Grindhouse" a Thrilling Experience of Cinematic Bravado

A common pitfall of too many movies these days is they try to be "two movies at once", mixing two unrelated or even contradictory plots, genres, themes or values. "Grindhouse" takes on this battle and wins by literally behaving as two movies at once, and in doing so, creates a cinematic experience that is indeed more than the sum of its parts.

Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's double feature is not playing as one in far too many nations, who are being robbed of what makes the work special. Firstly, the feel of watching two films separated by trailers is an essential part of the fun; there's something indulgently satisfying about coming up on the conclusion of Rodriguez' "Planet Terror" and knowing you've still got Tarantino's "Death Proof" coming up for the price of the same ticket.

The question this reviewer asks himself is, if this was not a double feature, would I bother going-would anyone sit down and just watch one of these movies by itself? One feature alone does not communicate the requisite excess. Moreover, as a sort of proof of the importance of the double feature's structure, imagine the result if the films were played in reverse order; the result would be considerably weaker. Rodriguez' movie is played for splatter and gore and thrill, with a downbeat, pseudo-contemplative air at the end, whereas Tarantino's is more character-driven and designed for big cheers at the satisfying conclusion, yet weighed down with reels and reels of ponderous dialogue at its start that would kill the pace of any film not preceded by a feature-length zombie-killing adventure. Cinema is an art of juxtaposition, and in broad strokes, "Grindhouse" juxtaposes two moods side by side in a deliberate manner.

Moreover, the second film comments on what has come before it more than once, in some ways more obvious than others, sharing in a little universe and an aesthetic reaching as early back as the previous film and as far back as "Pulp Fiction". But it's Rodriguez' turn at bat first, setting just the right mood with a funny, over-the-top trailer before getting into his horror story.