Grindhouse Death Proof Movie
This film is a true anomaly in the career of Quentin Tarantino -- a box office failure that Quentin made between Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds, both of which were financial smashes. It is a dual effort on the part of Tarantino and his buddy and collaborator Robert Rodriguez -- a kind of slasher flick that seems more indulgent than vitally necessary to the career of either director. Grindhouse is also strange in that it was hailed by critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports an 89% positive reaction among critics. Usually, Tarantino's critical hits are also financial ones, but Grindhouse is Tarantino's (and Rodriguez') worst performances yet at the cinema.
Grindhouse Presents Death Proof
I don't want to talk too much about the infamous "fake trailers" and fake commercials that were incorporated as part of the "Grindhouse presents Death Proof" marketing campaign. Eli Roth, Rob Zombie, and Edgar Wright filmed some silly fake trailers for over the top action movies, and a fake ad for a restaurant (called Acuna Brothers) slowed the movie down even more, if such a thing is possible. Weirdly enough, at least one of the fake trailers is being turned into a real movie by none other than Eli Roth.
Gringhouse: Death Proof Budget
The film had a budget of $53 million, a ridiculous number for a film that audiences clearly weren't ready for, nor could they identify with this strange mash up of slasher tropes and sight gags. The film pulled in barely $20 million domestically, and did little business outside the United States. There was plenty of positive buzz about the film before it opened, and critics went nuts for it, but it seems that moviegoers didn't know what to do with the movie. An $11 million dollar opening weekend was a sign of things to come -- the film quickly fell out of theaters before some Tarantino fans had a chance to see it.
Death Proof
Quentin Tarantino's half of the movie, called Death Proof, was a sinister romp through a violent world. An evil stunt man creates a "death proof" stunt car with which he hunts down and kills innocent lonely women. This plot didn't do much for female critic's who are already suspicious of Tarantino's weak female roles. All in all, this is one film that Tarantino should have avoided making, or at least made with a smaller budget.
If you're a Tarantino-phile, watch Grindhouse because it is a collaboration between two good friends. Watch Grindhouse because Tarantino's half is trademark Tarantino -- gritty, dark, violent, and something of a laugher. Watch it because it is such an aberration in a career that produced some of the most popular and successful films of the 90s and 2000s. Watch it because both Rodriguez and Tarantino continue to talk about making a sequel -- a sequel to a film that performed so poorly at the box office it is considered the worst investment of 2007! Watch it because you love Quentin Tarantino, and missing out on any feature film in which he has such a heavy role would be simply criminal.