Kill Bill Vol.2 DVD Review:

Dispatching Vernita Green AKA Copperhead and O-Ren Ishii AKA Cottonmouth in a roaring rampage of revenge; The Bride (Thurman) has two more names on her Death List to contend with, Budd AKA Sidewinder (Madsen) and Elle Driver AKA California Mountain Snake (Hannah). Once these two are dead she can go on and pursue her ultimate goal, to kill Bill (Carradine).

The Bride’s tale of revenge concludes as Quentin Tarantino brings us the second volume of his homage to everything he loves about cinema and boy is it good.

After the frenetic pace of the first film, Tarantino slows it down and re-introduces his trademark superb dialogue. Gone is the blood bath to be replaced by character driven moments and back-story. We find out what happened at the wedding and are introduced to the remaining members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, including its illustrious leader Bill.

If volume one was Tarantino’s nod to Japanese martial arts cinema then this instalment pays homage to the spaghetti western and the Hong Kong kung-fu movie. Budd and Elle’s chapters are all western, rapped in extended, gritty dialogue with betrayal, greed and a face-off thrown in for good measure. Then we have The Bride’s training with Master Pai Mei, which is old school, 1970s Hong Kong kung-fu movie. Tarantino captures this brilliantly with extremely quick zooms into the face for a reaction shot and the outrageously funny dialogue between the master and apprentice. Then we come to the final showdown, which is vintage Tarantino. This is all about dialogue and the meeting of two great warriors. Throw in some revelation, followed by joy, followed by anger and you concoct an ending that is both riveting and completely satisfying.

The fantastic script is brought to life by the astounding cast. After proving that she can handle the action, Uma Thurman reminds us that it was her acting prowess that brought her to Tarantino’s attention in the first place. Dealing out revenge in this volume asks even more of the actress but this time it is more emotional than sheer skill and force. This is a career-defining role for Thurman and should push her back into the superstar league. Quentin Tarantino has a habit of resurrecting careers and he does it again for David Carradine. This is a man who was a superstar in the 70s after starring in the hit TV show “Kung-Fu” but his career has been in permanent stall ever since then but as Bill he electrifies the screen every time he graces it. This role should rejuvenate his box office potential and remind filmmakers of his talent.

Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah are superb as Budd and Elle. Madsen plays Budd as the broken man but just like a wounded animal he is at his most dangerous when he is fighting for his life. Hannah is another actress to benefit from the Tarantino career resurrection magic with a captivatingly evil performance. Elle Driver is one vicious bitch that could so easily become a screen icon in the echelons of screen villainy.

It is Gordon Liu as Master Pai Mei who steals the show however. An amalgamation of every Kung-fu master to ever hit the sliver screen with a sprinkling of Yoda, his performance brings some much-needed comic relief to the film. The training sequence is brilliant but is made all the more enjoyable by Liu’s presence. He makes you want to grow a really long beard.

Volume 2 is just as good, if not better than the first and proves again that Quentin Tarantino is a cinematic genius. In these two movies he has created a masterpiece of modern cinema that pays homage to the films that drew him into the business in the first place. Kill is Love.

Star Rating = * * * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a choice between Dolby Digital 5.1 and dts surround soundtracks, this is a superb transfer. Tarantino’s homage to the spaghetti western brings out the sharp yellows of the desert to produce an excellent visual transfer. The sound is also first rate, especially during the face off between The Bride and Elle, as their ruckus envelopes you in sound.

BONUS FEATURES

The Making of Kill Bill Vol. 2 (26.03 mins)

Writer/Director Quentin Tarantino, producer Lawrence Bender, composer Robert Rodriguez and stars Uma Thurman, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madison and David Carradine talk about bringing Kill Bill Vol. 2 to the big screen. Tarantino explains the difference between the first and second volumes, revealing that the first introduces the mythos of the characters and the second completes what was set up in the first. He also explains why there is more dialogue in the second film. The actors and director talk about their characters and Robert Rodriguez talks about how he got to write the score for the second volume.

