Stuntman Mike wants to kill people. For reasons unknown. The kill sequences are pretty cool and is the best scene in the entire movie for more reasons than one. The women here are so boring that I found myself quenched with blood lust and was rooting for Stuntman Mike. Stuntman Mike is easily one of the most cool villains ever, or in this case, a hero. If, like me, you didn't like Death Proof then about an hour into the film you'll start rubbing the bridge of your nose or maybe twitching your right index finger over your left eyebrow and squinting down at the floor, repeating in your head (or aloud) every five minutes of so: 'I can't believe Quentin Tarantino made this, I can't believe Quentin Tarantino made this'. It is sad but equally as surprising just how low Tarantino has sunk with Death Proof, one half of an experiment (nothing more) he did with Robert Rodriguez called 'Grindhouse' which was supposed to recreate a 1970s, exploitation style experience in a Grindhouse cinema in which you'd see low-rent horror/sci-fi in all its gloriously gritty and patchy glory.

The first half introduced us to characters like Arlene (Venessa Ferlito), Shanna (Jordan Ladd), Jungle Julia (Syndey Poitier) and Pam (Rose McGowan), who end up in a bar doing their own thing (read: plenty of dialogue and flirting with the camera). We get introduced quite slowly to the psycho Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell, with Snake Plissken styled scar), who while on one hand befriends the girls, but on the other hand, we are just waiting for the action to begin. Being a stuntman, his car is "death proof", meaning it's rigged like stunt cars that provide protection for its driver, and nothing else. And if you're twiddling your thumbs for some action to take over, then be prepared to wait a bit.A Japanese DVD release has the films Grindhouse, Death Proof and Planet Terror, with extras and fake trailers, in a six-DVD box set (English with optional Japanese subtitles). Death Proof was also released as a German HD DVD, believed to be the last film published in the now-defunct format. [26] The Dutch poster artwork for Death Proof claimed that the film would feature "coming attractions" from Robert Rodriguez. [14] In the United Kingdom, Death Proof was released on September 21, 2007, and in Australia on November 1, 2007. [15] Explaining the split in foreign releases, Tarantino stated, "Especially if they were dealing with non-English language countries, they don't really have this tradition … not only do they not really know what a grindhouse is, they don't even have the double feature tradition. So you are kind of trying to teach us something else." [16] Critical reception [ edit ] This started as part of the double feature feature Grindhouse and it has now been released as a single film. I didn't like it in Grindhouse and seeing it alone I think this is a pretty poor film.

Nashawaty, Chris (March 30, 2007). "Bloodbath and Beyond". Entertainment Weekly. pp.27–30. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014 . Retrieved September 25, 2007. The effect is reminiscent of Kill Bill (2003), which at times felt superficial or perhaps even too knowing for its own good, but still demonstrated to us the filmmaker's great use of tone, texture, colour and movement, as well as turning many people on to a whole new world of cult Japanese cinema; from the works of highly individual filmmakers like Seijun Suzuki, Kinji Fukasaku and Takashi Miike, to cult performers like Sony Chiba. Death Proof attempts to do something similar with the likes of the American revisionist road movie, the B-cinema of Roger Corman and the femsploitation subgenre of films like The Big Bird Cage (1972), Caged Heat (1975), Day of the Woman (1978) and Ms. 45 (1981); a coolly ironic series of films in which wronged women take bloody revenge in an often elaborate and over the top style, chiefly intended to give a feminist slant to the still rampant degradation and misogyny prevalent in the exploitation genre. After the relative success of his homage to kung fu with his Kill Bill movies, Quentin Tarantino turned his sights to the 70s exploitation movies with Grindhouse: Death Proof. However, for us outside the US, we do not get the Grindhouse double bill with Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror and a host of easter egg styled trailers, but rather we get the longer cut of both movies. Many have said that Planet Terror proved to be superior to Death Proof, but without watching the other, I thought Tarantino's offering was pretty decent stuff.The hot summer brings out all the stunning girls in their hot shorts, tight tops and sassy attitudes. Two such groups of girls are enjoying a carefree world of dance, music, boys and drink when they find themselves stalked by the charming but yet sinister "Stuntman Mike" – a killer hunting down young women and killing them with his "death proof" car. One year later and Mike is hunting a whole new set of girls n Tennessee - Abernathy Ross, Kim Mathis, Lee Montgomery and Zoe Bell (Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and, yes, Zoe Bell). This time, it doesn't go so well for Mike, who gets obliterated by the women. Zoë tells Abernathy and Kim that she wants to play a game they call "Ship's Mast", whereby she rides the hood holding belts fastened to the car while Kim drives at speed. Kim is hesitant, but agrees. The three enjoy the stunt, unaware that Mike is watching them. He rear-ends them in his car, causing Zoë to accidentally drop one of her and Abernathy's belts. After several more collisions, he T-bones them, throwing Zoë from the hood. Kim shoots Mike's left shoulder and he flees in his car. Abernathy and Kim cry over the loss of their friend, until Zoë emerges uninjured. The three agree to catch up to Mike and kill him. Taratino's own jukebox - AMI - was used here, with the list of songs written out in his own hand. Thanks to IMDB, those songs are: