“Deathproof” Review
Here be spoilers.
I love the way at first you are horrified that the girls are being chased so relentlessly by Stuntman Mike and his “deathproof” car. But they survive, the feisty New Zealand girl seemingly completely unaffected by her lengthy and helpless near-death struggle, and then they become the predators. Their chase feels different, since you see the torment of Mike more clearly and frequently. When they finally catch him they take it far further than you feel comfortable, eventually killing him in a gang-like and brutal manner. At first you wanted them to chase him and make him pay for the way he tormented the girls and almost killed the Kiwi girl, but before long Tarantino has turned it around, the girls are evil, Mike just a playful moron. You can’t sympathise with any of them. In the end it was the “nice-girl” who delivered the fatal and gratuitous blow, making you wonder if anyone is ever really as nice as they seem on the surface. Nicely played Quentin.
Only Tarantino does this kind of film for me. Reams of interesting and unconventional dialog. Bags of cool, yet intelligent characters. Different motives. Different twists. Great cultural references.
Yet it’s not his best, and I was not especially wowed. I recommend it nonetheless 