The film stumbles at times, never quite finding the same stride as the director’s previous efforts.
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While "Death Proof" comes complete with a spiffy two disc release, it´s absent of the luster that the initial b-movie experience delivered. Split form Robert Rodriguez´s "Planet Terror" and the various trailers that were shot exclusively for the Grindhouse experience, "Death Proof" seems a bit lonely here. Tarantino mines his knowledge of b-movies and car chase films for this go around and essentially delivers a b-movie with one of the best car chase scenes put to celluloid since Steve McQueen graced the silver screen.
The movie kicks off with Jungle Julia (Sydney Poitier) a radio DJ, and her various cohorts which include, Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito) and Shanna (Jordan Ladd), who hook up for a night of bar hoping before Arlene heads out of town. They eventually end up at a bar owned by a guy named Warren (Quentin Tarantino) and find themselves flirting with a few of the locals. But as luck would have it, the girls are being followed by a guy who calls himself Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), who just so happens to be chatting up another local by the name of Pam (Rose McGowan).
The plot spends plenty of time with the girls, giving us a go around with gals so that our sympathies are with them the whole way through. Poitier has the great opportunity of filling in for Tarantino as the verbose disc jockey, who espouses knowledge about music and life like it was going out of style. Her task is an arduous one and at times she stumbles, but Poitier graciously steps up to the plate and swings for the fences. To say the least, she handles the dialogue and character quite well. Ferlito also gives a sexy, understated spin as Arlene. Still it´s Russell who shines brightest (in both segments of the film), channeling an inner devilish glee that comes with the aged stuntman´s charismatic bravado.
The second half of the film gives us less time with the gals but way more time with the stunts. We move to a different set of girls, this time a group of actresses filming a movie: Kim (Tracie Thoms), Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), Lee (Mary Elisabeth Winstead) and Zoe Bell, as herself. When we first meet them, they´re bonding over food, boys and car chase movies (as is typical for most women). A few moments later they´re on their way to look at a car for sale, a 1970 Dodge Challenger (just like the one in Vanishing Point). They convince the owner to let them take the car for a spin, mostly to satisfy Zoe´s desire to ride on the hood at top speeds. Mike isn´t too far behind and what unravels next is an adrenaline fueled race through country roads that easily makes the film worth viewing.
Video
"Death Proof" is presented in a 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The fake grain and damage given to the film is still present giving it that old, worn out feel. This is mostly present in the first half of the film and virtually absent from the film´s second half. Despite these effects, the film´s transfer holds up very nicely. Colors are strong, with solid black level through out. The image is fairly crisp and clean, even with the added flaws.
