Today is the 54th. birthday for Mr. Quentin Tarantino, and I want to take a chance on the date and, since next April 7th will be the 10th anniversary for his "Death Proof" movie, I made an review on that flick, ten years after.
Traditionally, "Death Proof" is often thought to be Tarantino's weakest movie, a point of view shared by Tarantino himself.
And that’s probably true though personally I think it comes close with "Jackie Brown", flick I found tedious, boring and completely irrelevant to the point of having to see again to remember what it was. "Brown" may be better, technically speaking, than "Proof", but the latter is unforgettable.
The film exploits some of the traditional identity feats in the filmography of its director: the division in episodes, in this occasion two parts; the use of old, vintage songs; an aesthetic that usually refers to the cinema of the 60's and 70's and that honors B-movies; and what is universally regarded as his strongest feat: the development of long dialogues between the characters, but that in “Proof” fails miserably, especially the dialogue at the beginning of the first part, which is boring, bland, excessively long.
The protagonist, psychopath Stuntman Mike McKay, played by an always correct Kurt Russell, somehow does not feel like the threat that must represent for the four girls that he lurks in the first part. Just a few interactions with Rose McGowan and with an otherwise excellent Vanessa Ferlito, whom Tarantino uses as his sex symbol (despite not being a skinny actress -McGowan!-, and perhaps that is the explanation why Ferlito haven’t have fared well in her career so far) do something to redeem the character, who is hidden behind a facade of a harmless guy, perhaps too effectively.
That first half, developed in Austin, Texas, is to blame for sinking the movie, even though the accident scene is pure cinematographic enjoyment: crude, gory, detailed, with a Tarantino that for the first time in this film is exhibited in full power.
The second half is staged in Lebanon, Tennessee, more than a year after the prior events, and, again, a group of girls, including a Zoë Bell that plays herself and the always excellent Rosario Dawson. However this time the whole setting is more interesting and one can feel more related with the characters.
The story might have been interesting, but Tarantino's eagerness to make an exploit in shape got in the way, failing to develop backstories for almost every character, and we only came to explore Bell and Jungle Julia with some depth.
Even then, and despite its many flaws, it is an important turning point in Quentin Tarantino’s career as it is the setting point for him to turn wishfuk thinking into movie plots: killing Hitler with "Inglorious Basterds", killing racist plantation owners in "Django Unchained”, or pretty girls becoming the victims to kill the evil murderer, like here. In that sense, the plot twist is actually a welcomed breath of fresh air out of the typical sexy girl in horror movies who only serve to display boobies on screen and to be killed.