It was the year 2007 when veteran director Quentin Tarantino decided to once again go down the path of violence and slasher films with his movie Death Proof.
A still from Death Proof | Credits: Troublemaker Studios
Although the film gained acclaim, it was considered Tarantino’s cult-classic film. However, one iconic scene in the film resulted in the director calling it an iconic and cinematic death.
Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof Wasn’t Without Deaths
Starring Kurt Russell in the lead role, Death Proof narrates the story of a psychopathic killer with an American Muscle car by his side who stalks and kills people.
A still from Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof | Credits: Troublemaker Studios
Unfortunately for Julia, Shanna, and Arlene, Kurt Russell’s character of Stuntman Mike is out on a hunt. The film leads to one iconic scene where Russell overtakes the lead’s car, makes a U-turn, and turns his headlights off.
With the lead characters in the dark, Russell revs his car until they can see each other and goes full throttle. The resulting scene is an explosive car crash that makes the audience go numb for a few minutes.
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In an interview, the director talked about that particular scene and how he involved the audience in the crash with music, anticipation, and finally, a crash that went down in history as one of the greatest cinematic shots.
We know what’s going to go on. After being in the dark throughout the whole movie, now we’re actually ahead of the characters. The girls are oblivious until the second before it happens, but with the music I’ve got playing… I’m making the audience complicit in this crash.
He further continued,
They want the crash to happen. It’s exciting, the girls are driving, and the audience is waiting for it, and they’re waiting for it, and… it’s like a c*me shot when it happens. And the audience has to admit that they wanted it to crash.
The end result was three scenes that showcased what happened during the car crash. A gory scene that becomes a grim reminder that there’s no such thing as deathproof.
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With Kurt Russell hunting and killing his victims with his American Muscle, there was bound to be a chase scene involved in Death Proof. However, Quentin Tarantino revealed that he had never done so before.
How Quentin Tarantino Defined a Cinematic Director
As the interview further continued, the interviewer asked Tarantino about the car chase scene and whether it was a tough job for him or not. Surprisingly, Tarantino had a tough time figuring out how the chase would continue.
Quentin Tarantino in a still from Pulp Fiction | Credits: A Band Apart
During his talks, the acclaimed director stated that the directors who are action-heavy are the so-called “cinematic directors” that Tarantino adores so much. In the process of trying out his hand at chase scenes or fighting sequences, Tarantino feels that he has become one.
The really good action directors are the real cinematic directors. I’m not saying that’s the only kind of cinema there can ever be, but when it comes to movie magic and wizardry and really knowing how to put film together, those to me are the most cinematic guys.
He further continued,
I’m not doing it to be “pretty good”. I wanted to make this one of the best, if not the best, car chases ever. That was a big anxiety. But we got to the end of it and I knew I had my chase.
Although Death Proof failed to gather enough numbers at the global box office, the iconic film became Tarantino’s cult-classic film which the fans loved.
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Death Proof received a rating of 7/10 on IMDB and an average of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. With Kurt Russell in the lead, the iconic film is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
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