Film Review
Kill Bill Vol. 1 & Vol. 2
Dir. Quentin TarantinoScr. Quentin Tarantino & Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Lucy Liu
Vivica A. Fox
Daryl Hannah
David Carradine
Michael Madsen
Official Site - www.kill-bill.com
Eastern meets western - whole new movie genre is born!!! You either love Quentin Tarantino or you don't, there isn't really any middle ground. I have loved him upto Kill Bill Vol.1 - He almost lost me with this violent, unredeeming revenge tale. Yeah, the references were cool; the kung-fu was amazing, the pink 'Pussy-Wagon' driven by Uma Thurman was a trip, the anime cartoon section a great effect--but the blood and the violence--I could barely take it--the 14 minute samurai-karate-kung-fu-sword fight was almost too tough for me to take. It was so intense and there was little in the way of witty-Tarantino-repartee to ease the pain of what was on the screeen.
But he's won me back with Vol.2--It is not that it is less violent--I mean it's the second part of a revenge tale! But there are added ingredients which make it so much more satisfying and help to erase the pain of Vol. 1. Vol. 2 puts Vol. 1 in context and in so doing makes it all worth seeing. Tarantino loves pop culture, loves movies, that's for sure, but he also knows how to take what he loves and create new cinematic experiences when he is on his game.
Kill Bill is at once a homage to Kung-fu and the spaghetti western. Vol.1 goes east, Vol.2 goes west and what comes out is not a hodge-podge of styles thrown together but a new understanding of both approaches. The Bride (Uma Thurman) is schooled in the East but has a western sense of determination and 'grit' - not for her, the emotionally detached 'zen' approach to life--she hurts, she cries, she feels--but she never gives up--no matter what (amd there is an awful lot!) gets thrown at her.
It is an amazing cast of characters all of whom lead our hero to her final showdown with the 'bad guy'--Bill (a brilliantly cold and callous David Carradine) and redemption--she can in the end shake off a life of murder and mayhem--she can lay down her weapon--she can start her life anew--I didn't think Tarantino had this much tenderness in him and he has a really funny way of unlocking it--but he does and it makes Kill Bill.
But he's won me back with Vol.2--It is not that it is less violent--I mean it's the second part of a revenge tale! But there are added ingredients which make it so much more satisfying and help to erase the pain of Vol. 1. Vol. 2 puts Vol. 1 in context and in so doing makes it all worth seeing. Tarantino loves pop culture, loves movies, that's for sure, but he also knows how to take what he loves and create new cinematic experiences when he is on his game.
Kill Bill is at once a homage to Kung-fu and the spaghetti western. Vol.1 goes east, Vol.2 goes west and what comes out is not a hodge-podge of styles thrown together but a new understanding of both approaches. The Bride (Uma Thurman) is schooled in the East but has a western sense of determination and 'grit' - not for her, the emotionally detached 'zen' approach to life--she hurts, she cries, she feels--but she never gives up--no matter what (amd there is an awful lot!) gets thrown at her.
It is an amazing cast of characters all of whom lead our hero to her final showdown with the 'bad guy'--Bill (a brilliantly cold and callous David Carradine) and redemption--she can in the end shake off a life of murder and mayhem--she can lay down her weapon--she can start her life anew--I didn't think Tarantino had this much tenderness in him and he has a really funny way of unlocking it--but he does and it makes Kill Bill.