I was expecitng to get ripped for saying what i said, but its good to see some people are understanding of me.
[quote=“PutneySwope”]
The whole thing about how Mike preys on women. Actually hes not the only guy preying on women, what about Dov and Omar? Theyre basically doing the same thing as Mike only they arent killing anyone. Yet another reason we sort of connect with Mike in a subtle way.
Mike IS a psycho, but hes also shown to be more than just a one dimensional character as well. He isnt an asexual masked maniac like Jason or Michael Myers, hes probably a tortured soul with sexual problems (the car crash sex fetish, the “little dick”) who became psychotic and twisted over time.
The way the male/female sexuality is portrayed in the film is a main component in most slasher films. Most of the women who end up killing the psychos are not sexually “loose” and are often virgins. What makes the ending of Death Proof uncomfortable to men I think is the fact the women who kill Mike are not the typical slasher film virginal types, they are sexually active, strong archetypes.
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I didn’t find it uncomfortable, as in, ohh, I’m sacred of women now, I just didn’t like the ending, I think a) Mike not defending himself was silly, and b), somehow, as pointed out, you do start to like Mike. Not agree with him, but hes a damn cool character, but nasty. And somehow, his character being beaten whilst he just lets it happen,and the sudden transformation of his character form a strong clear-cut clever kill, to a whimpering wreck, was a stupid one, in my opinion.
Some people like the character transformation, I think it was sad, it ruined his character. I just fouind him to be a lot more interesting in the first half.
[quote=“plunderbunnie”]
I wrote a well thought out reply to this, but i accidentally closed it somehow. (I hate laptops mouses).
Basically : Violence against women is less watchable because it is so common
I didn’t like seeing him being beaten either, it’s not the right thing to do, he was defenseless.
I feel like the people watching it are only comfortable with it because of the deaths of the earlier girls, and the attempted killing of this group. That combined with a foreign idea of women beating a man to death makes it seem less offensive.
I’ve said it before, I don’t think QT tries to be feminist. I think he just writes most of his characters in the same vein, men are violent, women are just as capable of being violent, thats the only “feminism” I see.
I really didn’t like him. Especially once the tables get turned and he’s crying like a little bitch (after he gets shot). He could dish it out but he couldn’t take it. It’s not that getting shot doesn’t/shouldn’t hurt, it’s that he was causing so much pain to these women to basically get off, but when it comes back at him he’s a baby.
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I disagree in some ways. Personally, most modern films and tv its more likely you’ll see women hitting men, then vice versa. I mean, I didn’t mind him dying, but I just think QT could have done it better, it annoyed me that he just stood there and took it, and the character transformation.
[quote=“Eastern Beauty”]
I kinda felt this way the first time I watched DP and I’m a woman! And no, it’s not because I liked Mike. I never liked him. People have to have mercy, they shouldn’t kill helpless man especially when these “people” are girls :’(
I can’t believe I really did say that :o
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I’m glad I’m not the only one!
[quote=“PutneySwope”]
You were uncomfortable because you liked Mike. Thats why the film is so twisted. QT designs it so you do connect (the car crash) and even feel a bit bad for Mike.
Death Proof isnt an easy movie to digest, it has alot of things going on in it. Its not even as black and white as Kill Bill was. That one, theres a girl out for revenge, period. But even still you kind of get to know and like some of her victims.
In Death Proof QT designed it so Mike is not a black and white villain/killer. He has elements of humanity along with his twisted fetishes. So you feel like he is almost being victimized at the end even though hes done some sick shit before that.
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I disagree about Kill Bill. Yes, its a simple revenge film. But I think it illustrates all sorts of different things regarding girl on revenge. Like, her having a baby, the anguish when she thinks her baby is dead, her deep longing it seems for her just wanting to have a family, etc. That was the more ‘normal’ apart of her, and the revenge part was the difference. And I loved that. But DP, it was lacking. I just didn’t like that ending. Never will.
