Laura’s Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Kill Bill is a set of two movies written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The films were made in a single production and were originally set for a single release. The single movie would have been over 4 hours long, so it was released as two separate films, with Vol 1 being released in October of 2003 and Vol 2 being released 6 months later in April 2004.
The Analysis:
These movies can be summed up in one word: stylish. Cleverly combining neo-noir style, martial arts, samurai influences, and country western elements, Kill Bill is an unusual cinematic experience. Interesting camera angles, flashy outfits, and uncommon weaponry also add visual interest and flair to the film. Finally, Tarantino adds in a comic book style animated chapter, voiceovers in select scenes, a nonlinear plot line, and even a 4th wall breaking introduction scene to Vol. 2. These unique techniques and influences all add to the distinctly Quentin Tarantino feel of the movie.
The plot is centered around the character of “The Bride”, played by Uma Thurman. The movie starts with a badly beaten pregnant woman in a wedding dress begging for her life. She tells the man there, Bill, that the baby is his as he shoots her in the head. It turns out that Bill is the head of the Deadly Viper Assasination Squad, and is The Bride’s old boss. The Bride wakes up in a hospital 4 years later, having survived the attack after falling into a coma. After she kills a perverted male nurse at the hospital, she escapes and starts on a path of revenge against those who killed her unborn daughter and left her for dead.
The movie is violent, but in a stylized way, with some (but not all) acts being softened by certain angles or black and white film. There is definitely a lot of blood, but it was never so gruesome that I had to turn away. Some of the fighting sequences get a bit long; once you’ve seen one samurai sword killing, you’ve seen them all. You can tell that Tarantino very much thinks of himself as an artist and a storyteller, and he therefore creates a very detailed universe in his movies. While background about the Bride’s training and the individual showdowns with each member of the Assassination Squad are interesting, they feel too drawn out. On the other hand, I liked the interesting relationship between the Bride and Bill and wish it had been fleshed out further.
I watched these movies back-to-back and was all in during the first movie, but the second one lost me a bit. The storyline was still intriguing but it was sooo slow moving. They should have stuck with the original plan to do one movie and had just edited it down a lot. Much like Pulp Fiction, another Tarantino film, I found that even though this movie was bizarre, violent, and harsh, I still sort of enjoyed it. I liked the first Kill Bill better than the second, but they sadly are a package deal, as you have to watch through both to get the whole story.
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