Review By James L. Seagraves
Ever since I became interested in film, which was probably around 1996 or so, I have always been a huge fan of Quentin Tarentino’s work. From True Romance and Reservoir Dogs all the way up until Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2, I don’t believe he has ever made a bad movie. Being a huge film buff, I also am familiar and appreciate the old-school slasher/exploitation movies of the mid to late seventies, which unfortunately I haven’t seen too many of the true classics, as I am only 25 years old, thus being too young to go and experience these masterpieces in theaters, and most of them have never been transferred to DVD. So when I heard about Tarentino and Robert Rodriguez’s idea for Grindhouse: a throwback to 70s-era exploitation movies, I knew I would be in for a treat.
Unfortunately, just as I couldn’t go see the movies they pay homage to in these films, I couldn’t go see Grindhouse at the theater either, which really angered me. I had a newborn baby at the time of the release, coupled with the fact that my lame city only had Grindhouse in the theaters for ONE week, meant I missed out on one of my most anticipated nights at the movies ever! Well, behind the Star Wars rerelease and Episode 1, but we all know how that one turned out.
Anyway, so I would have to wait for the DVD to come out in order to view Quentin’s latest work. Having the two movies come out on DVD seperatly was good I think, because I could spend quality time with each movie. First up, released on DVD on September 18th, 2007: Grindhouse.
Grindhouse is, in it’s purest form, an homage to classic 70s exploitation. It features established Hollywood stars such as Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, and Rose McGowan, but it also features a very strong cast of up and coming actresses like Mary Elizabeth Windstead (Black Christmas), Vanessa Ferlito (TV’s 24), and the extremely beautiful Sidney Tamiia Poiter (TV’s Joan of Arcadia, etc.).
Kurt Russell plays “Stuntman Mike,” a Hollywood Stunt Driver who drives a modified stunt car which he claims to be “death proof.” Russell was the perfect cast as stuntman Mike, his mannerisms, voice, and just overall creepiness are top-notch for the role.
The girls in the movie do an exceptional job delivering Tarentino’s finely-crafted dialogue, which some reviewers out there I have read have had a problem with the fact that there’s just too much of. Not me. I’ve had to sit through horrendous movies like National Lampoon’s Pledge This, The Marine, and many other crapola movies, so when I get the rare chance to listen to an intelligent and well-crafted script, I appreciate every last word of it.
Sidney Poitier as “Jungle Julia”
In particular, I was impressed by Poitier, Ferlito, and Windstead. Poitier plays “Jungle Julia,” Austin, Texas’ local disc-jockey. She’s cool and collected, and amazingly easy on the eyes. Her performance loosely reminds me of a collaboration of former Tarentino vixen Uma Thurman’s roles, but nevertheless, I couldn’t watch the screen and not be in awe of Poitier’s beauty.
Ferlito turns in a great performance as well, and she is responsible for what I believe to be the second best scene in the movie…but you’ll have to watch and see it for yourself.
While some people may have a problem with this film being “too wordy,” one thing that every critic I’ve read has said is that the film’s action sequences are “top-notch.” I couldn’t agree more. Even though it may take awhile to get from one action sequence to another, when they finally arrive, they’re brilliant.
Overall, I’d say that “Deathproof” is probably Tarentino’s weakest outing in terms of a film, but we’re talking about some of Hollywood’s most prized pieces of work in his filmography. I defineatly appreciated the overall tone and feel of this movie, and in THAT regard, I give this film a definite five star rating. In terms of overall movie, however, I’m going to give “Deathproof” a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
