--- title: "Death Proof: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/death-proof/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/death-proof" critics_score: 56 critics_reviews: 24 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Death Proof (2007): what the critics said Critics' score 56 from 24 reviews: 8 positive, 6 mixed, 10 negative. The reviews split almost down the middle, with slightly more negative than positive, and the praise lands in the same two places whatever the verdict. Nearly everyone singles out the climactic car chase, shot with real stunts and no digital help, and Kurt Russell’s turn as Stuntman Mike; Zoë Bell’s stunt work draws its own admirers. The warmest notices, from the Los Angeles Times and Empire, treat the two-part structure as a bold joke on slasher conventions rather than a flaw. The reservations cluster on the talk. Around half the critics find the long dialogue stretches padded and the second half repetitive, and Eye for Film calls the standalone cut Tarantino’s weakest film. The spread is wide, and it moves with time: Little White Lies reverses its own Cannes pan on revisiting, and later pieces from Collider and /Film argue the film has grown into a cult favourite. The Guardian stays unpersuaded, finding the seventies styling tedious. ## Empire — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2007. The review praises Death Proof as a smart, entertaining grindhouse homage that plays with slasher and car-chase conventions while delivering a subversive twist and a thrilling finale. It highlights Kurt Russell's performance and the standout car chase as key strengths in an authentic, old-school Tarantino effort. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/death-proof-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Dennis Lim Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 April 2007. The critic finds Tarantino’s “Death Proof” exhilarating and structurally bold, splitting the story into two segments with opposite outcomes for groups of women facing Stuntman Mike. It praises the film’s surprising turns, poetic trash talk, unerring soundtrack, and the visceral, CGI-free climactic car chase as one of Tarantino’s most original works since “Pulp Fiction.” [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-06-et-grindhouse6-story.html) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2015. The critic, who initially panned the film at its Cannes premiere, now regards it as Tarantino's most radical, poetic, and finest work of the century. They single out its poignant humanization of archetypal characters and its exploration of duality, repetition, and vulnerability beneath the grindhouse surface. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/death-proof-quentin-tarantino) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 April 2007. The critic views Death Proof as a decidedly modest picture whose scaled-down ambition is part of its appeal, consisting of long stretches of talk interrupted by kinetic bouts of automotive mayhem. He praises its sincere tribute to Monte Hellman and the way it strips away quotation marks to find a route back to the basics of character, action and story. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/06/movies/06grin.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2007. Festival review. The critic views the standalone version positively as fitting Tarantino's oeuvre, noting its artistic chances, post-modern rethinking of pulp fiction, and how it sneaks philosophical depth into sex talk and car stunts despite rudimentary motives. The Cannes screening is seen as interesting though out of place in competition. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/critics-notebook-death-reincarnated-2-137002/) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 April 2007. Tarantino’s “Death Proof” stands out for its great dialogue and electric performances rather than genre play, with vibrant bonding and camaraderie among two sets of young women. The critic highlights the mesmerizing girl talk, poetic trash talk, real stunts in the chase sequence, and strong turns from the cast including Kurt Russell and Zoë Bell. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2007/film/reviews/grindhouse-1200509255/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2007. Tarantino's half of the Grindhouse double bill is the stronger one, with skillful car-chase sequences and a satisfying finale despite overly long dialogue scenes. The critic singles out the highway duel and Kurt Russell's performance as highlights in an otherwise minor work. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/grindhouse-2007) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 9 April 2007. The critic notes that Death Proof isn’t as flagrantly imitative as its companion film and praises the intimate, detailed, funny talk among the characters as well as the exciting real-space car chase in the second half. He finds Tarantino caught in contradictions between humanism and nihilism in the service of schlock homage. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/04/16/sleaze-city) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 26 April 2008. Death Proof is enjoyable if a little patchy as a standalone film. The car chases and crashes are highlights, along with Kurt Russell's performance, but it does not stand up well against Tarantino's earlier work. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/wheelsonfilm/2751944/Wheels-On-Film-Death-Proof.html) ## Time Out — Ben Walters Rating 3/5. 17 September 2007. The review sees the film as a fan-boy indulgence with a double structure that stretches thin material, full of Tarantino-speak and quotation marks. It singles out the climactic car chase as a bona fide old-school tour de force and notes smart attention to tensions between old and new technologies. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/death-proof-1) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2007. The review finds the film a solid but ultimately disappointing killer-on-the-road thriller that mimics 1970s exploitation style with Tarantino's dialogue and references. It singles out the energetic car chase finale for praise while noting the overall reproduction feels like a step down from the director's best work. