“Death Proof,” a project from writer/director Quentin Tarantino, initially appeared as the second half of a paired presentation called “Grindhouse” back in 2007. The other film was Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror.” These were individual stories with a loose connection and designed to evoke the feel of seeing double features at older movie theaters during the mid-to-late sixties and seventies, complete with deliberately damaged prints and fake advertisements for films like “Machete.” The story centers on a disgruntled stuntman (Kurt Russell) who has a disturbing fixation on killing young women he deems unworthy using his specially modified cars—but only from the driver’s seat. It combines elements of "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” (1965), “Village of the Giants” (1965), and “Vanishing Point” (1971), but with a contemporary feel and Tarantino's distinctive filmmaking style. The initial portion is quite enjoyable, beginning with “The Last Race,” an instrumental track by Jack Nitzsche that was also used in "Village of the Giants.” However, the movie suffers from excessive dialogue among the female characters. This pointless rambling becomes overwhelming in the second half, especially scenes featuring Zoe Bell, Tracie Thoms and Rosario Dawson. Ultimately, audiences are treated to a suspenseful car chase set in what’s meant to be Tennessee but looks more like Southern California. Russell's character is strangely appealing, and the film benefits from his presence. There are eight female performers portraying mostly unsophisticated women (though fortunately not all of them), and four—Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rose McGowan, Vanessa Ferlito, and Sydney Tamiia Poitier (Sidney’s daughter)—may be attractive depending on individual preferences. The movie has a running time of 1 hour, 53 minutes and was filmed in Austin, Texas, and Buellton, California. GRADE: C+/B-

Source on TMDB