Reviews of Death Proof

Not sleep proof.

Posted : 1 year, 1 month ago on 12 September 2008 07:41 (A review of Death Proof)

Quentin Tarantino's contribution to the Grindhouse double-feature largely hinges on the unpredictable exploits of 'Stuntman Mike' (Kurt Russell). The film shows two separate groups of fun-seeking women and how their lives are affected thanks to interactions with Mike. Whereas Planet Terror was steeped in violence and over-the-top action, Death Proof is an incredibly slow burner. Incredibly slow.

The film is two separate stories which essentially follow the same pattern. A group of young, care-free women are stalked silently by Mike and the camera focuses primarily on them and their conversations, before they end up in a brutal confrontation with the sadistic stuntman. While there is no doubt in my mind that Tarantino is capable of some entertaining dialogue (as witnessed in Pulp Fiction & Reservoir dogs, which were beautiful until they were drawn out, quoted and flogged to death by film students everywhere!), there is no such example of ingeniously witty barbs here. The exchanges between both groups of women were utterly inane. I want to choose my words artfully so I can fully demonstrate just how senseless and insignificant the banter was between the superficial women involved.

This wouldn't be such a problem if the film could rely on action scenes to carry you through, but sadly at least 75% of Death Proof is the vapid chit-chat. What a let down! I can't emphasise how close I was to just turning the film off as a result of its complete failure to entertain. It's the complete opposite of what I expected given Tarantino has been given an almost free licence to entertain with explicit violence!

The other 25% of the film was great. Intense car chases, crashes and smashes. The middle of the film presents a sickening scene of vehicular manslaughter that pretty much counts as the only piece of action in the first 90 or so minutes in the film. I was impressed with the way the second segment of the film ended and it was quite a refreshing twist, but other than that, my I.Q points were well and truly routed by the films empty dialogue.

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- Uma batida forte, por favor.

Posted : 1 year, 2 months ago on 14 August 2008 11:43 (A review of Death Proof)

O liquidificador Quentin Tarantino está de volta com mais uma fascinante obra do cinema norte-americano. Com "À Prova de Morte", seu mais novo filme, Tarantino mistura mais uma vez uma série de ingredientes da sua própria forma.

MULHERES
Ingrediente essencial para esta obra, as mulheres fazem bonito quando em cena. Batem em homens, andam de carro em alta velcidade, vão ao bar ouvir boa música e, claro, beber demasiadamente. Lindas e sexys, são filmadas em seus melhores ângulos pelo próprio Tarantino: bundas, seios e pernas. Verdadeiras gostosas.

CARROS & VELOCIDADE
Também indispensável, os carros estão sempre em cena. Lindos, coloridos, velozes e sem o menor medo. Comandando a fotografia, Tarantino assume com propriedade as câmeras e seus recursos para, da melhor forma, mostrar com maior realidade possível cenas de perseguições que, de fato, são de tirar o fôlego.

VIOLÊNCIA
Elemento principal dos filmes de Quentin Tarantino. Na mãos de Tarantino, a violência vira um show estupendo, de tão exagerado que chega ser cômico. Chega a ser engraçado um acidente de carro, uma perna ensanguentada voando após uma acidente, uma briga violenta e covarde no meio da estrada. Tarantino sabe muito bem bater e o mais importante, como e em quem bater.

REFERÊNCIAS
Cada detalhe deste filme tem um porquê.
1. A cena em que as garotas tomam café da manhã é uma recriação da mesma cena em "Cães de Aluguel", primeiro filme do diretor.
2. Em determinada cena a personagem de Mary Elizabeth Winstead diz "Vipers". Trata-se de uma referência ao Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, presente nos filmes "Kill Bill - Volume 1" e "Kill Bill - Volume 2".
3. Os policiais que vão para o hospital após Stuntman Mike bater seu carro pela 1ª vez são os mesmos que relatam a cena do massacre no casamento em "Kill Bill - Volume 1".
4. A placa do carro de Stuntman Mike é JJZ-109. Trata-se do mesmo número da placa do carro de Steven McQueen em "Bullitt", 1968.

