Memorable Quote: "There are few things as fetching as a
bruised ego on a beautiful angel."
So likable, so charming, so potentially romantic is Kurt Russell's deranged
Stuntman Mike that you almost don't want him to turn evil. But,
... more alas, in Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof," the gabby, action-packed
second feature to his "Grindhouse" project with Robert Rodriguez, Russell's Stuntman goes from grizzled cool
guy to horrifying psychopath to hilarious coward in one compelling, underrated
performance. Working from his lovable hero or antihero personae in movies like
"Escape From New York" and "The Thing," the twist is more surprising than you'd think,
making it almost a letdown. Almost. Surely this wizened ex-stunt driver is going
to be the gentleman? He'll be the one to save the day, right? Wrong. Tarantino
had a more feminist goal in mind by making the women take control of the movie
and of Stuntman Mike, giving Russell one of his most fascinating, chilling and
wonderfully bizarre performances. (Dimension Films)Close