Death Proof

Quentin Tarantino could have provided a stunning audio commentary, because his verbal dexterity is permanently at full throttle and his enthusiasm contagious. He decides to be himself on the DVD extras, rather than a voice, which means no commentary but a series of presentations, introducing the stunt drivers, the cars, the gals, Kurt Russell and Zoe Bell, the Kiwi stunt lady, responsible for Uma Thurman’s swordplay in Kill Bill, who is given an acting role here.

What comes across loud and proud is Tarantino’s obsessive love of movies, especially the car chase epics of the Seventies and Eighties, and his determination to outthrill them all. He doesn’t mind failing, or hitting the ceiling of his talent, as long as he gives it his best shot – no matter what. Death Proof is not a serial killer shockfest, neither is it a Robert Rodriguez-styled Grindhouse murder weapon; it is essentially a car chase, enacted in the traditional way, using stuntmen rather than CGI.

As the writer/director, whose reputation as a maverick action junkie is uniquely his own, waxes lyrical about his team, which includes the best stunt artists in the business, it is obvious that everyone involved in the making of the film loved it and him. Tarantino’s passion for his work extends to those he calls his family. The atmosphere on the set and out on the road, where the dangerous stunts were executed for real, is good humoured, supportive and more entertaining than you can imagine. What the actors and crew appreciate most is Quentin’s appreciation. As Russell says at the end, “This has been a truly great experience.” And he plays the bad guy.