“À prova de morte” tem tudo o que os fãs aprenderam a adorar e respeitar em Tarantino. Uma chuva de referências pop (“60 segundos é um clássico. Mas o original, não aquela bosta com a Angelina Jolie”). Trilha musical característica, com direito à jukebox pessoal do cineasta no bar da primeira metade do longa. Mulheres fodonas quebrando o pau em situações improváveis.

O grande barato de Tarantino é fazer do simples, algo além do esperado. E aqui faz-se com firmeza e muita destreza. Mais uma vez, com elementos da cultura pop e humor ácido e ágio, Quentin Tarantino nos serve mais uma delícia de obra-prima do cinema moderno.

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High octane fun

Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 24 January 2008 04:33 (A review of Death Proof)

Achieves what it sets out to do. Look at it as anything other than a Grindhouse B-Movie production and you're going to be disappointed. It was great to be reminded of movies like Vanishing Point, Russ Meyer's 'Supervixen's' amongst all the other numerous referenced within. Its no award winner but Death Proof has re-opened a door to a world of movies I need to re-watch. An ending this satisfying will be hard to find amongst them, even I am not that dumb to take on three women.

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Death Proof review

Posted : 1 year, 11 months ago on 7 December 2007 01:50 (A review of Death Proof)

The Good:

- Kurt Russel. He just eminates coolness. He looks better than ever too. Also his portrayal of the menacing antagonist is very convincing (until near the end of the movie).

- The music. A very fine and fitting selection as in all Tarantino movies.

- The cars. Beauties to behold. A Tarantino standard too.

The Bad:

- The performances of the female actors. Mediocre at best.

- The dialogues. Tarantino got that better (with Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction). If he wanted us to endure this tedious movie, he should have made the dialogues at least interesting or witty.

The Ugly:

- The story. Where is it? "Death Proof" is almost like a reality soap about three little red ridinghoods talking trash until the motiveless big bad wolf comes out of nowhere and devours them. I've seen more story in most slasher movies.

- Character development. Absolutely missing. Not only there is none of it, the characters also get out of role for no or very little reason (see the overacted part of Kurt Russel's supposedly cool character near the end). Also at no point in the movie you ever care about any of the characters. They live, they die? Who gives a damn. You just hope it all ends one way or the other.

- The ending. A huge disappointment. Absoultely unrealistic (if you can call anything in this movie realistic) and destroying any of the poor character development.

All in all Death Proof is a weak, outright boring movie that's undoubtedly stylish, but very empty.

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Grindhouse: Death Proof

Posted : 1 year, 11 months ago on 27 November 2007 01:45 (A review of Death Proof)

Death Proof was a little slow in the beginning, but it worked in the end for me. Tracie Thoms was funny, the acting was pretty good, the deaths were Mortal Kombat worthy, and the end was great! This film was uncredibly underrated, because it is definately worthy of purchase.

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another quentin classic

Posted : 2 years, 1 month ago on 21 September 2007 11:46 (A review of Death Proof)

Death Proof is the second half of Grindhouse the 2 movie feature that bombed (surprisingly ) in theaters. Death Proof stars Kurt Russell in his most badass role since John Carpenter's "Escape From New Tork".Russell plays stuntman mike a no nonsense no bullshit pychopath who kills people with his "Death Proof" car. the one thing that the this movie lacks is the story line. But, the suspense is very much there. with Zoe Bell hanging on top of the hood of a car in an 18 minute car chase.And the enoyable dialogue which is allways hullarious. kurt Russell's very good acting (in this movie) and plenty of good cameos "Death Proof" is sure to please all Tarrantino fans. co-stars Vannessa Ferlito,mary Elizabeth Winstead,Rose Mc Gowan, and Rosario Dawson.

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