Kill Bill Movie Review:


Tarantino's fourth film is clearly his most passionate.

Style on a very big stick from the master of cool, Tarantino has been working on this martial art baby for years and when you sit down and experience it you can see why.

It's an assault on the senses from the start as very early on we learn of the minimal plot and full on violence toward Uma, and see exactly where Quentin wants to take us. Think Crouching Tiger, think The Matrix throw in From Dusk Til Dawn for its anarchic attack of the unexpected and that is just a peppering of what Kill Bill part 1 is going to do to you!

The violence and fight sequences are visually relentless as we see the director take his influences from his 60's and 70's martial arts film (You know the ones where the colour is faded and the lip synch is out, but the fighting is awesome). It is without a doubt his personal homage to the films he holds dear as we see the care he has put into the detail and attention to each move in every frame of film.

Blended together with the snappy dialogue and too cool for words characters that have been written with the funkiest spot on music that seems to just fit with the moment. Tarantino is the best in the business at making a sequence click with his use of music - be it Jackie Brown, Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction - and he does it again with @*!ing ease (Bas$!rd) it doesn't matter whether it is a frenzied fight scene or a spiritual calm before a blood storm, straight away he nails it with the script, camera and tunes – Masterful!

The whole look of the film is great, it has a different look around every corner be it glossy Tokyo or grainy middle America. The cinematographer has worked well with his director to please the expectant audience, nice work with the saturation of colour during the over the top limb-losing fight sequences that has rivers of crimson turn black and white and a great animation section that introduces a main character. The film is pretty much filmed in a studio environment to get the choreography just right so you kind of forget where you are at times because the background is just that – background. With a second and third viewing we will learn how damned detailed this (already) cult classic is.

Wildly daring and at times risky but with a maverick studio like Miramax behind you, you feel you can jump with the Weinstein safety net!

Uma et al are great, Part Two will introduce more of the bunch as the first film only really concentrates on the women of the ensemble, but as the film comes to its climax you don't want it to end, but kind of feel it's right to stop there because you can't take too much more of what has just happened! (I hope this makes sense? When you watch it, I think you will agree). The humour is necessary at times and is welcomed when it's effortlessly introduced as we mix up the fighting with the clear use of flashback and character history.

Kill Bill is full on and not for the faint hearted but wow, what a visual treat. You're left wanting more but exhausted from what has just happened. Your senses are numbed but for all the right reasons!

Film fans line up and wait patiently for the cult classic to be...KILL BILL

4/5

Fletch

The maniacal mind of director Quentin Tarantino has always been fixated with the world of samurai and kung-fu action genre films. The director has embraced a lot of films in the vein of those old subtitled Bruce Lee movies we all loved in the 1970s. But were they really that great that they need a double-film homage to them. That is basically what the two films that comprise the “Kill Bill” films are.

Tarantino’s first entry in his revenge series finds the central character, battered and beaten bride-to-be character only known as “Black Mamba” (Uma Thurman), left for dead as her whole wedding party is wiped out by the “Deadly Viper Assassination Squad” (or DiVAS) masterminded by “Bill” (David Carradine).

When “Black Mamba” awakens from her coma she plans out the vicious extermination of the DiVAS. By the end of the film, two of her prey will fall and Mamba will be knee-deep in blood. The film co-stars Michael Madsen, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah and Julie Dreyfuss as the DiVAS.

Tarantino’s passion and obsession with the genre is evident in every frame of his latest film. Tarantino’s no-holds-barred action and blood reigns throughout his film and the director seems to be having a lot of fun showing how much he loves what he is filming.

He loves the look, intrigue and animation of oriental culture but I am not sure if he understands its majesty and soul. Akira Kurosawa, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time embraced the samurai genre and created the immortal “Yojimbo”. That film is probably the greatest of the genre and why didn’t Quentin try to emulate the majesty of that film instead of crazy linear kung-fu films? If you want to homage this genre why not look to the best.

I really liked the performance from Uma Thurman who shows that she has a lot of will and stamina to go through this film. What Tarantino must have put the actress through must have been grueling. Her performance does ring through as a treasure incased in all the blood flung throughout this ultra-violent film. She is magnificent.

