney Tamiia Poitier as Jungle Julia is the biggest culprit. She throws out her lines as if she is doing a cheap Samuel L. Jackson impersonation. Hey Sam's great, but you aren't him! Try doing it like a normal person. You find this happening with another actress later on in the film... I guess no one else can bring anything original to the film. Only professional stuntwoman Zoe Bell gets to have some fun in the second half of the film playing herself!

Now that Tarantino has had his fun with the samarai orgy of Kill Bill (which I liked) and the cheap schlock of Deathproof, I can only hope he gets back on track with a real film.

40/100