From the video essays of YouTube critics dissecting Red Dead Redemption to the Blu-ray shelves of cult film collectors, the influence is everywhere. The DVDR may be obsolete, but the image it preserved—a beautiful woman, a blazing revolver, and a sunset over the mesa—is timeless.
Directors like ( Machete , Planet Terror ) and Quentin Tarantino ( Django Unchained , Death Proof ) have long cited exploitation and cult action media as influences. The "badass cowgirl" archetype popularized by Actiongirls.com—specifically the blend of 1970s grindhouse aesthetics with modern fitness models—predated characters like The Bride in Kill Bill Vol. 2 (the Pai Mei training sequence in western gear) and The Girls of Death Proof . Actiongirls.com Western Babes Volume 1 XXX DVDR...