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IMDbPro

Death Proof

  • 2007
  • R
  • 2h 7m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
298K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
806
49
Death Proof (2007)
Trailer for Death Proof
Play trailer1:09
5 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionThriller

Two separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.Two separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.Two separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.

  • Director
    • Quentin Tarantino
  • Writer
    • Quentin Tarantino
  • Stars
    • Kurt Russell
    • Zoë Bell
    • Rosario Dawson
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    298K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    806
    49
    • Director
      • Quentin Tarantino
    • Writer
      • Quentin Tarantino
    • Stars
      • Kurt Russell
      • Zoë Bell
      • Rosario Dawson
    • 764User reviews
    • 237Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 8 nominations

    Videos5

    Death Proof: Blu-Ray
    Trailer 1:09
    Watch Death Proof: Blu-Ray
    Death Proof
    Trailer 0:31
    Watch Death Proof
    How 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Connects the TarantinoVerse
    Clip 5:09
    Watch How 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Connects the TarantinoVerse
    25 Years After 'Pulp Fiction', Tarantino Delivers a 'Hollywood' Masterwork
    Clip 3:13
    Watch 25 Years After 'Pulp Fiction', Tarantino Delivers a 'Hollywood' Masterwork
    "The First" Cast Connections: Meet the Mars Mission's Crew
    Clip 3:57
    Watch "The First" Cast Connections: Meet the Mars Mission's Crew

    Photos301

    Rosario Dawson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Zoë Bell, and Tracie Thoms in Grindhouse (2007)
    Kurt Russell in Grindhouse (2007)
    Quentin Tarantino and Vanessa Ferlito in Grindhouse (2007)
    Michael Bacall, Jordan Ladd, and Sydney Tamiia Poitier in Grindhouse (2007)
    Quentin Tarantino in Grindhouse (2007)
    Kurt Russell in Grindhouse (2007)
    Kurt Russell in Grindhouse (2007)
    Quentin Tarantino, Rosario Dawson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Zoë Bell, and Tracie Thoms in Grindhouse (2007)
    Quentin Tarantino and Kurt Russell in Grindhouse (2007)
    Quentin Tarantino in Grindhouse (2007)
    Quentin Tarantino in Grindhouse (2007)
    Kurt Russell in Grindhouse (2007)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kurt Russell
    Kurt Russell
    • Stuntman Mike
    Zoë Bell
    Zoë Bell
    • Zoë Bell
    Rosario Dawson
    Rosario Dawson
    • Abernathy
    Vanessa Ferlito
    Vanessa Ferlito
    • Arlene
    Sydney Tamiia Poitier
    Sydney Tamiia Poitier
    • Jungle Julia
    • (as Sydney Poitier)
    Tracie Thoms
    Tracie Thoms
    • Kim
    Rose McGowan
    Rose McGowan
    • Pam
    Jordan Ladd
    Jordan Ladd
    • Shanna
    Mary Elizabeth Winstead
    Mary Elizabeth Winstead
    • Lee
    Quentin Tarantino
    Quentin Tarantino
    • Warren
    Marcy Harriell
    Marcy Harriell
    • Marcy
    Eli Roth
    Eli Roth
    • Dov
    Omar Doom
    Omar Doom
    • Nate
    Michael Bacall
    Michael Bacall
    • Omar
    Monica Staggs
    Monica Staggs
    • Lanna Frank
    Jonathan Loughran
    Jonathan Loughran
    • Jasper
    Marta Mendoza
    • Punky Bruiser
    Tim Murphy
    • Tim the Bartender
    • Director
      • Quentin Tarantino
    • Writer
      • Quentin Tarantino
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Tarantino came up with the idea of "Death Proof" when he was having a drunken hotel night with friend Sean Penn. Tarantino wanted to buy a Volvo because he "didn't want to die in some auto accident like the one in Pulp Fiction (1994)". In regards to the safety of the car, Sean Penn said, "Well, you could take any car and give it to a stunt team, and for $10,000 or $15,000, they can death-proof it for you." The "death proof" phrase had stuck to Tarantino after that.
    • Goofs
      As 'Death Proof' is an homage to the old, low-budget Grindhouse films of the 70's and 80's, there are many deliberate errors by the filmmaker to give an authentic Grindhouse feel.
    • Quotes

      Stuntman Mike: [Stuntman Mike and Pam are in his death-proof car, but Pam is in the passenger-seat which is in a crash-box] Well, Pam... Which way you going, left or right?

      Pam: [enthusiastic] Right!

      Stuntman Mike: Oh, that's too bad...

      [ominous sound effect]

      Pam: Why?

      Stuntman Mike: Because it was a 50-50 shot on whether you'd be going left or right. You see we're BOTH going left. You could have just as easily been going left, too. And if that was the case... It would have been a while before you started getting scared. But since you're going the other way, I'm afraid you're gonna have to start getting scared... immediately!

