Grindhouse

Grindhouse is the new double feature from too cool directors Robert Rodriguez, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Spy Kids, and Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill. The film evokes the 1970s B pics and runs like something to see on a sultry summer afternoon. So perhaps the film isn’t hitting in theaters right now because of timing issues, it is a little early for this film to be out and at three plus hours it is a serious investment of time. Grindhouse is a great flick full of skanky tough women, sinister dangerous men, and gallons and gallons of fake blood.

What works so well for Grindhouse is its ability to recreate the feeling of the 70s Grindhouse. From the first Coming Attractions signs through a series of violent and almost silly previews through more than three hours of content the film keeps the audience engaged. The first half of the showing is devoted to Rodriguez’s Planet Terror the zombie action flick. It follows a formula so time tested that the dropped reel in the middle of the film hardly makes a dent in the viewing of the film, the savvy audience fills in the blank with the obligatory scenes it must have included. The dialogue is delivered with deadpan accuracy and the special effects are egregiously over the top. Rather than diminish the film the fact that everything is a bit hammed up makes it that much more rich, humorous, and enjoyable. Freddy Rodriguez and Rose McGowan do an admirable job slogging their way through thickets of zombies to uncover a shady government conspiracy and escape to relative freedom.

Tarantino’s Death Proof is perhaps the more unique, stronger of the two films, and the less even. As with many of his films he permits long segments of people sitting around chatting about nothing at all. The film features a number of women who are chased down by Kurt Russell’s Stuntman Mike for no apparent reason. Thus the film is a girl’s empowerment flick, a psycho killer film, and a car chase film all in one. It doesn’t really resemble anything else out there in its entirety though it draws heavily from films like Vanishing Point and Dirty Mary Crazy Larry which it of course mentions visibly. Perhaps the best part is to see real life stuntwoman Zoe Bell have a chance to be herself in front of the camera doing the drawn out stunt scenes. Plus there is a bit of a Psycho element that pulls the rug out from under the audience getting into the film.

The films draw from all of the great slasher flicks and girls kicking ass exploitation films that come before them. Of course the fatal flaw in this reasoning is that these films: Planet Terror, Rodriguez’s zombie flick and Death Proof, Tarantino’s nod to great car chases; are far superior to the B-films they imitate. For one the acting from some first rate actors like Rosario Dawson, Kurt Russell, and Freddy Rodriguez is a far cry from the over emoting teen screams of the 70s films. The writing, as anyone who has ever seen a Tarantino film will expect, is excellent with several absolutely hysterical lines and any number of inane everyday exchanges. As with all of Tarantino’s films both Death Proof and Planet Terror are imminently quotable.

Now Grindhouse is not for everyone, the first stumbling block is a well deserved R rating mostly for non stop violence. The other problem, which I am sure will give the Weinstein’s indigestion as well as numerous theater owners is the films’ long run time. Even with the missing reels the audience is really getting two films for the price of one at a run time of three hours and fifteen minutes including the faux previews before and between the two features. Now while two for the price of one seems like a deal in this day and age where people are so crunched for time it might seem like a long time to spend in the theater. However, it is time well spent and certainly worth the price of admission.

Now there have been rumors that the Weinsteins are planning to release the films separately and with the supposed ‘missing footage’ reinserted overseas and possibly here in the US. That would be unfortunate as it would ruin the experience. Not only does it dilute the overall audience experience but it is not true to the vision that these two great directors had when they developed this concept. Granted Tarantino and Rodriguez expect a lot from their audience, not only do they expect them to sit still for three hours but they expect them to understand the experience that they are seeking and they expect them to have some knowledge of the genres that they toy with so that audiences are able to fill in the blanks for themselves. I don’t think that is too much to expect from an audience. In return the audience gets a pair of enjoyable films with a broad cast of characters that chuckles and winks while reliving some of the lesser renowned moments of 70s cinematic history. For all of those who can’t follow the plot of a zombie film or those who are dumb enough to leave after the first film and then demand their money back for their own stupidity, well that is what cinematic Darwinism is for, it weeds out the less able and only the street smart hot chicks outlive the zombies and crazed stuntmen.