Grindhouse is a damn good time, despite it's flaws

Rating: 8/10 (5 April 2007)

Grindhouse is a real pet project for directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. A throwback to the days of no holds barred, violent, harried exploitation films that played in rundown movie houses, Grindhouse proves to be a very fun and enthralling time at the movies. However, recreating and living up to the classic look and feel of the grindhouse movies of the heyday proves to the biggest challenge for the duo of filmmakers.
The film begins with Rodriguez at the wheel. His trailer for "Machete" is mad fun. Danny Trejo and Jeff Fahey as good guy and bad guy respectively complete with gunfire, bare breasts and Cheech Marin as a gun toting Priest make for a great faux trailer. However, the fact that it's too good and too slick takes it away from the grindhouse aesthetic. Later in the evening, you'll see more trailers: Edgar Wright's "Don't!" a 70s style British scare film, Rob Zombie's "Werewolf Women of the SS" complete with S&M Nazis and Nicholas Cage making a cameo as Fu Manchu. Also, you get Eli Roth's "Thanksgiving" a bloody slasher film covering the holiday that the genre previously missed. All the trailers are amusing, but Edgar Wright's and Eli Roth's come off as the most authentic and faithful to the grindhouse style of the 1970's.
The first feature is Rodriguez's "Planet Terror" a fairly standard zombie splatter fest that benefits with good casting and the feisty sexiness of Rose McGowan. The film is too big in scale to be truly grindhouse, but it's never boring and the gore effects prove to be quite creative.
The second film is Tarantino's "Death Proof" which takes the fast car stylings of "Vanishing Point" and "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" and puts it into the structure of a slasher film. The problem with this film is that Tarantino is so focused on his masterful dialog and tongue in cheek references that he seems to be forgetting that it's supposed to be a grindhouse outing. "Death Proof" has grindhouse ingredients (sexy girls, a retro 70s production design and soundtrack. Even the opening credits are a real hoot.) But it's beautiful widescreen photography and big scope brings it out of it's small inspiration. Grindhouse films were cheap, small, had no movie stars. Both "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof" take the grindhouse spirit in great stride, but amplify it to the Hollywood level. This creates a great conflict. Both films are too big and too elaborate to fit in the true grindhouse aesthetic.
But then again, does that really matter? What really matters is that "Grindhouse" is damn bloody wickedness. Both movies have moments that are shocking and transgressive. "Death Proof" has an extended car chase that is the most harrowing I've seen in years. The blood and titillation flow with great shameless glee. It's a rare treat to see two very talented filmmakers go nuts at the movie factory with a devil may care attitude. In the days of overpriced nights at the movies, "Grindhouse" is a cinematic kick in the crotch. Two movies that, despite flaws, are engaging, sexy, unapologetic, sometimes jaw dropping but never dull.