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What do you get when you combine two of Hollywood’s most talented filmmakers, cheesy special effects, zombies,and an amazing car chase? If those two filmmakers are Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, you get “Grindhouse” – an all-out, zombie-spewing, ass-kicking, ultra-violent homage to so-called grindhouse movies of the 1970s.  “Grindhouse” is actually two films in one – the first called “Planet Terror,” directed by Rodriquez and the second, “Death Proof,” directed by Tarantino.

First a little background. Grindhouse films were popular in the late 60s and 70s, featuring double and sometimes triple showings of back-to-back B-movies. Cheap to make and filled with sex and violence, the movies were often shown in inner-city theaters.

On first reflection, it’s hard to decide which of these films is the best, simply because each has its own unique style. “Planet Terror” is definitely more violent – at one point the main character, Cherry, (Rose McGowan) loses her leg, which is replaced by a machine gun. To try and explain the plot would take much more space than I have available, but that barely matters since it literally makes no sense.

The second part of the film “Death Proof” revolves around a retired stuntman (Kurt Russell) who equips a Chevy Nova with a unique roll cage that allows him to withstand the force of an accident while his victim (another appearance by McGowan) – who sits in the passenger side – is brutally thrown around and killed. As usual with a Tarantino film, it starts out slowly, with a lot of talk, before finally delivering an awesome, unexpected ending.

“Grindhouse” is an amazing example of filmmaking, complete with tongue-in-cheek humor, amazing action sequences, and, thankfully, Rosario Dawson. There is one drawback to the film – acting appearances by Tarantino. His shtick distracts from the action, reminding viewers why directors belong behind the camera and not in front of it.   

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Due to copious amounts of gore, violence and nudity, ‘Grindhouse is rated R. Leave the kiddies at home for this one.

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