Death Proof

Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown have convinced me of the talents of Quentin Tarantino (I still have to see Kill Bill, which I'm planning to see as a marathon, but I haven't found time yet to do so...), so it was with high expectations that I went to see Death Proof in my local cinema this week.

Granted, it ain't the big blow-you-right-out-your-chair as was Pulp Fiction, and the plot line is far from well-devised as was Jackie Brown's, but some typical Tarantino features receive a check-in-the-box : the music (it's cool, some long forgotten or even unknown past tunes that go very well with the atmosphere of the movie, its essential part of the whole experience,... yep, all there !), the dialogues, the action. The dialogues have received a bigger part in the whole movie, sometimes too big a part I must say. There's only so much coolness in talking about French hamburgers, and here Tarantino has crossed the line... The action scenes however (those car chases, those other car scenes : wow !) are what you would wanna go and see the movie for : they're breath-taking.

I also love the acting of Kurt Russell, who plays Stuntman Mike. He breathes danger, and every inch of his face warns you of hell around the corner...


You could say this movie has 2 parts. The first part is set in Austin, Texas and although it has a slow start, once Russell appears, there's enough suspense to get you going. In this part we see Tarantino playing the bartender Warren himself. He's not an unforgettable actor, and here he's not even half as good as he was in Pulp Fiction or in From Dusk Till Dawn.
You gotta love the lapdance scene however : it's all you'd expect from Quentin Tarantino. He takes enough time to let the whole scene build up to the sensual thing it's supposed to be, the music is right-on and serves the scene very well and the camera seems to be everywhere, showing you above, under, left, right, front ànd back ! You get dragged into it all the way... Too bad the first part of the movie ends with the rather pointless dialogue between the sheriff and his deputy (I think), which gives you little information, and which I think could have been left out or replaced with something shorter and more to-the-point...

The second part of the movie is set in Lebanon, Tennessee and now we find 4 other chicks that cross the path of Stuntman Mike. The twist of the story (after a very long fastfood restaurant dialogue, once again way too long...) succeeds in pulling you right into it, and this is where the action gets really serious. The pace is very well this time, and you are taken by surprise to hit "The end" suddenly... Luckily, we are being treated once more with a very fine tune (a Serge Gainsbourg cover/adaptation by April March) that gets stuck inside your head for the next two days (at least...)

I enjoyed the movie, and I wouldn't mind seeing it twice...

For my review in Dutch, go here...