Death Proof (2007)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

People are voting emotionally.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This film is unusual and has the sorts of twists and suspense that is unique to Tarantino style!

***My review focuses on the movie itself&the characters(to a lesser extent),not the actors,directors,or any of that nonsense*** As a slasher movie fan,I found this movie was a slasher movie of a different kind&in less strict,looser definition of the term,as the weapon of choice is a car&not a butcher knife,or machete. Sure,it has it's slow moments,like any good movie should(all action all the time,is very often tedious,IMO)&the dialog was'nt too bad,interesting for the most part,just a bit too much of it,at times(Kims dialog was a bit overdone,for my taste. Funny,but a bit too overdone. Maybe it was meant to be that way,though.) Many say that the first half is the boring half of the movie,but the first half,is my favorite half,as you get to see the one&only murder done by Stuntman Mike,in the movie. And it is a good one,even if not typical. Plus,the first half,just seemed a bit more complex(to a small degree)&interesting,in a 'day in the life of',kind of way,like watching ordinary people go about their day&goof off.&have their idea of fun. Not that I did'nt thoroughly enjoy the ships mast chase. That WAS pretty badass. Others can poo-poo this movie,because it's 'old-school' style,but I happen to like it&I don't base my opinion,on other peoples opinions&reviews of it. To be completely honest,this is the closest thing to a 'chick flick',that I actually like. My only true gripe,is they killed off the killer&I would have liked a sequel(just one),to see more of Stuntman Mikes...'adventures',because though he's not a typical knife-wielding slasher(which I like),he was interesting. It's an unusual movie in ways&not a style of movie most 'movie snobs' are into,as they usually prefer more 'mainstream' stuff. I'd say give it an honest chance&maybe you'll enjoy it for what is,not for what it is'nt.

I absolutely HATE how Quentin Tarantino writes dialogue for his characters. Twenty-five years ago it was somewhat unique and fresh, but now it comes across as stylized and phony drivel. No one talks like that in real life or even in trash cinema! "Death Proof" was Tarantino's failed attempt to pay homage to the "trash" exploitation films of the late 60's and 70's. Muscle cars. Hot chicks. And a madman killer in a muscle car who likes to kill hot chicks. It has all three elements, but it gets all of the Tarantino signature "flourishes" which unfortunately means lots and lots and lots of lengthy "dialogues" in which its characters transform into motor-mouthed, foul-mouthed video-store nerds with an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure pop-culture. In other words, the characters all talk like Quentin Tarantino! It's just so phony and fake! It reeks of nerd-scriptwriter trying way too hard to impress his fan-base.What makes "Death Proof" almost unbearable is that Tarantino has his phony-sounding drivel coming out of the mouths of svelte, super-attractive young ladies. Yep, the pretty young women in this film are all spouting QT's patented, faux, tough-guy lingo with references to obscure muscle car movies that these actresses probably never heard of until they read QT's script. Also, the African-American actresses are saddled with QT's usual gratuitous use of the n-word and "ghettoized" dialects/mannerisms. (I imagine QT's direction to African-American actors and actresses being similar to that of the "black acting school" in Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle.") Why four stars? I can't stand Tarantino's fake sounding characters. However, the stunts were well done, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is smoking in that cheerleader outfit, and Kurt Russell is great as usual.

Plot: Two separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.I'll be honest, the first 47 minutes of this film were painful to watch to me, from the annoying characters, to the pacing, and the long takes of uninteresting conversations by these women in the first half. The one positive note I could say from those minutes was the performance of Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike who gives it his all and delivers a very good performance. This film really picks up when we're introduced to Zoë Bell, Rosario Dawson, Mary Elizabeth Winsted, and Tracie Thoms who were more interesting characters than the ones in the beginning, even though Zoë Bell plays herself, she actually managed to surprise me by being very good in this film. The only character of the 4 that I wish was written better was Tracie Thoms mostly because of how Tarantino writes the character not necessarily the actress who did the best that she could do.Overall, this is a decent film from Tarantino, it would've been great if he focused more on the characters from the second half than the first half. If you're a Tarantino fan and you haven't seen it, check it out it's worth a watch.