In 2023, Star Wars fans will be treated to the release of another spinoff in a galaxy far, far away. Ahsoka, the newest series in the world of Star Wars, stars Rosario Dawson as the titular former Jedi and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the Twi'lek New Republic general Hera Syndula. But what may come as a surprise to some is that Ahsoka is not the first time the two actors have worked together. And what may come as even more of a surprise is that the two of them starred in an action thriller flick written and directed by the infamous Quentin Tarantino.
Back in 2007, Tarantino partnered with fellow director Robert Rodriguez to create the Grindhouse-inspired double feature titled, well, Grindhouse. The two films featured were Planet Terror and Death Proof, the latter of which the two actors starred in. And while some might prefer the ridiculousness of the horror comedy Planet Terror, the action thriller Death Proof, although a product of the Grindhouse genre's exploitation of women that Tarantino wanted to pay homage to, offers a story with strong themes of female friendship and even stronger ladies, which includes the duo of Dawson and Winstead.
Rosario Dawson and Mary Elizabeth Winstead Were Death Proof Standouts
Death Proof's story revolves around the movie's villain, Stuntman Mike, played by Kurt Russell, an aging stuntman who drives a modified stunt car that he claims is "death-proof" -- at least for the driver. He uses this vehicle as a means to murder the film's first group of women, pursuing them in a high-speed chase and ultimately killing them. His sobriety helps him get off scot-free in this incident, which allows him to target another group of women. Only this time, his choice proves that while his car is death-proof, he is most certainly not. This core four consists of Abernathy and Lee (played by Dawson and Winstead, respectively), along with Kim (Tracie Thoms) and Zoë (stuntwoman Zoë Bell playing herself). And after another high-speed car chase ensues, these women turn the tables on Stuntman Mike and turn the highway predator into their prey.
These women embrace all that is Grindhouse when it comes to its most brutal aspects. Instead of running away when given the opportunity, these friends ultimately decide to give the murderous menace a taste of his own medicine -- and they do. The extremes in which they take control of the situation by dragging Mike out of his car and beating him with their own bare hands is a version of female empowerment that could only exist in a film of this nature. Unfortunately, Winstead's character Lee does not get to participate in this final showdown as she ends up being left behind as collateral for the car the other three women use in their encounter with the stuntman. Dawson's Abernathy, however, gets to acclimate to such a level of violence as she and the other two women pummel their perpetrator in the final moments of the movie, which then ends with a freeze-frame of the women cheering with their arms up in the air. It's silly, but it's also well-deserved.
Death Proof Is an Overlooked Quentin Tarantino Project
Although Death Proof may not be the first title that comes to mind when thinking of Tarantino and his filmic oeuvre, this film is one that definitely deserves more recognition. While the Grindhouse aesthetic is known for that low-budget, gritty feel with a heavy focus on exploiting sex and violence in a rather sensationalist manner, Death Proof manages to walk that line and subvert it in a clever and female-focused way. The two halves of the film are evidence of such a subversion; the first half has a group of women succumb to the violent clichés of grindhouse films, while the second half has another group of women sabotage those tropes as swiftly as they sabotage the stuntman himself.
While the women of Grindhouse films are allowed to seek the same sort of revenge that the women of Death Proof did, it usually comes at the expense of extreme brutality acted upon them and their clothing. Looking at old posters from this Grindhouse era of filmmaking, the women all appear to be scantily dressed. These women in Death Proof are not only afforded their clothes along with their revenge but compared to other films of this nature, it feels like they actually won at the end of the day. Yes, they face automotive atrocities at the hands of Stuntman Mike, even believing that one of their friends was killed in the car crash that fueled their desire for revenge. But they are able to return to the road and exact a level of violence that feels deserved.
No, Death Proof does not rank as high as Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs when it comes to Tarantino's work. The movie even suffers from pacing issues and an excruciating amount of dialogue at times. However, for those looking for a taste of Grindhouse or just raring for a bloody good time, this underrated flick warrants a watch, especially with Ahsoka on the horizon.