Death Proof

2007

"Grindhouse"'s failure in theaters yields a bad news/good news situation for DVD collectors. The bad news: It's been split into two halves "? minus the faux trailers "? to help recoup costs. The good news: At least the halves are now extended and unrated, with a bounty of bonus features splayed across two discs.

 

Bigger isn't necessarily better in the case of Quentin Tarantino's hotly debated "Death Proof" segment. Praised for its hair-raising car chase and derided for its long stretches of dialogue, it has roughly half an hour now added to its running time. For every positive that brings (lap dance sequence no longer missing), there's a negative as well (um, more rambling dialogue).

 

Still, I remain a fervent admirer, even if I contend the sum of "Grindhouse" is greater than its individual parts. Kurt Russell has one of his choicest roles as Stuntman Mike, a bad-ass who terrorizes Austin, Texas, with his souped-up kill wagon. The lithesome likes of Rose McGowan ("Scream") and Vanessa Ferlito ("24") are among his victims until he messes with the wrong set of broads.

 

Disc two of this nice set includes a documentary on the driving stunts, as well as a look at stuntwoman Zo