Review - Grindhouse

"Grindhouse" is a throwback to the old 1970's double-feature exploitation films, which reveled in excessive blood, gore, violence and nudity. Two of Hollywood's most notable rebel directors - Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino - each helm a movie. Directors Eli Roth, Edgar Wright, and Rob Zombie all contribute with a fake movie trailer.
Part one of the double feature is "Planet Terror". A biological weapon unleashed is turning ordinary people into flesh-eating zombies...and a handful of heavily armed survivors must fight them off. Included in this gang of warriors is El Wray (who never misses what he shoots at), Sheriff Hague (who is preoccupied with stealing his brother's barbeque recipe), and Cherry Darling (an ex go-go dancer with a list of useless talents).
Part two is "Death Proof". A group of young women out for a night on the town in Austin, Texas are pursued by Stuntman Mike...a movie stuntman in a tricked-out muscle car. His car is "death proof"...heavily modified by stunt standards to survive unbelievable crashes. He rides around, looking for victims...until one group of women decides to fight back.
"Grindhouse" is not your typical film. The movie has a grainy, beat-up look and feel to it. Add in the old-school special effects (including some of the old-fashioned fake blood), "missing reels" (parts of the movie seemed to have been intentionally left out), and cheesy trailers and credits...and it gives the impression of being a lot older than it really is.
As far as the actual movies themselves..."Planet Terror" wasn't bad. It reminded me a lot of "Dawn Of The Dead", just with more survivors. There are some great gunfights in here, and some pretty amusing lines between various characters. Rose McGowan absolutely steals this movie as Cherry Darling.
"Death Proof" is Tarantino stamped, through and through. There are several cases of characters having quirky conversations and the usual vintage soundtrack. Unlike "Terror", which dives head-first into the blood pool..."Death Proof" takes its time in getting to the gore. And compared to "Terror", there is relatively little. But it does give you one of the best car chase scenes in recent movie history. Kurt Russell gives an interesting turn as the bad guy for a change...and Stuntman Mike could be one of the most creative killers ever on the screen.
All in all..."Grindhouse" is a little on the long side. It would have been interesting to see what they could have done with "Planet Terror" in a typical movie setting...and "Death Proof" takes a little too long to get to the chase (no pun intended). But...as long as you don't set your expectations too high..."Grindhouse" does not disappoint.
Starring - Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell, Michael Biehn, Rosario Dawson, Josh Brolin, Jeff Fahey, Vanessa Ferlito, Stacy Ferguson, Freddy Rodriguez, and Bruce Willis. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.
Time - 3 hours, 11 minutes. Rated - R (Violence/gore, language, adult situations, brief nudity)