Bang bang…he shot her down…bang bang…and now it’s time for her sweet, bitter, and bloody revenge.
“Kill Bill”, the fourth film by Quentin Tarantino, is the story of The Bride, a pregnant ex-assassin whose former companions, the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, turn on her, murdering her fiancé, her wedding party, and even her unborn child (or so she thinks). Four years later, after awakening from a coma, The Bride is ready to hunt down the five people who beat her to near death and put a bullet in her head.
In essence, the two volumes create one film. Full of eye-candy galore and exquisite cinematography, Tarantino dares to be different with “Bill”, once again showing the world the true extent of his talent.
Many of you have probably seen either “Reservoir Dogs”, “Pulp Fiction”, and/or “Jackie Brown”, so you might know the extent of Mr. Tarantino’s capabilities.
Tarantino-esque qualities include his creative out of order storytelling, his use of gory and purposely fake looking blood splatter, and also his cleverly witty dialogue that no other movie can match.
Both volumes of “Kill Bill” not only follow this pattern, but exceed the expectations of even the most obsessive Quentin Tarantino fans.
So what made “Volume 1” so amazing that fans were anxiously waiting months for its conclusion? “Volume 1”, an homage to Kung-Fu movies of the past (that yellow jumpsuit screams Bruce Lee’s “Game of Death”), tells The Bride’s story in a form of film making like no other.
We watched her battle Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) within the first five minutes of the movie and already we could tell that this was no ordinary action movie. This wasn’t even an ordinary Tarantino film. Scrapping the usual bank robber/mob boss formula, “Kill Bill Volume 1” took martial arts of the past and with a hint of genius told a story unlike any other.
The most memorable part of “Volume 1” was perhaps the showdown at The House of Blue Leaves, in which The Bride takes on the Crazy 88’s, Gogo Yubari, and O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu).
Bodies upon bodies were sprawled on the floor by the time The Bride was finished, each with a different limb missing, if they were even lucky enough to have their lives. The Blue Leaves battle was so violent that the scene had to drop to black and white for a few minutes to get an R rating from the MPAA.
Exhilarating and breathtaking, the film was a brand new, daring interpretation of martial arts and how it can be used to enforce justice upon those who misuse it. My friends are often shocked to hear me describe a film in such a manner, but “Kill Bill Volume 1” was down-right beautiful. I cannot give the movie the credit it deserves by simply putting words to a page.
And so “Volume 2” was unleashed! As the remaining members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad prepare for a visit from their favorite ex-partner, (“You’ve got to start becoming afraid of her because she is coming!”) The Bride cruises down a California highway exclaiming, “I roared and I rampaged and I got bloody satisfaction!” She assures the audience that, “When I arrive at my destination…I’m gonna Kill Bill!”
Back up to where I said that the two volumes create one film. Online buzz is questioning the motive to separate the movie into two parts. Why charge double the ticket price if “Kill Bill” is ONE story, ONE movie, and ONE tale of revenge? The answer is sheer brilliance.
Whereas “Volume 1” paid homage to martial arts and Kung Fu movies, “Volume 2” follows the tracks and cinematic features of an old spaghetti western. Multiple close-ups on characters’ facial features and expressions, The Bride’s monologue as she drives to Bill’s house, and also the multiple shots of the horizon near Budd’s (one of the assassins) trailer home all give a shout out to the Western genre.
A good portion of the film is shot near Budd’s trailer in the desert, including the burial scene, dialogue between Budd and Bill, and also one of the few fight scenes in the movies, the battle of The Bride vs. Elle (another assassin).
Did you just say ‘few fight scenes?’ Yes I did, and this is another one of the main differences between the volumes. In the April 29 edition of “Rolling Stone”, Tarantino writes that “Volume 2” is, “much more emotional and much more tragic, with much more depth.” I couldn’t have said it better.
Despite the Kung-Fu/Western split, the movies are still complementary to each other. Volume 1 will keep you on the edge of your seat with indescribable action scenes that will blow you away, but what “Volume 1” is lacking in, “Volume 2” catches up on instantly.
The second installment includes more of the storyline that viewers might feel like they’ve missed after seeing the first part. Characters become more developed, the relationship between The Bride and Bill becomes more prominent, and as the creator said himself, the emotion is kicked up a notch.
The gruesome tale of revenge takes a slight turn into a not so violent territory, yet still keeps its audience captivated. By the end of the film, you’ll begin to see a love story that you never thought was possible, and you yourself will be in love with The Bride.
After seeing the second volume, all of your questions will be answered. What is The Bride’s real name? Why does Elle only have one eye? Why did Bill and the squad turn on her? Where did she learn to become the most dangerous female assassin in the world? (The scenes with Master Pai Mei have come to be some of my favorite and include an excellent scene in which The Bride attempts to take her master down). “Kill Bill Volume 2” offers all this and much, much more.
It’s hard to go into much detail about “Volume 2” without spoiling “Volume 1” and some of the surprises in store for those who haven’t seen either yet, but I will say this: “Kill Bill” would not have been the same if it wasn’t for the exceptionally talented Uma Thurman. Since Tarantino did write the script with her in mind as the lead actress, it’s hard to visualize the movie with anyone else but Thurman as The Bride.
To accompany your newfound love for The Bride character, a respect and admiration of Thurman is inevitable.
An Old Klingon proverb starts off “Volume 1” stating, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” A perfect statement, a perfect beginning, a perfect movie.
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