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==Cast==
==Cast==
*[[Kurt Russell]] as Stuntman Mike Mikke
*[[Kurt Russell]] as Stuntman Mike McCay
*[[Zoë Bell]] as Herself
*[[Zoë Bell]] as Herself
*[[Rosario Dawson]] as Abernathy Ross
*[[Rosario Dawson]] as Abernathy Ross

Revision as of 14:22, 1 December 2007

See also: Grindhouse (film) and Planet Terror
Death Proof
File:Death Proof (Netherlands).jpg
Grindhouse theatrical poster
Directed byQuentin Tarantino
Written byQuentin Tarantino
Produced byElizabeth Avellan
Erica Steinberg
Robert Rodriguez
Quentin Tarantino
StarringKurt Russell
Rosario Dawson
Vanessa Ferlito
Jordan Ladd
Sydney Poitier
Tracie Thoms
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Zoë Bell
Rose McGowan
Marley Shelton
CinematographyRobert Rodriguez
Quentin Tarantino
Edited bySally Menke
Distributed byDimension Films
The Weinstein Company
Release dates
April 6, 2007
Running time
114 min.
Country United States
LanguageEnglish

Death Proof is a 2007 film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, about a psychopathic stunt man who targets young women, murdering them with his "death proof" stunt car. The film, a tribute to the slasher film/serial killer genre, stars Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Sydney Poitier, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Zoë Bell and Rose McGowan. Death Proof was released theatrically in the United States as part of a double feature with Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror under the title Grindhouse in order to replicate the experience of viewing exploitation films in a "grindhouse" theater.

Grindhouse was released on April 6, 2007, ticket sales performed significantly below box office analysts' expectations despite strong critic reviews. In much of the rest of the world, each feature was released separately, with Death Proof screened in an extended version.[1][2] Two soundtracks were also released for the features and include music and audio snippets from the film. Death Proof was released separately in international theatrical markets, and on DVD in the United States on September 18 2007.

Plot

Three friends – Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito), Shanna (Jordan Ladd) and radio disc jockey "Jungle Julia" Lucai (Sydney Poitier) – are driving down Colorado Street in Austin, Texas to celebrate Jungle Julia's birthday, unknowingly followed by a man in a souped-up 1970 Chevy Nova. While drinking at Güero's Taco Bar, Jungle Julia reveals that she made a radio announcement earlier that morning, offering a free lap dance from Arlene to anyone who calls her Butterfly, buys her a drink and recites a segment of the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," much to the chagrin of Arlene.

As the night goes on, and the girls meet up with some boys at the Texas Chili Parlor, they run into Pam (Rose McGowan), a childhood adversary of Jungle Julia's, who is being studied by Stuntman Mike McKay (Kurt Russell), a scarred but charismatic stunt double for Hollywood action films, the first impression of Mike is that he is a nice, but slightly perverted man. He spends the night flirting with the women, working his way up to Arlene, who realizes that he's been following them all day but gives in to his charm. After giving Mike the free lap dance (a scene cut in the theatrical release, but present in the DVD), Arlene leaves with Jungle Julia, Shanna and their pot dealer, Lanna Frank (Monica Staggs).

File:McGowan and Russell in Death Proof.jpg
Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) offering Pam (Rose McGowan) a ride in his car, assuring her that it's “death proof”.

Mike offers Pam a ride in his car, assuring her that it's "death proof". Pam sits in a plexi-glass sealed passenger seat, with no seatbelt. In the car, he reveals himself to be a sadist, and begins to ride at extreme speeds and swerve the car around, thrashing Pam around the box. Pam is still alive, and pleads with Mike to let her out of the car, but Mike informs her that the car is only death proof for the driver. He then slams on the brake, causing her to smash her face on the dashboard, killing her. Mike then chases after the other four girls. Finding their car on an empty road, he speeds past them and spins his car around. He proceeds to race at the girl's car head on at full speed with his headlights off, and turns them back on at the last moment. Mike crashes into them, killing all of the women. Shanna is launched out the front windshield as a result of not wearing a seatbelt and gets hit by Stuntman Mike's vehicle head on, throwing her body upwards into the air and then violently landing on the pavement, Lanna Frank's chest is impaled by the steering wheel, Jungle Julia's leg is ripped off (earlier in the film it is hinted this may happen, because of all the shots of Jungle Julia's legs resting out the window) and Arlene's face is torn off by the front wheels of Mike's car. In the next scene at the hospital, we learn that Mike suffered only minor injuries. Because the girls were driving while intoxicated and Mike had not consumed any alcohol, he is cleared of all criminal charges, angering Texas Ranger Earl McGraw (Michael Parks), who knows the stuntman is guilty.

