Ryan Chartrand“Grindhouse” has officially raised the gross-out bar. This Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez slaughter-fest has enough zombie guts, bloody entrails and make-you-vomit sound effects to give an unsuspecting moviegoer nightmares for weeks.
But for the geeks and horror junkies this movie is intended for, “Grindhouse” is an instant classic.
The concept for the film was to emulate a sleazy double feature that would have been shown in an old, rundown movie house in the 1970s called a grindhouse. The film is definitely worth the price of admission with more than three hours of unadulterated amusement.
With two full-length feature films and four faux movie previews, this epic is a masterpiece of cinematic debauchery.
The first of the two movies is “Planet Terror,” a gore-filled zombie flick with an abundance of contrast. One of the sexiest opening scenes ever features go-go dancer Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) shakin’ her money-maker to the opening credits. A few minutes later, puss, blood and guts are spewing across the screen just after a man has his testicles chopped off.
The basic plot of the movie (which doesn’t even matter because plot is definitely not the highlight or focus here) involves a government-created virus that turns people into boil-infested, organ-feasting monsters. It’s up to Cherry and a small group of survivors led by Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) – a speak softly, carry a big stick kind of bad ass – to save the world.
Wray shows off some sweet knife skills when he unleashes his wrath on a zombie-filled hospital. Cherry has one of her legs bitten off, only to be replaced by a stick, then later replaced by a weapon which shoots both missiles and bullets.
She lost the stick when she shoved it through Tarantino’s eye while fighting off his sexual advances. He plays a soldier infected with the skin-mutilating virus.
Even amidst all the violence, any Tarantino movie is bound to have some tongue-in-cheek humor. Cherry gripes that her dream of becoming a stand up comedian is dead after loosing her leg.
Bruce Willis and Stacy Ferguson of the Black Eyed Peas make appearances in “Planet Terror” as well. As brief as their screen time is, both heightened the raunchiness with awesome deaths. Willis plays a soldier who turns into the gnarliest zombie of all. Fergie, who plays an irrelevant bimbo, has her brains sucked out.
The movie has intentional screw-ups with a “reel missing” scene when Cherry and Wray hook up. The camera angles are not subtle, with obvious close ups on Fergie’s lovely lady lumps.
“Planet Terror” ends hopefully with Cherry and friends escaping to some tropical beach where it is assumed they will keep fighting the good fight until every last zombie is blown away.
The comic relief of “Grindhouse” occurs between the two films in the form of several fake movie trailers.
The first is a tale of revenge about a Mexican assassin (Danny Trejo) who is betrayed and left to die – the ultimate “Guy You Shouldn’t Have F.ed With.” Accompanied by Cheech Marin as an unholy priest, the two embark on a killing spree of grand proportions.
There’s the “Werewolf Women of the SS” preview, which is a Rob Zombie (who else) production that includes Nazis, naked chicks and werewolves.
The second of the feature films is “Death Proof,” which stars Kurt Russell as a psychopath serial killer named Stuntman Mike. His face looks weathered like an old catcher’s mitt, and is accentuated by a jagged scar from his forehead down to his cheek.
His weapon of choice is his car, a beefy, black muscle car used for stunts in movies. The car is supposedly death proof, hence the movie’s name, because it is reinforced to withstand crashes. Whether he’s kidnapping women or driving his car head-on into oncoming traffic, Stuntman Mike is a deranged character with a thirst for blood.
Sadly, this movie didn’t feature more of him. There was way too much dialogue between the women in this movie that lulled the audience to sleep.
Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Zoe Bell all deliver solid, but not outstanding performances. The action was excellent, while the rest of the movie was a sleeper.
The climax of “Death Proof” comes in a shockingly realistic looking car chase with a group of women who become the hunters after being terrorized by Stuntman Mike. His tough guy persona is stripped as four women pummel him into a pulp.
“Death Proof” exists in stark contrast to “Planet Terror” with much more character development and emphasis on dialogue.
Tarantino and Rodriguez succeeded in their attempt to re-create a zombie/car chase double feature extravaganza. Enter the theater with an open mind and be ready appreciate the creative genius of the film’s creators.
For anyone with a weak stomach, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to eat a big meal before the show.