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/death-proof-18-464492.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 22 September 2007. The standalone release of Death Proof is uneven and will mainly please dedicated Tarantino fans. The first half builds effective tension as a homage to 1970s exploitation cinema, but the second half suffers from weak chemistry and an uninspired finale. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/article/women-trouble-0qrzz0nws9p) ## Radio Times Rating 2/5. This stylistically authentic but overly talky tribute to 1970s exploitation cinema fuses slasher and chase genres with mixed success. The critic singles out the extensive stretches of dialogue that slow the pace and emphasize the second group of actresses. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/best-quentin-tarantino-movies-ranked/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 2007. Tarantino's standalone cut of his Grindhouse segment is a bit of a failure, padded with long stretches of inconsequential dialogue that fail to match his earlier work. The extravagant head-on collision scene offers a lethal roar of entertainment, but the studied 70s stylings and offensive tone are ultimately tedious. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/sep/21/quentintarantino.horror) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The review dismisses the film as a depressing waste of talent, with clunky dialogue, lack of flair, and pointless grindhouse affectations that fail to capture the spirit of the originals. It grudgingly notes the car chases are competent but concludes the film has nothing new or worthwhile to say. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/tarantinos-schlocky-horror-show-7399456.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 2007. Festival review. The extended Cannes cut is a pointless, overly referential genre exercise that fails to cohere as a slasher, chick-flick, or stunt film. The critic singles out the dull, talky passages and lack of narrative drive despite strong stunt work and Kurt Russell's performance. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/death-proof/4032803.article) ## Sight and Sound — Tony Rayns Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the solo release version bloated and conceptually confused, far from authentic grindhouse fare despite its retro trappings. He singles out the protracted car chase in the second half as intermittently exciting but notes the overall lack of dramatic traction and memorable dialogue. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/4011) ## Slant Magazine — Jeremiah Kipp Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 March 2007. The critic finds Tarantino's segment more homage than reinvention, with strong performances from Kurt Russell but paper-thin characters and dialogue that make the revenge plot feel disaffected and campy rather than engaging. The self-referential style is seen as more offensive than the original grindhouse films it emulates. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/grindhouse/) ## Collider — Lisa Laman Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 April 2022. The critic calls Death Proof one of Tarantino's finest features, praising its subversive slow-burn thriller structure in the first half, the audacious shift to a new cast, Kurt Russell's eerie performance, and the gender-role reversal in the finale with its gruesome yet satisfying payoff. They single out the lively leads (including Zoë Bell and Rosario Dawson) and the film's effective riff on slasher/exploitation tropes. [Read the review](https://collider.com/grindhouse-15-years-later-death-proof-planet-terror/) ## /Film — Mike Shutt Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2022. The critic highlights how Death Proof has gained appreciation as a cult classic since its separate home video release, praising its stunt work, tension-building, and character focus as proof that even minor Tarantino surpasses most directors' best efforts. They single out Zoë Bell's fearless performance and the extended practical car chase for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/860574/death-proof-is-the-tarantino-classic-we-dont-talk-about-enough/) ## Digital Spy — Tony Delgado Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2007. The film is a disappointing and uneven homage to 1970s exploitation cinema that elicits more boredom than thrills overall. The critic singles out Kurt Russell's performance and the thrilling final car chase for praise while criticizing the dull, irrelevant dialogue scenes. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a73269/death-proof/) ## The Skinny — Iain Burnside Rating ★★. 16 August 2007. Festival review. The film recycles Tarantino clichés with wilder whimsy but neither half satisfies, relying on viewer patience that often runs out before the climactic chase. Zoe Bell's stunt work provides the only real excitement amid sharp dialogue and choice songs, but the director has nothing new to say. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/edinburgh-fringe/fest-magazine/death-proof) ## Den of Geek — Sarah Dobbs Rating 2 out of 5. 21 September 2007. The critic enjoyed the first half's setup, grainy grindhouse style, and snappy dialogue but found the second half lazy and repetitive, with pointless extended scenes that wasted all goodwill built earlier. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/death-proof-review/) ## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2007. Festival review. The critic finds the expanded UK release version of Death Proof overlong and padded with excessive dialogue that drags down the experience, calling it Tarantino's weakest film. The solid premise, visual style mimicking grindhouse aesthetics, and practical stunts are singled out as highlights amid the complaints about the writing. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/death-proof-film-review-by-anton-bitel) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/death-proof.md