Remember that scene in "Pulp Fiction" when John Travolta sticks the gigantic needle into Uma Thurman's heart? "Grindhouse" is that needle, and that heart is your eyes.
"Grindhouse," a Robert Rodriguez ("Sin City") and Quentin Tarantino ("Kill Bill") creation, is a gore-filled double feature the likes of which haven't been seen in 30 years.
The two films inside the film, "Planet Terror" directed by Rodriguez and "Death Proof" directed by Tarantino, are action-packed, blood-soaked adventures that not only pay homage to the exploitation films of the past but still manage to break new ground.
Starring Rose McGowan ("The Black Dahlia") and Freddy Rodriguez ("Lady in the Water"), "Planet Terror" tells the story of a small Texas town overrun by zombies.
These aren't your regular zombies either; these are boil-covered, puss-oozing and slime-dripping zombies. The special effects crew at Troublemaker Studios did a fantastic job of turning zombie-ism into a full-blown disease complete with festering wounds and lots and lots of legions.
The survivors use guns to fight the zombie hordes ... often. In this film, gunshots are as common as well-written dialogue - fast paced and full of moments that make you cheer, laugh and maybe vomit at the same time.
It is unrepentantly violent for violence sake and completely successful because of it. Oh, and McGowan has a machine gun/rocket launcher for a leg.
"Death Proof" is the story of Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), a man who gets his jollies by driving his super reinforced stunt car into unsuspecting women.
The film mostly follows Abernathy, played by Rosario Dawson ("Clerks II"), and her friends as they exchange hilarious banter and embark on a course of events that eventually leads them to a confrontation with Mike. What follows is 25 minutes of unadulterated edge-of-your-seat action packed with so much suspense that you forget to blink and, quite possibly, the greatest car chase scene ever recorded on film.
These two ultra-violent movies are wrapped in a vintage look that perfectly sets the tone and style of the whole affair.
"Grindhouse" is the complete all-night, double-feature package circa 1970. It even includes trailers of parodies of horror films directed by the likes of Rob Zombie ("Devil's Rejects") and Eli Roth ("Hostel") and animated reminders that the film is "restricted".
The films are grainy and dark, skipping in places and catching in others. These and other old-school technical flaws are used to create a not-quite-linear storyline and add to the vintage look.
Every aspect of the film from the camera angles to character movement was perfectly realized. Every character was both fully fleshed out and a larger-than-life stereotype of a traditional action character.
Action is seamlessly blended with comedy, and chauvinism and feminism intertwine for a true feast of the senses. The end result is a film that is the complete realization of both directors' visions down to the smallest detail.
Reach the reporter at: zachary.richter@asu.edu.
