fun, if overlong, exercise in style

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2008)

Two masters of modern action cinema, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, have come up with a jim-dandy of an idea for their first collaborative movie-making effort, "Grindhouse." They have decided to make two '70-s-style exploitation pictures (the kind of movies on which these two directors were obviously weaned), package them into a double feature, then add a coming attractions trailer and a note from the theater management to make the "experience" complete (please note that this review is based on the split-DVD versions of the film, not the original theatrical release). Although the films are set in the present day, the directors have made them appear to be un-restored relics from three decades ago. The poor lighting, faded colors, missing frames and surface scratches all make the prints look very old and worn indeed. In fact, were it not for the cell phones and references to Chris Rock and Osama bin Laden contained in the film, one would swear Tarantino and Rodriguez had just found these long-neglected movies moldering away in some dusty vault somewhere, possibly on the lot of American International Pictures.
But beyond the obvious technical triumph, is there anything of substance to "Grindhouse"? Well, if by "substance," one means "food for thought," then the answer is probably no. But if there is intrinsic value to be had in simple camp and parody, then Tarantino and Rodriguez clearly deliver the goods. While both films suffer from over length and hit a point of diminishing returns before reaching their respective conclusions, "Grindhouse" provides entertainment in extremis for schlock-meisters everywhere.
The first up is "Planet Terror" (directed by Rodriguez), a cheesy zombie picture decked out with absurdly over-the-top action sequences and a great deal of good humor (it's amazing just how close some of this gets, in terms of storyline and detail, to the later "I Am Legend"). The large cast consists of Freddy Rodriguez ("Six Feet Under"), Josh Brolin ("No Country for Old Men"), Bruce Willis, Naveen Andrews ("Lost"), Rosa McGowan, and Harley Shelton, all of whom get into the spirit of the enterprise by ginning up their energy levels and playing their roles with deadpanned earnestness.
The second feature, "Death Proof," is considerably different in style from Rodriguez' entry, with Tarantino bringing his trademark mixture of snappy dialogue and graphic violence to the offbeat tale of a homicidal movie stuntman (Kurt Russell) who employs his souped-up, "death proof" car as a weapon of mass destruction. There are those who will find "Death Proof" to be too talky and slow-moving for their tastes, especially in contrast to the hyper-kinetic "Planet Terror," but Tarantino's more cerebral approach makes it possible for him to achieve a tone of genuine menace in the second half of the story. He also undercuts audience expectations by casually doing away with most of his main characters partway through the movie. Restless action movie aficionados should also note that all the talk is merely a lead up to a spectacular car chase sequence guaranteed to have them gripping the arms of their seats in excitement. An affectionate homage to all those car-demolition epics from the 1970's - "Vanishing Point," "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry," "Gone in 60 Seconds," etc. - that one scene alone is worth the price of admission. (Oddly, at about the midpoint of the movie, Tarantino suddenly drops the pseudo-'70's look in favor of a more contemporary style). Russell has a grand old time playing the grizzled serial killer, while Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Sydney Tamiia Porter, Tracie Thomas, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Zoe Bell and Marcy Harriell provide eye-candy aplenty as the various women and/or victims who come his way (though, why oh why does Tarantino keep insisting on casting himself in his own pictures?).
The faux-trailer that the directors have attached to the beginning of the movie (it's for a film called "Machete") comes about as close as possible to looking like the real thing, with one key exception: it features swear words and nudity, something that no coming-attractions trailer, to my knowledge at least, has ever done.
As a pastiche of raw-boned, off-Hollywood movie-making, "Grindhouse" is a mixed-bag of virtues and flaws, and it won't be everybody's cup of tea by any stretch of the imagination. But lovers of '70's movie schlock should have a decent enough time with it - provided they have the patience to sit through it that is.