麻豆社

Review by Peter Argyle:

In a sold-out-in-25-minute preview screening at FACT centre, Quentin Tarantino arrived 25 minutes late from a day of autograph signing in a local music store. Dressed in a black t-shirt, black leather jacket and black tracksuit bottom ensemble, and drinking from a room temperature bottle of Cains Liverpool beer, Quentin Tarantino introduced his new release Death Proof to an enraptured Screen 1 auditorium.

Originally released in the US as one half of the double-bill Grindhouse with Robert Rodriguez, Death Proof has been issued in UK cinemas as a stand-alone film and with an extra half-hour, beneficially eliciting a lap-dancing scene to tantalize British cinemagoers.

The film pays homage to slasher movies with a mixture of pop culture references that range from 70's fashions and film posters to today's i-pods and Nokia mobile phones, creating a cocktail of anachronisms that give the film a unique surrealism. The rough editing and raw quality of 1970's B-movies is used authentically throughout the first half of the film, but moments of graphic ultra-violence remind you that this is still a 2007 Tarantino movie.

Kurt Russell plays Stuntman Mike who stalks groups of young women as they indulge in drinking and 'making out'. He gratifies his libidinal urges using his eponymous Death Proof car which doubles as a phallic substitute and unconventional murdering instrument.

His spree is halted when he meets a group of women with as strong an urge for gratification fulfilled through what they call "Ship's Mast", which includes strapping themselves to the bonnet of a 1970 Dodge Challenger with trouser belts and driving full speed. The showdown between Mike and the women culminates in a non-CGI car chase that is made all the more palpable by actress Zo毛 Bell performing all her own stunts at speeds of up to 100mph.

Quentin Tarantino stayed behind after the screening to give a Question and Answer session to a more than eager Liverpool audience. He spoke about his influences for the film - it was inspired by his recent purchase of a Volvo - and gave thorough answers to even the more obscure questions like whether he'd cast Pierce Brosnan in one of his movies or make a film about Liverpudlians. There was slight contention over questions about the protesters who'd greeted him on his arrival to Fact, but his enthusiasm was undiminished and he took questions until the director of Fact himself was forced to draw the evening to a close.

After a long day of signing autographs, Quentin Tarantino made a speedy exit out of the auditorium keen to enjoy his remaining time in Liverpool.