Death Proof: A Tarantino-style homage to big American cars, women, and stuntmen.

Super hot! Love for stuntmen

In this film, Tarantino pays as much, if not more, homage to the car action films of the 1970s to the behind-the-scenes workers known as stuntmen. To begin with, the main character is a perverted murderer who claims to be a big-name stuntman. Well, the setting is twisted in a subtle direction (lol), but in reality the respect is straightforward and overflowing with super passionate love.

First of all, Buddy Joe Hooker is the stuntman for Kurt Russell, who plays the main character, Stuntman Mike. A veteran born in 1942, Tarantino calls him "the greatest stuntman in movie history." If you look up the works he has been responsible for on IMDb, you will find over 200 titles, including the thrilling car action movie " Incandescent " (1973/Director: Joseph Sargent) starring Burt Reynolds, which is amazing!

Speaking of Burt Reynolds, Hooker also appeared uncredited in `` The Great Stuntman '' (1978/director: Hal Needham), a film about behind-the-scenes action movies in which Burt Reynolds plays a famous Hollywood stuntman. . Tarantino has the utmost respect for this unsung hero, and for example, Hooker is featured prominently in the bonus making-of footage of the premium edition of the DVD.

Without talented and brave stuntmen, a car action movie in which real cars are driven by real people would not be as interesting. The underlying theme of ``Death Proof'' is to make this life-threatening contribution known to the world, and the symbol of this is the appointment of Zoe Bell as an actress. In the second half of the movie, she is seen riding on the hood of a Dodge Challenger that is speeding away. She plays the role of Zoe, a stuntwoman from New Zealand, which is almost the same as herself.

"Death Proof" (c) Photofest / Getty Images

Zoe Bell was born in 1978. She began her career as a female stuntwoman in her home country of New Zealand, and eventually moved to the United States. There, he passed an audition for Tarantino's ` `Kill Bill '' (2003) and was selected to do a stunt for Uma Thurman. The story behind this is introduced in the documentary film ``Double Dare'' (2004), and Tarantino was so impressed by Zoe's work on the set of ``Kill Bill'' that he decided to work with her in ``Death Proof'', she was cast as one of the lead actresses in a role that showed her own side.

Of course, Zoe can do any dangerous stunts on her own. Buddy Joe Hooker, a senior at Zoe, sees her and calls her ``a female version of Steve McQueen.''

The following comment from Zoe in the bonus DVD making-of documentary ``Zoe Bell as Stunt Heroine'' is moving.

"Stunts are in the shadows, and I don't have to be in the spotlight. I don't want to be a movie star. But what irritates me is that when I do amazing stunts, the angle that looks the coolest is my face. When you can't use it because it's reflected in the image. That's when you waste a great shot.

In this episode of ``Death Proof,'' one day I happened to check the footage of a stunt scene, and when I saw my face in it, I thought, ``That's it.'' But this time it was okay even if my face was shown (lol). It felt great! ”

The real stars of a movie aren't just the front actors. Tarantino's works, which at first glance seem to be full of radical elements, are filled with deep understanding, consideration, and kindness towards the craftsmen behind the scenes. I think it's a true love of movies.

Text: Naoto Mori

Film critic, writer. Born in Wakayama in 1971. He is the author of ``Cinema Garage: Children in the Ruins'' (Film Art Publishing), and edited ``Movies of the Zero Years+'' (Kawade Shobo Shinsha), among others. He regularly writes for magazines such as Weekly Bunshun, Asahi Shimbun, TV Bros., Men's Nonno, Kinema Junpo, Eiga Hiho, and Cinema Today.

Watch now

View work information

(c) Photofest / Getty Images