Chingon performance from the Kill Bill Vol. 2 premiere (11.04 mins)

Robert Rodriguez and his band play two tracks from the soundtrack live at the Kill Bill Vol. 2 premiere including Malaguena Salerosa, which plays over the end credits.

Damoe deleted scenes (3.36 mins)

Your chance to see the deleted fight between Damoe and Bill on a street in China.

OVERALL

As with Volume 1, the film presentation is first rate but the extras are very lacking. No commentary track, not the best making of… featurette and a deleted scene, which is very good but without a commentary you don’t know why Tarantino cut or where it should have gone in the movie. The performance of Chingon is very good however, it showcases how much talent Robert Rodriguez has. Buy this DVD only if you really need to see the movie, it is a decent rent but fans and purest should wait for the inevitable special edition with the complete version of the movie.

DVD Star Rating = * *

Jamie Kelwick

Revenge may be a dish served better cold, but Quentin Tarantino knows how to dish it up hot and spicy. In a “making of” documentary, one of the bonus items included on the “Kill Bill: Vol. 2” DVD, Tarantino admits he could have added other elements to his visually exciting sequel -- but decided he had the confidence to make a film focusing strictly on revenge. And, as cast member Michael Madsen points out in the same featurette, “Quentin is the only one who could get away with it.”

According to Tarantino, “Vol.1” establishes the “Kill Bill” world and its mythology; “Vol. 2” unfolds the Bride’s story. It’s a simple tale of a woman (Uma Thurman) out to destroy members of the assassination team who slaughtered her wedding rehearsal party, leaving her for dead. She’s most concerned about the man responsible for this dastardly deed, her former lover, Bill (David Carradine). Because The Bride was pregnant at the time, she also desperately wants to find her daughter and save her from Bill’s clutches.

What makes this simple revenge tale so compelling involves its stylistic presentation and, as David Carradine mentions in “The Making of Kill Bill: Vol. 2,” its inside look “at the minds and hearts of violent people.” I wholeheartedly agree.

Thurman explains that after her character, a highly trained assassin, gets pregnant, she becomes the deadliest woman in the world. She’ll do anything to protect her child – even if it means giving up the life she’s led up to the time of her pregnancy. “The Bride is someone who loses and lives to fight again, and she does it in spades,” says Thurman. “This is an intensely female empowerment movie.”

Left on the Bride’s list of people to take care of in “Vol. 2” are Budd (Michael Madsen), Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) and Bill, of course. Madsen manages to endow Budd with a hint of sensitivity when he delivers the film’s most crucial line, “That woman deserves her revenge.” Hannah is a revelation as one of the most unscrupulous characters seen on screen in ages. She makes it very easy for us to cheer for Thurman during the gory fight scene between The Bride and Elle. As for Carradine, his calm, slow delivery comes across as quite hypnotic. “There’s a nobility about Bill,” says Carradine. “But at the same time he’s one of the most evil people you’ve ever seen.”

“Kill Bill: Vol 2,” despite its many excellent performances, belongs to Thurman and Tarantino. Besides bringing a bravura physicality to her role, Thurman gives The Bride surprising emotional depth for such a one-note character. And Tarantino sets up his cinematic world with an almost childlike delight. “This one is much more spaghetti Western than the first film,” he declares. Fortunately, he still includes Eastern elements in a sequence featuring Gordon Liu as Pai Mei, The Bride’s demanding trainer. Because “Vol. 2” contains more dialogue and deeper exploration of the relationship between The Bride and Bill, I found it more satisfying than “Vol. 1” (but I missed Lucy Liu).

Tarantino also made a wise decision in letting Robert Rodriguez, his best friend, do the music for “Vol. 2.” I’m almost as impressed with his work here as I was with his music in “Once Upon a Time in Mexico.” It adds significantly to the tone and atmosphere of the movie. One of the most delightful DVD bonus features is “Chingon,” Rodriguez’s musical group playing selections from “Vol. 2” at the premiere party.

Is there a “Kill Bill 3” somewhere in the future? There are two daughters who might grow up with a revenge agenda of their own -- so I’m betting on it.

Betty Jo Tucker

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