“Grindhouse” (double feature) (The Weinstein Company)
“Planet Terror” (Director Robert Rodriguez)
(Out Of 5)
“Death Proof” (Director Quentin Tarantino)
(Out Of 5)
The only way to top the sex and violence of “Grindhouse” would be to get a stack of Playboys and a trunk full of guns.
Exploitation is a genre characterized by sensationalistic depictions of sexuality and violence. Grindhouse theaters would run double features of such B movies, providing hours of decidedly unwholesome entertainment for little money.
Writers and directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino have teamed up to bring back the grindhouse in their aptly titled latest collaboration, a pair of feature films.
The first of the two is “Planet Terror” ““ a gore-filled, action-packed masterpiece of cheesy filmmaking. When an illegal sale of military-grade chemical weapons goes awry, a ragtag group of survivors must unite to escape a town overrun with the infected.
Rodriguez’s segment is over the top in every respect, from the way gunshots seem to result in geysers of blood to the absurdity of the one-legged go-go dancer (not stripper).
This film is intentionally filled with half-baked and cliched subplots, such as the tough protagonist’s mysterious past and a torrid, extramarital lesbian affair. And even the smallest details will elicit laughs ““ from the inexplicably attractive sheriff’s deputy lurking in the background to the strategically placed “missing reel.”
The dialogue is hilarious and a danger to the lactose-intolerant. The violence is so absurd that it’s hard to be frightened, aside from the fate of a young child that makes people squirm uncomfortably in their seats.
But while “Planet Terror” alone is well-worth the price of admission, audiences may find that they wish “Grindhouse” had ended on such a high note.
Tarantino’s “Death Proof” is, by comparison, an exceedingly simple affair.
Without revealing what little plot there is, the second segment of the double-feature is inspired by the ’60s exploitation films that fetishized fast cars and tough chicks such as “Motor Psycho” and “Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!”
Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) is a psychotic serial killer of beautiful young women. Equipped with his specially modified “death proof” cars, he stalks his “girlfriends” before taking their lives with his souped-up car.
More than anything, “Death Proof” seems to be an ode to Zoe Bell. The well-established stunt double previously doubled for Uma Thurman in Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” and starred in “Double Dare,” a revealing documentary on stuntwomen.
Bell finally takes the spotlight by playing herself. Along with three friends, she’s taking a break from shooting their latest film only to come bumper-to-bumper with a madman.
“Death Proof” is exploitation in three acts. The first illustrates what Mike is capable of, the second puts the audience to sleep with dialogue markedly uncharacteristic of Tarantino, and the third is an incredibly satisfying action set piece that climaxes in an ending sure to get the audience cheering.
Bell is given ample opportunity to show the audience just how good at her job she is, while simultaneously turning in a solid performance ““ of admittedly dry dialogue ““ worthy of any professional actor.
Sadly, Tarantino’s directing is far superior to his writing in “Grindhouse.” Conversely, it seems Rodriguez made a much greater effort in “Planet Terror” to pay homage to B-movies in both his script and cinematography.
Filling out the roughly three-and-a-half hour running time of “Grindhouse” are fake trailers by the men behind “Cabin Fever,” “Shaun of the Dead” and “House of 1000 Corpses” that threaten to steal attention away from the main event. There’s just something priceless about Nicholas Cage as Fu Manchu.