Grindhouse: Death Proof

This Robert Rodriguez-written-and-directed half of Grindhouse, his and Quentin Tarantino's $50+ million valentine to '70s exploitation fare, turns on the typically over-the-top tale of a go-go dancer (Rose McGowan) whose severed leg is replaced by an assault weapon-cum-prosthetic. But unlike the typically frenzied stew of pop gems, vintage soundtrack obscurities, and dizzy oddities Tarantino uses to score his Death Proof half of the project, Rodriguez continues his John Carpenter-inspired habit of writing and performing the music for his. Anchored by a snarling, guitar-driven instrumental title theme that sounds like it was piped in straight from a strip club in Hades, the director's score is a gritty, frequently metal-driven sonic m#233;lange. Previous musical cohort Graeme Revell again collaborates on a handful of tracks (with additional contributions from Carl Thiel, George Oldziey, and Rick Del Castillo), and there are moments that instantly recall their dank work on Sin City, particularly the throbbing sax-uality of "Grindhouse Blues." Star McGowan contributes a trio of languorously wasted vocal turns on a cover of "You Belong to Me" and the alternately electro-clubby/flamencoesque Rodriguez originals "Useless Talent #42" and "Two Against the World." Completing the score's evocative musical recipe, Nouvelle Vague offer up a breathy, tongue-in-cheek cover of the Dead Kennedys' "Too Drunk to Fuck" while Chingon turns in a searing, Latin-metal fusion take of Rodriguez's own "Cherry's Dance of Death." --Jerry McCulley