Death Proof
Saturday, October 6th, 2007
Death Proof (Extended and Unrated) is Quentin Tarantino’s tribute to Grindhouse films and is better than the theatrical cut, though it’s difficult to qualify “better” in a movie that doesn’t strive too hard to be good in the first place (there are some unpleasant though quick gore shots). Tarantino doesn’t bring anything new to the table (the dialogue and direction are derivative of himself) — except for the car chase scene at the end which is fun and funny.
I thoroughly enjoyed Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill - Vol. 1 for what it is. I plan to see it again before it leaves my local theatre and I’m looking forward to Vol. 2. It’s a shallow movie with nothing underneath the surface, but the surface is so lovingly made — I just ate it up. It was a fun ride. A good ole fashion revenge flick. Uma Thurman going out to get everybody who did her wrong, and she gets ‘em good. And that’s it. Criticizing the movie according a to more complex criteria than that seems foolish. It’s not Pulp Fiction, nor do I think it is meant to be. It is a wonderfully crafted kung-fu, Samurai, kill-em-all and kill-em-good, revenge flick. The protagonist is defined mainly her ability to kick ass than her ability to carry on witty conversation. As entertaining as it might be to listen to two gangsters discuss the deeper meaning of a foot massage, that kind of extended dialogue would slow down the kinetic energy of the all cool kung-fu that’s going on in Kill Bill - Vol. 1. If you don’t like gory and violent revenge flicks, you won’t like the movie. Don’t go. But for what it is, it is extremely well made, stunning and amazing at times, and — I hate this phrase — but a pure cinematic delight. It’s like Homer Simpson discovering triple-chocolate ice cream. Kung-fu revenge flicks don’t get much better than this. [Commentary originally from 2003.]