DVD of the Week: Death Proof

It's a shame that the Rodriguez/Tarantino retro camp doublefeature Grindhouse will probably never make it to DVD in its original, 3 hour theatrical format. In theaters, it was more than even just two films. It was a time warp movie experience unlike anything ever released before, complete with fictitious "management" slides and faux trailers. If there's any benefit to the DVD split, though, it's that Tarantino's Death Proof now stands a chance at getting the respect it deserves. When placed after Robert Rodriguez's more outrageous and honest-to-goodness fun action flick Planet Terror (complete with Rose McGowan's now iconic machine gun appendage wearing stripper, Cherry) it felt like slow moving dud, especially since it didn't even begin to roll until almost 90 minutes into the "Grindhouse experience." As its own, separate feature Tarantino's more slow building, dialogue heavy film will hopefully not be seen as nothing more than a lethargic second course. It's the best, most adrenaline pumping chase film in years with great performances by a string of truly talented female actresses (Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Tracie Thoms, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Mary-Elizabeth Winstead, Rose McGowan, and the truly unbelievable Zoe Bell doing real-life bone chilling stunt work) and a great, mustache twirling villainous turn by Kurt Russell as an evil stunt man who gets his jollies torturing poor girls with his "death proof" car. This is just a juicy, intense, and gleefully brutal chase/revenge flick that's leagues beyond the less addictive, sanitized special effects film of the modern action genre.