Quentin Tarantino’s movies are often controversial due to the amount of violence and blood in them, but one, in particular, wasn’t as popular as the rest – but it still marked a different career first for Tarantino that made the movie better. After exploring the genre of martial arts with both parts ofKill Bill, Tarantino decided to pay a visit to the slasher genre withDeath Proof. In 2007, Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez joined forces inGrindhouse, a double feature project with various short films, Rodriguez’s horror moviePlanet Terror, and Tarantino’sDeath Proof.
Death Prooffollows Stuntman Mike (Russell Crowe), who goes around bars to bring women to his “death-proof” car – however, once inside, he reveals the car is only death-proof for him, and uses it to kill the women in the passenger’s seat. One day, he follows three women with the intention of killing them, but they are a lot smarter and braver than he anticipated.Death Proofis the movie directed by Tarantino withthe lowest critics' score onRotten Tomatoeswith 64%, but even though this was a career first,Death Proofmarked another big and better first.
Death Proof Is Quentin Tarantino’s First Credit As Cinematographer
Quentin Tarantino has excelled as a director and writer, writing all of his movies, and he has also produced some of his movies and those of other filmmakers. Tarantino even has various acting credits in his career, with minor appearances in some of his movies and proper roles in movies by other directors, most notably Richie Gecko inFrom Dusk till Dawn, written by him but directed by Robert Rodriguez. What Tarantino hadn’t explored was the role of cinematographer, but that changed withDeath Proof.
Every Quentin Tarantino Cameo In His Own Movies (& Where To Spot Them)
Quentin Tarantino has either played a character or lent his voice to an off-screen presence in almost every movie he has made. Let’s take a look.
Death Proofis Tarantino’s first and so far only credit as a cinematographer, and being in charge of that was key to the movie’s specific style. As part of theGrindhouseproject, Tarantino wantedDeath Proofto have the visual style of the movies shown in grindhouse theaters in the 1970s.The point was forDeath Proofto look like the exploitation movies of that decade, which had a “cheap” and “damaged” style and abrupt cuts in some parts.
The film was intentionally damaged and the jump-cuts were also intentional.
By serving as cinematographer, Tarantino made sure thatDeath Proofhad the visual style he was looking for, and though the movie had many flaws, it definitely achieved the desired look. For this, the film was intentionally damaged and the jump-cuts were also intentional, including the one at the beginning showing a different title before the real one appeared.
Why Death Proof Is Quentin Tarantino’s Lowest-Rated Movie On Rotten Tomatoes
Although it doesn’t have a “rotten” score onRotten Tomatoes, so farDeath Proofis the lowest-rated ofall movies directed by Tarantino. Despite achieving the grindhouse look,Death Proofchanged its visual style in its second part, and these inconsistencies weren’t well-received by critics.The pacing ofDeath Proofis also different from the rest of Tarantino’s movies, leading critics to call it “tedious”. The dialogue inDeath Proofwas also criticized, with critics saying Tarantino can’t write dialogue for female characters.
10 Reasons Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof Is His Biggest Failure
Quentin Tarantino’s weakest movie is Death Proof, his only horror movie to date, and there are different reasons why it didn’t succeed.
Most critics found that Tarantino’s style and the slasher genre don’t quite mix, while others found this combination to be interesting and entertaining.Death Proofis also Quentin Tarantino’s most divisive movie to date, but not even all its flaws can take away its importance as Tarantino’s first movie as a cinematographer.
Death Proof
Mike McKay, a Hollywood stuntman, murders young women via “stunts” he performs with his vehicles — but he makes a mistake when he targets another stunt performer.
