| Plot: On the day of her wedding, an assassin simply known as "The Bride" is gunned down along with everyone in the chapel by her former employer called Bill and comrades in arms. She survives to seek revenge against them and finally kill Bill. Review: When I first sat down in the theater and saw a trailer for Kill Bill, I was confused as hell. It clearly said that this was the fourth movie by Quentin Tarantino, yet there was no Tarantino dialogue and no gangster story to be found. What I found was a bunch of katana-swinging and kung-fu fighting. Had Quentin Tarantino gone insane?! Yes, he has, and he makes damn sure you know he is with this movie. The best analogy I can come up with is that this movie is like taking a toke with your best friend while playing Super Mario Bros. Confused? You should be. From the very minute the movie opens in "Shaw Scope", you know for a fact that Tarantino was not serious when he made this movie. If you are taking it seriously, there's something wrong with you. The film opens in classic Tarantino flashback style with us being put right in the middle of the film and then having to piece together the parts. Outside of that, there are no other Tarantino trademarks in the film, which might disappoint Tarantino fans. Hell, there isn't even a trademark Tarantino cameo in the movie. So if you can accept the fact that Kill Bill isn't like Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs, than you'll find this movie a pleasant experience. On the plus for Tarantino fans, the soundtrack is intact with the usual surf and '70s tunes you can expect from a Tarantino flick. The movie itself is a homage to spaghetti-westerns, samurai movies, revenge flicks, and '60s/'70s kung-fu movies at the same time. Each aspect is given equal screen time and none of it feels half-baked. And I'm pleased to say that the kung-fu sequences are 100% real and don't have any of that wire crap you see often these days. All the action sequences are cool, but the show-stopper is definitely the sword fights. Where else can you see Uma Thurman taking on dozens of guys in kato masks with katanas? Another thing that made me a happy fellow during the sword fights was the Akira Kurosawa-style blood splurts. The red flows here. There's as many sliced limbs in this movie as there are stars in the sky. It's good to see Tarantino taking "Japanese gore 101" when he did this movie. Secondly, the directing style itself is highly stylized and Tarantino stretches his directing muscles here with shots that are throwbacks to old kung-fu movies, drenching the screen in black & white for no apparent reason other than he felt like it, and all those kinetic action shots. If that isn't enough for you, there's also an ultra-violent anime segment in the movie. What more could you ask for? It's like a visual jar of sugar that's being crammed down your throat and feeling the rush from it. Acting-wise, Uma Thurman (a favorite of mine) proves she can hold her own when it comes to action and gives us a pretty good performance. Her monologues are always pleasant to hear. I never thought I'd say this, but Lucy Liu was actually not annoying in this movie. Wow, did I really say that? Yep, she does just fine in this movie. Both Thurman and Liu nab most of the time on screen and the best scenes are with them. What makes the movie so funny is that it is a sort of parody without actually being silly. All the lines are delivered so seriously that it's hard not to laugh. Case in point, after a bloody sword fight, The Bride and O-Ren have this to say: O-Ren: Silly rabbit... The Bride:...Trix are for kids. Thurman and Liu both say the lines as if it was a dramatic scene which is just so damn funny. In other words, either you get the inside jokes or you don't, such as the various references to Chinese and Japanese pop culture. The biggest reference being that of Sonny Chiba's cameo as Hatori Hanzo the 100th, a clear reference to the TV show Kage no Gundan. Now, if there were ever a problem with Kill Bill, it would have to be the fact that it's been split into two volumes. We don't really get to see much of the characters in this movie, and it just feels like someone cut-off the movie right in the middle of it (probably because they did). So it's like only getting to watch half of a movie. Other than that, Kill Bill is a movie that should not be missed out on. Tarantino fans might miss the classic Tarantino movie touch, but they should still enjoy Kill Bill. Also, don't take this movie seriously or else you'll have a bad time. I know I've used a lot of weird analogies for this movie, but that's the entire point BECAUSE it's a very weird movie. Kung-fu and samurai movie buffs should be able to pick up on the clever references quickly and enjoy this movie. While Kill Bill might be low on the Quinten Tarantino movie pole and not carry the usual Tarantino trademarks, it's still a movie that should be seen as soon as possible. So toke up, my friends and watch Kill Bill Vol. 1. |
| Rating: *** |
| Review by Jim |
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