Death Proof

Aroview: Tarantino, that great galloping genre geek, further indulges his jones for '70s B flicks and sexual kicks with his half of the 'Grindhouse' double bill (see also Robert Rodriguez's PLANET TERROR) - this time pitting a grizzled homicidal maniac (Russell) against a phalanx of sexploitable babes with equally hot wheels - including Kiwi stuntwoman-turned-actor Zoe Bell.

But it's something of a chimera of a movie - with retro-sleaze pastiche and Tarantino pop-culture verbiage awkwardly fighting for supremacy, a shooting style that's head doesn't match its tail, and banal dialogue chewed over by two different sets of actors. The film may be proof of the death of Tarantino as spokesperson of the zeitgeist, but the edge-of-the-seat finale secures his reputation as an innovative (and occasionally masterful) action stylist.

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