Fourteen months later, Lee Montgomery (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Abernathy Ross (Rosario Dawson), and Kim Mathis (Tracie Thoms) are traveling through Tennessee and stop at a convenience store where Mike has stationed himself. When Kim goes inside, Lee moves into the driver's seat and starts listening to her iPod with Abernathy still trying to sleep in the backseat. Mike then gets out of his car and begins playing with Abernathy's bare feet which are hanging out of the car window. When she wakes up, Mike pretends he bumped into her while looking for his car keys. He gets into his car and takes off. Abernathy goes into the convenience store to pick up the month's issue of Allure, which features Lee. Abernathy catches one last glimpse of Mike's car speeding off, which the other two don't notice, before the three depart.

The trio pick up their friend, stuntwoman Zoë Bell (played by herself), at the airport, who informs them she wants to test-drive a 1970 Dodge Challenger, the car from the film Vanishing Point. Later, she reveals her true motives: she wants to play a game called "Ship's Mast," in which she will hang onto the car's hood with two belts while someone else drives at high speeds. When the Girls reach the barn where the Dodge is being sold Kim reluctantly agrees help with the stunt and Abernathy tags along, while Lee finds herself left behind to placate the car's owner.

During this game, Mike arrives suddenly, and targets them with his 1969 Dodge Charger, repeatedly crashing into them, and eventually Zoë is thrown from the hood. Kim, who carries a gun for protection, shoots Mike in the arm, causing him to flee. Zoë, due to her training and agility, is unharmed except for a "bruise on her bum." The three girls decide to take revenge against their attacker, with Abernathy calmly saying they should "kill that bastard."

Stuntman Mike's injury forces him to stop and attempt to tend to his wound. In doing so, he releases his safety harness. Kim crashes into the back of his Charger and Zoë attacks him with a pipe, but Mike flees again without refastening his harness, thus nullifying much of the "death proof" aspect of his car. An extended chase scene follows; just when he thinks he has escaped, the pursuing vehicle blindsides him and he crashes to a stop, breaking his arm. Screaming in pain, he is hauled out of the car and the three women brutally punch him dozens of times. Stuntman Mike is knocked to the ground, and the women leap in celebration, caught in a midair freeze-frame as the film ends. As the film credits roll, the movie cuts back to the girls; Abernathy raises her leg and smashes Stuntman Mike's face with an axe kick.

Cast

Production

Directing

File:Quentin Tarantino directing Death Proof.jpg
Quentin Tarantino directs Death Proof

According to actress Marley Shelton, "(Rodriguez and Tarantino) really co-directed, at least Planet Terror. Quentin was on set a lot. He had notes and adjustments to our performances and he changed lines every once in a while. Of course, he always deferred to Robert on Planet Terror and vice versa for Death Proof. So it's really both of their brainchild."[3] Tarantino has stated "I can't imagine doing Grindhouse with any other director in the way me and Robert did it because I just had complete faith and trust in him. So much so that we didn't actually see each other's movie completed until three weeks before the film opened. It was as if we worked in little vacuums and cut our movies down, and then put them together and watched it all play, and then made a couple of little changes after that, and pretty much that was it."[4]

Casting

Many of the cast members had previously worked with one or both directors. Before appearing in Grindhouse, Shelton had auditioned for The Faculty, but Rodriguez chose not to cast her. She was eventually cast in the role of 'the customer' in the opening sequence of Sin City.[3] Rosario Dawson previously appeared in Sin City. Michael Parks reprises the role of Earl McGraw in Planet Terror and Death Proof. Parks first portrayed the role in From Dusk Till Dawn. His son, James, appears in Death Proof as Edgar McGraw, a character that first appeared in From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money. The first time the two characters appeared together was in Tarantino's Kill Bill.

Tarantino himself plays small roles in both segments of Grindhouse, and director Eli Roth, who contributed the fake trailer Thanksgiving and whose film Hostel was produced by Tarantino,[5] has a cameo in Death Proof.

Tarantino attempted to cast both Kal Penn[6] and Sylvester Stallone[7] in Death Proof, but both were unable to work due to prior commitments. In an interview, Tarantino revealed that he decided to cast Kurt Russell as the killer stunt driver because "for people of my generation, he's a true hero...but now, there's a whole audience out there that doesn't know what Kurt Russell can do. When I open the newspaper and see an ad that says 'Kurt Russell in Dreamer,' or 'Kurt Russell in Miracle,' I'm not disparaging these movies, but I'm thinking: When is Kurt Russell going to be a badass again?"[8] In actuality, Mickey Rourke was set to be the star of the film, but dropped out. There are even some early "Death Proof" poster pictures online with Mickey's name in the credits. Most notably, Zoë Bell, who is a lead in Quentin Tarantino's segment has worked with the director before playing Uma Thurman's stunt-double in Tarantino's film Kill Bill.

