Ask Movie Slate - Halloween 2017 - Re-visiting “Death Proof”
 
Commissioned by :iconssjcharon:
 
You can find the original Deathproof update in this link!
 
I decided to break my hiatus of streaming with this piece right here, which I found very satisfying to work on. I wasn’t too keen on it, what with it having cars and me not being an expert at drawing them. Cars have always been that one thing I love to see and love to drive, but never loved to draw. So for the sake of keeping it consistent with the characters, and to make my life easier, I made these cars into carts like how we saw on “The Cart before the Ponies” in Season 6. Simplified designs, more bulky, without a rooftop, and made the tires exaggeratedly huge. I think it worked out in the end.
 
“Death Proof” is, without a hint of a doubt, my favourite Quentin Tarantino movie. It’s taken me a while to reach this conclusion, but the more I think about it the more I’m convinced that this is my favorite movie of his. The only downside is that it’s basically two movies spliced together. One has a bigger focus on Stuntman Mike, and the other is more focused on the group of friends formed by Sydney Poitier, Zoë Bell, and Rosario Dawson. You might think this makes the movie disconnect with the viewer but Tarantino writes such a tight simple story and such relateable, fun and charismatic characters that I have no problem connecting with either group. Someone once coined the phrase “classy trash”, when referring to grindhouse style movies getting a make over by modern film makers, but “Death Proof” is like one of those grindhouse movies. It’s unabashedly fetishistic, not shying away from making everything look sexy, from the characters (yes, even Kurt Russell, come on guys) to the cars and the action sequences. It’s punchy action right to the face, and most important of all it’s special. It doesn’t have seven sequels following it with an ongoing storyline. It’s a stand alone action movie. I miss when things were this simple.
 
“Death Proof” manages to stand out above the rest thanks to an explosive cast full of charismatic actors and a script that’s as tight as its film editing. But the real star here is Quentin Tarantino, who outdoes himself with some of the most likeable and enjoyable build up to then contrast with some of the most satisfying, punchy and gripping action we’ve seen in a movie in a long time. It’s both an excellent action movie and a lesson in film-making.
 
Please, let me know what you think of it in the comments. I appreciate and every single one I receive.
 
Thank you!