10 Times Your Favourite Directors Totally Let You Down

5. Death Proof - Quentin Tarantino

Death Proof Kurt RussellMiramax PicturesChances are that, considering the immense and highly idiosyncratic nature of Quentin Tarantino's movies, the man would eventually produce something that rubbed people the wrong way - especially since, as time has gone on, his pictures have become more and more obvious in their standings as homage-clad pastiches. Which is to say, the heavy pop cultural referencing in films like Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown was nowhere near as obvious as it was in, say, Kill Bill or Django Unchained; one could even argue that Tarantino is regressing somewhat. So it was with Death Proof, however, that Quentin Tarantino finally took a tumble and succeeded in adding a blemish on his otherwise consistent filmography. The problem with Death Proof, then, was the level of indulgence on display; Tarantino clearly fell too far in love with his own voice whilst writing the movie, and as a result all the characters come off sounding exactly like him - not to mention that their conversations are surprisingly boring. There were movies of genius, of course, like the final car chase, but ultimately the film was a major let down.
Contributor

Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.