The rest of the actors have not appeared in a Robert Rodriguez film nor a Quentin Tarantino film.

Actress Tracie Thoms, who portrays Kim in Death Proof, won the role while auditioning with best friend Rosario Dawson. After auditioning and blowing Tarantino away with how well she worked with the dialogue given to her, Tarantino was quoted to saying, "She's the female Samuel L. Jackson. She says my dialogue as if she spoke it all the time."

Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who portrays the naive Lee Montgomery in Tarantino's segment had not worked with Tarantino before, but was a very big fan of his. "I love his movies," she was quoted on saying. "I couldn't be happier to be on board with Robert and Quentin on this project." When auditioning for the part of Lee, Tarantino claimed that she was perfect for the role. "I couldn't imagine anyone else playing the role. She made the character leap off the page. I didn't necessarily think of Lee as a strong colorful character until I saw Mary audition. She made my job a whole lot easier."

Actress Jordan Ladd, who portrays the fun-loving party gal Shanna 'Banana', had never worked with Tarantino before. Although, her very good friend and costar Eli Roth, who directed Ladd in the 2003 splatter-fest Cabin Fever, knew Tarantino previously and helped her meet him. After seeing her audition, Tarantino knew that she was the gal to play Shanna.

For the role of Jungle Julia Lucai, Tarantino went for actress Sydney Poitier, who had previously auditioned for the role of Vernita Green in Kill Bill. Although she did not get the part, Tarantino kept her in mind when he wrote the script. He knew that she was perfect for the role, and admired her passion with his dialogue. "She was just a very talented actress. Give her any dialogue, and she can make it happen," Tarantino exclaims.

Cinematography

Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino each acted as cinematographer on their segments. Although Rodriguez had previously worked as the cinematographer on six of his own feature films, Death Proof marked Tarantino's first credit as a cinematographer.[9][5]

Special effects

The film uses various unconventional techniques to make the films more like those that were shown in grindhouse theaters in the 1970s. Throughout both feature-length segments and the fake trailers, the film is intentionally damaged to make it look like many of the exploitation films of the 1970s which were generally shipped around from theater to theater and usually ended up in bad shape. To reproduce the look of damaged film reels in Planet Terror, five of the six 25,000 frame reels were edited with real film damage, plug-ins, and stock footage.[10]

Editing

During editing, Tarantino and Rodriguez came up with the idea of inserting "missing reels" into the film. "(Quentin) was about to show an Italian crime movie with Oliver Reed," Rodriguez recalls, "and he was saying, 'Oh, it's got a missing reel in it. But it's really interesting because after the missing reel, you don't know if he slept with a girl or he didn't because she says he did and he says that he didn't. It leaves you guessing, and the movie still works with 20 minutes gone out of it.' I thought, 'Oh, my God, that's what we've got to do. We've got to have a missing reel!' I'm going to use it in a way where it actually says 'missing reel' for 10 seconds, and then when we come back, you're arriving in the third act. [...] The late second acts in movies are usually the most predictable and the most boring, that's where the good guy really turns out to be the bad guy, and the bad guy is really good, and the couple becomes friends. Suddenly, though, in the third act, all bets are off and it's a whole new story anyway."[11]

On the editing of Death Proof, Tarantino stated "There is half-an-hour's difference between my Death Proof and what is playing in Grindhouse. [...] I was like a brutish American exploitation distributor who cut the movie down almost to the point of incoherence. I cut it down to the bone and took all the fat off it to see if it could still exist, and it worked."[4] An extended, 127-minute version of Death Proof was screened in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 60th Cannes Film Festival.[4][12][13][14] Tarantino is quoted as saying "It works great as a double feature, but I'm just as excited if not more excited about actually having the world see Death Proof unfiltered. [...] It will be the first time everyone sees Death Proof by itself, including me."[4]

Music

Cover of Death Proof soundtrack
Main article: Death Proof (soundtrack)

The soundtrack for Death Proof consists entirely of non-original music, including excerpts from the scores of other films. Soundtrack albums for both segments were released on April 3, 2007. A separate soundtrack for Planet Terror was also released. Both albums featured dialogue excerpts from the film.

