Following the lackluster box office performance of GRINDHOUSE, The Weinstein Co. flirted with several ways to make extra cash off the project. In several European countries, PLANET TERROR and DEATH PROOF were released separately. Now on DVD in the U.S., we get the extended cut of DEATH PROOF, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
Unencumbered from the spoofier PLANET TERROR, the opening of DEATH PROOF plays scarier than the theatrical release. The slower set-up doesn't feel like a crawl coming after the lightning speed of Robert Rodriguez's film. Director Quentin Tarantino sets up his characters well, taking his time to build tension as the villain Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell, EASCAPE FROM NEW YORK) stalks his prey.
Two additional scenes were added to this cut of the film. The "missing reel," or the lap dance sequence, has been found. It's not all that particularly titillating and misses an opportunity to make Stuntman Mike even creepier. The second addition is a black & white prologue scene to the second section. Abernathy (Rosario Dawson, CLERKS II), Lee (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, SKY HIGH) and Kim (Tracie Thoms, TV's COLD CASE), on their way to pick up Zoe (Zoe Bell) at the airport, stop off at a convenience store to pick up some stacks, where they have an encounter with Stuntman Mike, who finds a way to get close to Abernathy's feet. It's a creepy moment, however it's a long sequence that doesn't flesh out the characters too much more and doesn't added more tension than when we later see Stuntman Mike taking photos of the girls at the airport. Because the pace had already picked up at the end of the first section, this additional scene in the second half weighs down the pacing. The editing process is often referred to as "killing your babies." That second scene is a baby that should have been left for dead.
In the end, the film is not better nor worse on it's own. Compared to PLANET TERROR, it stands as a better film. Tarantino is a master as using dialogue, which slyly weaves in details that flesh out his characters without spelling out who they are. On Oct. 16th, we get the extended edition of PLANET TERROR. I wonder if those missing reels will be found as well. I hope not, because it was one of the funnier gags.
Read more about DEATH PROOF in my review of GRINDHOUSE.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
