IMDb > Death Proof (2007)
Death Proof
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Death Proof (2007) More at IMDbPro »

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Death Proof (2007) -- 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.
Death Proof (2007) -- MyMovies.Net - Clip - Scared (WMP)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   69,638 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 67% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Quentin Tarantino (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Grindhouse: Death Proof on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
31 May 2007 (Hungary) more
Genre:
Tagline:
A White-Hot Juggernaut At 200 Miles Per Hour! more
Plot:
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. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(256 articles)
Birthday Suits: Giant Sized Edition
 (From FilmExperience. 17 November 2009, 11:05 AM, PST)

Bad Boys Grow Up
 (From IFC. 17 November 2009, 6:00 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Remembrance cinema at its best! more (486 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Grindhouse Presents: Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (USA) (DVD title)
Grindhouse: Death Proof (International: English title)
Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (USA) (complete title)
Quentin Tarantino's Thunder Bolt (USA) (informal alternative title)
Quentin Tarantino's Thunder Bolt! (USA) (working title)
Thunder Bolt (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
114 min (international version) | Japan:113 min | USA:90 min (edited version)
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In the hospital scene, Texas Ranger McGraw refers to Stuntman Mike as Frankenstein. This is a reference to Death Race 2000 (1975), where David Carradine plays a character called Frankenstein. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Stuntman Mike is sitting at the bar there is a shot in which he is holding a tissue, in the next shot he is holding a glass, and then it cuts back to the tissue. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Arlene: [shouting to Jungle Julia] Hold on, I gotta come up! I gotta take the world's biggest fuckin' piss!
more
Movie Connections:
References White Line Fever (1975) more
Soundtrack:
Good Love, Bad Love more

FAQ

What happened to Lee?
Why did Stuntman Mike start off being such a bad-ass, but then turn into a crying coward at the end?
Wouldn't there be enough evidence to convict Stuntman Mike in the deaths of the first group of girls?
more
118 out of 207 people found the following comment useful.
Remembrance cinema at its best!, 14 January 2008
10/10
Author: Luke Bone from United Kingdom

This is an absolutely brilliant film and a film that I could watch over and over. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino this film seems to have divided audiences like no other, it has been adored and despised in many quarters and there seems to be no middle ground for opinion. It is cited, by Tarantino himself, as being a remembrance to the B movies of the 60s and 70s through the guise of Grindhouse cinema. In order to fully appreciate what Tarantino has done then I would agree that you must be at least familiar (on some level) with the films of that genre and era and familiar with Grindhouse cinema and its workings. It is not an absolute necessity to be fully aware of this type of film-making but it helps if you want to completely appreciate this film.

Grindhouse cinema was never revered in its day and many have questioned its reprisal. For an audience to require adequate knowledge of such a minnow in cinema history is regarded by many critics as asking too much and is adduced as being a major factor in its downfall. This is due to the belief that Tarantino has made a film for too niche a market, and as a consequence it should be of no surprise that it flopped at the box office. This is something that I whole heartedly disagree with because, to the contrary, I believe that Tarantino has made his most selfish film to date, he has made something that he wanted to... that no studio dictated... no executive planned and no audience asked for, this film is 100 percent his and it just so happens that not that many people like it, all great directors make films that fit into this category.

A major critique of Death Proof has been that it contains a lot of dialogue, but I feel that this should be expected as it is a remembrance to Grindhouse cinema and these types of movies are notorious for the amount of talk they can contain and the amount of "build up" they might have and Tarantino himself is recognised as being a writer that emphasises the dialogue in his films. Modern cinema goers are likely to not have the patience for such an offering and thus dismiss its significance and become agitated at a lack of "action" and this is evident from some of the reviews on this website.

The film is about two separate sets of voluptuous women who are stalked by a stuntman called Mike that uses his death proof cars to execute the women. The essence of the story at the heart of Death Proof is that it's impeccably nostalgic as it insinuates to the very essence of cult, it is a forged story because of its countless renditions and numerous re-tellings by the way of novels, films and tales. Being familiar with such a story allows for an ease in understanding and following of narrative – a common attribute in cult films. The voluptuous women, or female characters, in the film are all so similar in appearance yet all so different in disposition, because the film is essentially split into two parts we witness the floundering of one set of female characters and the resurgence in dominance of another. The female empowerment in Death Proof is symbolic to a desire for masculinity which is so wonderfully conveyed by their attempt in "taming" the car (I shouldn't need to mention what the car is symbolic of). It's often perceived that in these films masculinity must be achieved in order to succeed, which in itself is a direct reference to the inspired B movies of Russ Meyer.

On a personal level I was happy to watch a film that accomplishes its stunt work without any CGI and re-live many of the films I dismissed too eagerly in my youth. Being a homage the film is littered with references, the most notable of which being the casting of Kurt Russell – a deliberate nod to the master of cult (and horror) John Carpenter (the shirt worn by Jack Burton, from Big Trouble In Little China, is visible on the wall in the bar), The Dodge Challenger driven by Stuntman Mike has the plate numbers OA5599, which correspond to the white Dodge Challenger from the heavily referenced film Vanishing Point. The film also contains lots of Tarantino-esquire moments, from the copious amount of foot shots to re-appearance of Sheriff Earl McGraw, and there are some moments of pure Tarantino ingenuity i.e. the four-shot death scene, the reversed hospital set, the lap dance, the shot of the car in the rain, Stuntman Mikes nod to the third person and the wonderfully constructed soundtrack. Upon seeing Death Proof I immediately watched it again as I felt it deserved it. Enjoy.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Death Proof (2007)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
i had my leg out the car window the other day... daveybabey
Am I the ONLY guy on this planet who hated the second act but... b-havens
This movie sucks and its boring. alaindezwaan
For fans of the movie- what girl 'made' the movie for you? elevation_pressure
Swing and a Miss fredrickstafford
'Big Trouble In Little China' reference..... video78
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