| StuntMan Mike | |
| |
| Played By | Kurt Russell |
| Occupation | Stunt Man |
| Also Known as | |
| Family | |
| Current Status | Unknown |
A sociopathic stuntman/serial killer who kills women in and with his "death proof" car. Portrayed by Kurt Russell.
Little is known about the serial killer known as “Stuntman Mike” beyond his history as an aging stunt driver and his preference in victims: young, unsuspecting women who he stalks from a distance before striking.
Three young women — hair and makeup artist Abernathy "Abbie" Ross, stuntwoman Kim Mathis, and up-and-coming actress Lee Montgomery are driving through Lebanon, Tennessee where they are shooting a film together.
They stop at a convenience store, where the legendary Hollywood stunt double Stuntman Mike McKay watches them from his car. The women are en route to pick up Abbie and Kim's friend, stuntwoman Zoë Bell, from the airport while Stuntman Mike inconspicuously photographs them. Zoë tells her three friends that she would like to test-drive a 1970 Dodge Challenger, the same type of car that was used in the 1971 film, “Vanishing Point” that is for sale nearby.
The owner, whose name is Jasper, allows the young ladies to test-drive it unsupervised after Abernathy tells him that Lee is a porn star and will stay behind to keep him company.
Zoë tells Abernathy and Kim that she needs to play a game they call "Ship's Mast," whereby she rides the hood holding belts fastened to the car while Kim drives at high speeds. Kim is hesitant but agrees.
Meanwhile, back at Jasper’s place, Lee has been assaulted by him. She is seen running naked as an also bare Jasper charges after her with a butcher knife. All of a sudden, Stuntman Mike’s car comes out of nowhere and crashes into Jasper and sends him flying. Stuntman Mike gets out of the car, takes a towel from his trunk, and covers Lee. He consoles the injured and frightened young woman, giving the audience Dad vibes. He helps her into the passenger seat of his car, where he promises to take her to a hospital. As she puts the seat back and closes her eyes, Stuntman Mike breaks the fourth wall, looks into the camera, and smiles. Lee is never seen again.
We then join what we presume takes place a little later - Zoë, Abernathy and Kim are enjoying the stunt, unaware that Stuntman Mike is watching them. He rear-ends them in his car, causing Zoë to drop one of the belts accidentally. After several more crashes, he T-Bones them, throwing Zoë from the hood and into a ditch. Stuntman Mike gets out of the car to boast, only for the overly sensitive Kim to overreact and shoot Stuntman Mike in his left shoulder. Stuntman Mike drives away, panicked and in pain.
Abernathy and Kim cry over the loss of their friend until Zoë emerges uninjured. The three agree to catch up to Stuntman Mike. Stuntman Mike has stopped on a narrow road to treat his wound with Four Roses bourbon.
The women rear-end him at high speed. Zoë gets out and beats him with a pipe, but he resists and drives off again. After a long chase, the women push Stuntman Mike's car off the road. The three heartless and unforgiving harlots drag him out of the car and assault him.
14 Months Later[]
Stuntman Mike is seen his vehicle, now with a scar. Later, at The Texas Chili Parlor in Austin, Texas, he approaches three young women - Arlene, Julia, and Shanna - and responds to a challenge Julia made that day on her radio show: reciting the Robert Frost poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and in return getting a lap dance from Arlene. She is reluctant at first, but Stuntman Mike charms her into going through with it.
Later that night, Stuntman Mike chats up another young woman, Pam, who asks him to give her a ride home. He agrees and when he later shows her his car, she learns that he has specially fortified his vehicle with a roll cage to ensure he survives any collision. The two leave the restaurant and all appears to be well. On the drive however, Pam starts to get scared and asks to be let out, but Stuntman Mike replies that his car is only "death proof" if one is sitting in the driver's seat; he then slams on the brakes, causing Pam to lurch forward and shatter her skull on the dashboard, killing her.
Stuntman Mike then catches up to Arlene and her friends, who are driving home, and rams his car into theirs, killing all three women. Local Sheriff Earl McGraw suspects that Stuntman Mike rammed the vehicle on purpose but cannot prove it. Stuntman Mike is released without charge because he had been sober during the crash.
The closing scene is of Stuntman Mike driving his death-proofed car on a deserted road in a rural area. The camera goes to the passenger’s view of Stuntman Mike, who looks right into the camera, smiles, and mutters, “Welcome to the Grindhouse.” The final shot is of him driving off into the sunset, making “Death Proof” the most remarkable comeback story of the ages.