A Review of Grindhouse
By Don Evans

Ever wondered what you get when two film-obsessed directors work together? Welcome to the world of Grindhouse, a double feature from directors Quinton Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. The pair of directors, who previously collaborated on the 1996 film From Dusk Till’ Dawn, have both put together rather impressive resumes over the last 15 years. Tarantino and Rodriguez both claim to have been big fans of the exploitation films of the 1970’s and the early 1980’s to which Grindhouse pays tribute.

Grindhouse is one of the few films that actually deserves to be called “an experience”, because essentially that’s what the film really is. The film is actually two films that have been put together to form a double feature; in homage to the 1970’s ultra-violent “grindhouse” films that were typically played back-to-back at run-down theatres.

The first of the two films featured in Grindhouse is Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror. Planet Terror, which was heavily inspired by George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978), is “bad” film at its best. The film borrows many of its plot details and technical inspiration from the films that inspired it. To say that Planet Terror is a bad film would be a compliment to Rodriguez, who purposely inserts atrocious dialogue, as well as fake “missing reels”, film scratches, and outlandish situations to add to make the film feel like the films it so obviously is paying homage to. Planet Terror begins with the introduction of our heroine, Cherry (Rose McGowan). Cherry is a go-go dancer who, as the film opens, has just quit her job. At a local BBQ restaurant, Cherry runs into her ex-lover Wray (Freddy Rodriguez), who she hasn’t seen in a few years. After Wray offers Cherry a ride, the pair head off in Wray’s truck, but quickly are attacked by a pack of raging “infected people”. Wray quickly rushes Cherry to the nearest hospital, which we find is overcrowded with people that have come in contact with the “infected people”. At the hospital, characters from earlier in the film, Dr. William Block (Josh Brolin) and his wife Dr. Dakota Block (Marley Shelton), are reintroduced. Soon after Cherry’s arrival at the hospital, it breaks into complete chaos. Wray quickly comes to the rescue of Cherry, who has had her leg amputated, and in the process gives her a machine gun as a leg. They head to the BBQ restaurant, the same one from the film’s opening scene, for a place of refuge. There they encounter many of the people who they have previously come into contact with, including Dr. Dakota Block and J.T. (Jeff Fahey). This scene sets up an extremely satisfying ending, which focuses on the extermination of the “infected people”.

The second of the two films is Quinton Tarantino’s Death Proof. Death Proof is essentially a “violent chick flick”. The film begins with a group of girlfriends driving in Austin, Texas. The girls, headlined by radio star Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poitier), are having a lengthy conversation about their plans for that evening. The subtle brilliance of Tarantino’s dialogue makes what would otherwise be a boring scene into essential character development. The first half of Death Proof follows these three girls as they have a night on the town. Towards the end of the girls’ night, they have what will turn out to be a fatal encounter with Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), a washed up ex-stuntman. In the second half of Death Proof, another group of girls introduced. The girls (Rosario Dawson, Zoë Bell, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead) are in town to work on a film. Two of the girls have an obvious interest in vintage automobiles, particularly in 1970 Dodge Challengers. The girls answer a classified ad for a 1970 Dodge Challenger, in hopes to take the car for a test drive. What the girls don’t know however is that Stuntman Mike may have other plans. The last 15 minutes of the film feature what may become on of the quintessential car chase scenes of the decade.

Comparison between the two films is inevitable, so if I had to choose which of the two I preferred, I would have to go with Tarantino’s Death Proof due to its brilliant pacing and Tarantino’s dialogue. Death Proof works beyond its obvious purpose of being a homage to the 1970’s “grindhouse” films, and could’ve worked as a stand alone film.  Planet Terror however would probably not work as a stand alone film, despite the film’s comical dialogue and its comical situations.

Before Planet Terror, as well as between the two films, there are several faux trailers that were put together to add to the “grindhouse” effect. Various directors, including Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, and Edgar Wright, directed the faux trailers. Robert Rodriguez also directed the opening trailer, Machete, which he actually plans on making into a direct-to-DVD feature length film.

Like I stated earlier, Grindhouse is one of the few films that actually deserves to be called an experience. Planet Terror and Death Proof make for an interesting and enjoyable night at the movies.

All this being said, I have to warn potential viewers that the film features strong violence, strong sexual content, and strong language.

Moral Content Rating: * (out of four)
Film Quality Rating: B+ ***(out of four)