“This car is 100% death proof, only to get the benefit of it,
honey; you really need to be sitting in my seat!”
It’s been two long non-violent years since either Robert Rodriguez or Quentin Tarantino has had a movie in theaters. Well, three if you don’t count Tarantino’s directing “cameo” in Sin City. In the time intervening, global bloodlust has risen to an all time high of 83%. Can Grindhouse bring us back down to a time when things were simpler? Can Rodriguez and Tarantino capture the greatness of the grindhouse movies that were cheaply made, violent, exploitive, sexy, and fun? In a word: Yes.
Starting with Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, the film immediately builds a quick pace with a convincing zombie plot and some extremely cool characters like El Wray (Freddy Rodriquez, no relation) and Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), the go-go dancer with an assault rifle for a leg. They’re former lovers who band together with a few survivors to find an antidote at the local army base.
Next up is Tarantino’s Death Proof, which reinvents the slasher genre to incorporate a high-speed muscle car in place of a knife. Stuntman Mike, Kurt Russell (Used Cars, Escape From New York), uses a supped up ’71 Chevy Nova to stalk a local DJ and her friends. Death Proof is more of a slow burn then Terror and its focus rests on dialogue and character more than action. But what action there is, is cool as heck. It’s been awhile since there’s been a car chase this well done without the use of CGI. Of the two, Planet Terror is the most fun to watch, but Death Proof actually works as a generally good movie in terms of story and character, so it’s a nice balance.
And let’s not forget about the killer fake trailers, which by themselves are worth the price of admission and at two minutes apiece, they’re way more fun than most of the other REAL movies out lately. First up is Machete by Rodriguez. Danny Trejo stars a man double crossed and left to dispatch the bad guys using only a motorcycle with a Gatling gun attached to it and, yes, dozens of machetes. Then Thanksgiving by Eli Roth is more of a parody of holiday themed slasher movies like Silent Night, Deadly Night. Remember “this Thanksgiving, white meat, dark meat, all will be carved.” From Edgar Wright (Shaun of The Dead) comes Don’t, possibly the first Britsplotation movie, “If you…are thinking…of seeing…this movie…don’t.” Finally there’s Rob Zombie’s Werewolf Women of the S.S. with Nicholas Cage as Fu Manchu. No further explanation necessary.
The film in general is pretty absurd, but that’s kinda of what makes it so awesome. This whole movie is a perfect example of ironic detachment, meaning that everyone involved and everyone watching knows just how stupid this all is, but that ultimately it doesn’t matter, it’s better just to go along for the ride. And why not it’s by far the most fun you’ll have at the movies this spring.
Telepathically to Tarantino: You guys did good with this, but enough with the gindhouse tributes (Kill Bill was one too), now can we see your World War II movie Inglorious Bastards?
(10/10)
See It If You Liked: Sin City, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn, Desperado, Once Upon a Time In Mexico, Reservoir Dogs, or True Romance.
Rated R for strong graphic bloody violence and gore, pervasive language, some sexuality, nudity and drug use.