    • Crazy credits
      In the OPENING credits during the prologue driving sequence, after "Kurt Russell in" there is a quick ten-frame color animation of the title "Quentin Tarentino's Thunder Bolt" which cuts immediately to a simple grainy white-on-black title screen that says "Death Proof".
    • Alternate versions
      After Zoe flies off the hood, she walks back to the car and says, "Phew that was a close one". In the Unrated Extended version it then cuts right to her line, "So, where's the maniac?" In the U.S. Theatrical Double Feature version there's some extra lines of dialog in between: As Zoe notices that Abernathy and Kim have been crying she remarks, "You guys look like shit. Who died?" Abernathy then asks Zoe if she's okay, to which she replies, "Well, I'm gonna have a hell of a bruise on my bum, but aside from that I'll be sweet."
    • Connections
      Edited from Grindhouse (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Funky Fanfare
      Written by Keith Mansfield

      Courtesy of APM Music

    User reviews764

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Probably the most misunderstood film of this decade
    Given the vast majority of major criticisms levelled at this film, it would appear that a large percentage of the audience has completely missed the joke, or simply, didn't find it at all amusing. With Death Proof (2007), Tarantino creates such a loving homage to a notoriously cult cinematic sub-culture that many people seem unaware of how to approach it or even how to appreciate the sheer fact that the film purposely goes out of its way to ape the style of late 60's and early 70's exploitation cinema in look, feel and content. The film isn't meant to be taken entirely seriously, but rather, is a parody and/or pastiche of the kind of films that the vast majority of mainstream audiences simply wouldn't want to see. I'm talking about films such as Two-Thousand Maniacs (1964), Ride the Whirlwind (1965), Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966), Satan's Sadists (1968), The Big Bird Cage (1971), Boxcar Bertha (1972), Fight for Your Life (1977) or Satan's Cheerleaders (1977); low-budget films made with often-non-professional actors, little in the way of conventional film logic, and highly controversial in terms of plot, theme and content.

    It also sets out to pastiche the "grindhouse" cinema phenomena, with the original idea of two films being shown as a double feature at drive-in movie theatres from state to state, with both films often being re-cut and re-edited, not by the filmmakers, but by the theatre owners themselves. This is evident in the amusing switch in title; with the film opening with the caption 'Quentin Tarantino's Thunderbolt', before awkwardly cutting to an obviously out of place title card with 'Death Proof' crudely emblazoned across the screen. This is also the explanation for the purposeful mistakes in continuity, the sloppy editing and the switch between colour and black and white, as well as the façade of severely deteriorating film stock. It's not sloppy film-making, but rather, a purposeful appropriation of sloppy film-making geared towards appealing to the kind of obsessive movie aficionado who gets the references and can appreciate the joke that Tarantino is attempting to pull.

    With this in mind, it seems hard to understand what people are complaining about. Do audiences actual expect this film to keep them enthralled and entertained when the vast majority of them would balk at experiencing many of the low-budget, semi-obscure films that influenced it? Hardly! The accusation here that "nothing happens" is fascicle. The fact that there is film running through the camera is proof enough that something is happening, with the hilariously bland dialog deconstructing the film in much the same way as the purposely amateurish composition, editing and sound all intended to fracture the cinematic language in the same way that Godard did; by reminding the audience that this is the film and the point of the film is to experience the sights and sounds that unfold before us. Added to this the colourful iconography, the music, the characters, the girls in tight t-shirts, the for once entirely justified performance from the man himself, all reminding us that this is a joyous, darkly comic romp in which the point is not "why?" but "why not?".

    The effect is reminiscent of Kill Bill (2003), which at times felt superficial or perhaps even too knowing for its own good, but still demonstrated to us the filmmaker's great use of tone, texture, colour and movement, as well as turning many people on to a whole new world of cult Japanese cinema; from the works of highly individual filmmakers like Seijun Suzuki, Kinji Fukasaku and Takashi Miike, to cult performers like Sony Chiba. Death Proof attempts to do something similar with the likes of the American revisionist road movie, the B-cinema of Roger Corman and the femsploitation subgenre of films like The Big Bird Cage (1972), Caged Heat (1975), Day of the Woman (1978) and Ms. 45 (1981); a coolly ironic series of films in which wronged women take bloody revenge in an often elaborate and over the top style, chiefly intended to give a feminist slant to the still rampant degradation and misogyny prevalent in the exploitation genre.

    Other reference points are more obvious as they're mentioned explicitly in the film; notably car chase cinema such as Vanishing Point (1971), Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974), Gone in 60 Seconds (1974) and even Spielberg's Duel (1971). Some have complained that the film fails on account of its lack of action and emphasis on dialog and technique, but this seems churlish when you think of the films being referenced; with Vanishing Point featuring a number of cryptic, desert-set sequences in which characters talk and talk and talk, while Two-Lane Blacktop punctuates its scenes of hard driving and drag-racing with much in the way of meandering small-talk. Then we have the fact that films like Reservoir Dogs - which takes place almost entirely within a single setting - and Jackie Brown - which places emphasis entirely on character - use dialog to not only create the characters but to also tell the story.

    Regardless of this, Death Proof is meant as a piece of entertainment. There's no real desire here for Tarantino to prove what kind of filmmaker he is because he's already done that with the number of great films that came before. Sure, it can be seen as self-indulgent, but surely those of us familiar with the style of film-making being referenced here will revel in this particular kind of extravagance, loving everything from the continually inane female banter to the awesome scenes of high speed carnage. If you're not a fan cult cinema or exploitation cinema or indeed a devotee of Tarantino's work then this film really isn't going to impress you. There's no shame in that. Some films are made for a niche audience, destined to be a cult in their own right. However, for those who get it, Death Proof has the potential to be a truly exhilarating, one-off piece of film-making.
    helpful•727
    249
    • ThreeSadTigers
    • Mar 12, 2008

    FAQ15

    • Why were the cop and the doctor arguing in the hospital after the big crash?
    • Whose feet do we see during the opening credits?
    • What are the muscle cars in the movie?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 31, 2007 (Hungary)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Grindhouse Presents: Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof
    • Filming locations
      • Texas Chili Parlor - 1409 Lavaca St, Austin, Texas, USA
    • Production companies
      • Dimension Films
      • Troublemaker Studios
      • Rodriguez International Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $31,126,421
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      2 hours 7 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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