Writer and director Quentin Tarantino might not have any love lost for his film “Death Proof,” which he has famously claimed is his worst, but we here at /Film believe that it’s the Tarantino classic we don’t talk about enough. There’s a lot to love in this half of “Grindhouse,” which follows a kind of slasher named Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) who hunts and kills beautiful women using his tricked-out stunt car. There are the wild car chases and incredibly dangerous stunts. There’s the killer soundtrack. There are the amazing actors who play the victims and then the queens who get their revenge on Mike. And then, of course, there’s Russell himself, who is arguably one of the coolest performers to ever grace the silver screen.
Tarantino is pretty well-known for his homages and references to the films that inspired his work, but he’s not above throwing in a few straight-up Easter eggs either. There are not only quite a few Easter eggs for the movies that inspired “Death Proof” within the film, but there are also a couple of pretty fun ones for Russell’s career, too!
Easter eggs in Stuntman Mike’s filmography
Tarantino and Russell have worked together a few times since “Death Proof,” so it seems like no big deal now. Originally, however, the director had to use his nerd cred to recruit the actor to the project. Tarantino’s geeking out over Russell went further than just convincing the actor to collaborate, though, as he also included nods to some of the man’s earliest work. In the scene where he’s hanging out at Texas Chili Parlor and chowing down on some deliciously greasy-looking nachos, Mike ends up striking up conversation with a woman named Pam (Rose McGowan). She asks him about the stuntman part of his name and he lists some of his credits, which includes the television shows “The High Chaparral” and “The Virginian.”
Funny enough, Russell appeared on both shows as a young actor. He co-starred in two episodes of “The Virginian” in 1964 and 1965, right around the time he was skateboarding around the MGM lot with Charles Bronson. (Look, Russell has lived.) He also appeared in an episode of “The High Chaparral” in 1967, pictured above. Neither were major starring roles, but it’s fun that Tarantino was willing to dig into Russell’s own filmography to help shape Stuntman Mike’s.
A little reference to Big Trouble in Little China
The other Russell Easter egg is a little more recognizable, but it’s also harder to catch if you’re not paying attention. Among the various decorations on the bar’s cluttered walls is a shirt directly above Jungle Julia’s (Sydney Poitier) table. The shirt is from “Big Trouble in Little China,” the 1986 John Carpenter cult classic starring Russell as Jack Burton, a laid-back (and not exactly hard-working) trucker who helps his best friend save his fiancé from an ancient Chinese sorcerer. While it’s likely that the shirt is some kind of replica, it’s also clearly autographed in several places and could be a piece of memorabilia Tarantino brought out for the scene.
The other allusion to Burton is a moment where Mike uses a John Wayne-style drawl while telling Arlena (Vanessa Ferlito) “You’re alright in my book,” as Burton also speaks with a heavily-accented drawl, mimicking the famous Western actor. While it’s very unlikely that we’ll ever see Russell play Jack Burton again, at least we got a little taste of what he might sound like as an older man in “Death Proof.” Thanks for the nostalgia, Quentin!
