Homage to the cheapie-quickies works for the most part...

Rating: 7/10 (7 April 2007)

...but something tells me that after opening weekend, "Grindhouse" is going to trail off fast and end up only being the cult movie it wants to be with the fan base it aims at for the brain shot. General audiences will steer clear once they've realized how high the geek factor is in this splatter-fest of a tribute to the sort of garbage many of us enjoyed back in the 60s and 70s. More's the pity that "Grindhouse" won't get all that much exposure in that most suitable of venues: the drive-in. Maybe it'll hit that circuit this summer, maybe not.
No matter. If you're a fan of the genre that Quentin "I'm so famous you only have to say my given name" Tarantino and Robert "El Mariachi" Rodriguez lovingly both reproduce and subtly mock, then "Grindhouse" is a must-see. It has pretty much everything you could want or expect in an exploitation flick: beautiful women, car chases, car crashes, zombies, Grand Guignol humor, plot lapses, grainy film stock and scratchy prints, outrageous splatter fx, "prevues of coming attractions", a scattering of cult actors and a soundtrack worth listening to. You can't go wrong with that, no way.
"Grindhouse" is a double-feature action/horror extravaganza, replete with bogus trailers by the likes of Rob "The Devil's Rejects" Zombie, Eli "Hostel" Roth, and Edgar "Shaun of the Dead" Wright. Rodriguez handles the writing, directing, and lensing chores for both the opening fake trailer ("Machete," starring Rodriguez' ubiquitous cousin, Danny "Runaway Train" Trejo, who I'm sorry to say is beginning to look every bit of his age) as well as the first feature, "Planet Terror," a no-holds-barred send-up of every two-bit zombie movie you've ever seen. Tarantino weighs in with "Death Proof," a vengeance flick full of adrenalized car stunts that even features a real-life stuntwoman as one of the leads, along with his trademark ration of tangential chatter written in multi-clause mouthfuls. Rodriguez' half comes off a little more entertaining, although Tarantino's finishes with a better bang. I left the theater pretty much sated, although I'll agree with other commentators that more nudity would have been truer to the genre.
Within the context of what two very popular auteurs have tried to achieve, "Grindhouse" offers little to criticize, but if you're not a fan of the genre, there will also be little for you to enjoy. Me, I had a great time, and can't wait for what I trust will be an extras-packed DVD down the road.
Second-viewing addendum (revised): I'm rather irked at the DVD release schedule for the film. It's now split into two movies, each being an extended version. I've picked up "Death Proof," and although I enjoyed the various extra features immensely (Zoe Bell, will you marry me?), I thought the film was better in its short version presented in "Grindhouse." Tarantino was wise to cut his scenes out of the theatrical release, along with other extraneous bits. Now, if only Rodriguez had been smart enough to cut Tarantino out of "Planet Terror"... Of course, as always, your mileage may vary.