Theatrical release

Internationally, Planet Terror and Death Proof were released as separate films, approximately two months apart.[15] According to the poster artwork for each film's release in the Netherlands, the fake trailers for Death Proof were directed by Rodriguez, while those for Planet Terror by Tarantino. No mention was made of the trailers by Roth, Wright, or Zombie.[16][17]

In the United Kingdom, Death Proof was released on September 21 2007 and in Australia on November 1 2007. The release of Planet Terror will follow at unspecified later dates.[18] Death Proof was screened in Europe in the extended version that was presented in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The additional material includes scenes that were replaced in the American theatrical release version with a "missing reel" title card, such as the lap dance scene. A total of 27 minutes were added for this version. One of the first screenings of Death Proof was made at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 20 August 2007, with star Zoë Bell attending the screenings.[19] Tarantino also screened Death Proof by itself at the Cinemanila Film Festival in The Philippines, and it is being released as a solo film in South Korea as well.

In reaction to the possibility of a split in a foreign release, Tarantino stated "Especially if they were dealing with non-English language countries, they don't really have this tradition ... not only do they not really know what a grind house is, they don't even have the double feature tradition. So you are kind of trying to teach us something else."[20] Many European fans see the split as an attempt to increase profits by forcing audiences to pay twice for a film that is shown as a single film in the United States.[21] A number of European fans of Tarantino have expressed their outrage in film forums and with online petitions, with some announcing they will boycott the films or possibly download them.[22]

DVD release

Death Proof was released on DVD in the United States on September 18, 2007,[23] with Planet Terror following on October 16, both films in two-disc special editions.[24] Best Buy also released exclusive steelbook copies of Death Proof, containing a bonus disc featuring the FX special Welcome to the Grindhouse. The Death Proof DVD includes the extended version of the film shown at Cannes and across Europe, documentaries on the casting of the film, the various muscle cars and Tarantino's relationship with editor Sally Menke, trailers, and an international poster gallery. The DVD packaging also includes a $5 discount coupon toward purchase of the Planet Terror DVD.[25]

References

  1. ^ "The Grindhouse Split". Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  2. ^ "Grindhouse News". ESplatter. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  3. ^ a b Spelling, Ian. "Doctor in the GRINDHOUSE". Fangoria. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
  4. ^ a b c d "Quentin Tarantino: I'm proud of my flop". Telegraph.co.uk. April 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Quentin Tarantino filmography". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  6. ^ Sciretta, Peter. "Did You Know: Kal Penn was cast in Tarantino's Grindhouse?". Ifilm. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
  7. ^ Sciretta, Peter. "Tarantino wanted Stallone for Grindhouse". Ifilm. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
  8. ^ Nashawaty, Chris (March 30, 2007), "Bloodbath and Beyond", Entertainment Weekly, pp. 27–30 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. ^ "Robert Rodriguez filmography". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  10. ^ "VFX World". Grindhouse: Pistol-Packing VFX. Retrieved April 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Cotton, Mike (April 4, 2007). "House Party". Wizard Universe. Retrieved 2007-04-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Director Tarantino in competition in Cannes". Yahoo. 2007-04-19.
  13. ^ "Death Proof". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
  14. ^ "Cannes Film Festival archives". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
  15. ^ "Alles Over Quentin Tarantino" (in Dutch). 2007-03-18. Retrieved 2007-03-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Dutch Death Proof poster art". Retrieved 2007-04-09.
  17. ^ "Dutch Planet Terror poster art". Retrieved 2007-04-09.
  18. ^ "Grindhouse Dismantled". 2007-04-30. Retrieved 2007-05-10.
  19. ^ McCarthy, Todd (May 22, 2007). "Review of Death Proof". Variety. Retrieved 2007-06-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  20. ^ "Rotten Tomatoes". Tarantino Chops Feature Length "Death Proof" For "Grindhouse". Retrieved April 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Zagt, Ab (2007-03-1). "De goedkope trucs van Tarantino" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2007-03-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "Geen double feature in Benelux (Reacties)" (in Dutch). 2007-03-02. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  23. ^ "ASIN: B000R7HY0K". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2007-06-10. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  24. ^ Gingold, Michael (July 3, 2007). "DVD Chopping List". Fangoria. Retrieved 2007-07-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  25. ^ Monfette, Christopher (July 26, 2007). "DVD SDCC: Grindhouse Gets Cut in Two". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)

Further reading

  • Tarantino, Quentin and Rodriguez, Robert. Grindhouse: The Sleaze-filled Saga of an Exploitation Double Feature. Weinstein Books, 2007. ISBN 1602860149. The book includes forewords by both directors, interviews, a history of grind houses, and behind-the-scenes information about the production of the film. In addition, the book also includes the complete scripts for Planet Terror and the faux trailers Machete and Thanksgiving.
  • Tarantino, Quentin. Death Proof: A Screenplay. Weinstein Books, 2007. ISBN 1602860092.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Death_Proof&oldid=175054557"