There are some obvious tributes to the films of the martial arts genre. One being Uma Thurman’s yellow jumpsuit in film’s giant battle scene is very reminiscent of Bruce Lee’s immortal costume in “Game of Death”. Uma’s victims in that scene are all wearing masks that are very eerily similar to Jet Li’s “Black Mask” movies. Tarantino’s subtle homages could also be seen as a criticism that Bruce Lee would wipe the mat with Jet Li and how much Tarantino loves old school vs. new school kung fu movies. At least that’s what I saw in it.

When I went into this film I was curious to see if Quentin’s 200-plus page script had put some depth inside this basic revenge scenario story. There is very little depth here but the script was probably so huge because Quentin put every little detail into his obsessively calculated action sequences. Quentin is great at doing over-the-top action scenarios drenched in 2 coats of blood and that is basically all “Kill Bill” is.

In some ways, “Kill Bill” is lost in translation but in others it is a blood-soaked, limbs-detaching, samurai-sword ballet. (3 out of 5) So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

Quentin Tarantino is an interesting filmmaker that you either love or hate. He started a revolution for character-driven crime puzzling films with the incredible Pulp Fiction (1994), but he has also been known to copy other directors’ work and shot selections.

His latest entry is Kill Bill-Vol. 1, in which the final film was 4 hours long, which led Miramax into breaking the film into two parts. Kill Bill-Vol. 2 opens next February. Vol. 1 is a classic "Tarantinoesque" adventure that is kung-fu film lovers’ dream film.

The story follows a beautiful ex-assassin known only as The Bride (Uma Thurman), who is left for dead on her wedding day by her old boss and lover Bill (David Carradine). Awakening after four years in comatose, The Bride sets out for revenge on Bill and his assassin squad, who have taken everything from her. Bill’s assassins are called the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad or the DiVAS. The Bride use to be a part of the squad and her name was Black Mamba. The DiVAS include the powerful Japanese boss O-Ren Ishii, also known as Cottonmouth (Lucy Liu), along with the assassin now turned housewife Vernita Green, a.k.a. Copperhead (Vivica A. Fox). The one male of the squad is Bud, also known as Sidewinder (Michael Madsen), and lastly the one-eyed blond Elle Driver, a.k.a. California Mountain Snake (Daryl Hannah). Though all of the characters are a part of Vol. 1, the revenge emphasizes in this installment is on The Bride’s encounters with Vernita Green and O-Ren Ishii. In addition to, The Bride does not use a gun as a weapon; she uses a lethal samurai sword.

This is a bizarre film, but it is brilliant in its own way. Tarantino does many things in the film to pay homage to kung-fu films, spaghetti westerns, as well as Japanese samurai movies. He even includes Japanese anime in the film to introduce one of his characters. Visually, the film is excellent; you will never take your eyes off the screen. This is one of the most violent films to ever grace the screen, in which there are many decapitations, body parts chopped off, and gallons of spurting blood. Tarantino chooses to have the blood release in the way of many classic samurai films and Japanese animation. The blood just does not spray out for a second; Tarantino unleashes the blood out like a fire hose. The fight choreography by Yuen Wo Ping also complements the film with authenticity and excitement. Tarantino interweaves many themes and works to the audience, in which his choices are so original that it is safe to say he is back in full force. The black and white sequences during the “House of Blue Leaves” scenes are essential, and the use of music in this film is outstanding.

The script is full of typical Tarantino dialogue, but there is not as much cursing in Kill Bill-Vol.1 as in his past films. The plot itself is a revenge-driven story, in which there are no real feelings made towards The Bride. All of the characters in this film are bad, evil people, so it is not that easy to become a cheerleader for The Bride, even though she is the supposed hero. Notice closely to Tarantino’s details of how the film intervenes within itself.

Uma Thurman is a gracious beauty that is commanding as The Bride; she really rocks in this role. Lucy Liu delivers a slithering performance in one of her best roles as the powerful O-Ren Ishii. Other actors make appearances with their characters, but they will be seen more in Vol. 2, such as Daryl Hannah’s Elle Driver, Michael Madsen’s Bud, and of course David Carradine, who plays Bill.

Though this film is so ultra-violent that it can come across as silly, what Tarantino presents is just a wickedly cool tornado of grindhouse cinema (kung-fu films, spaghetti westerns, samurai films). Tarantino himself calls this film a “duck press” of all the knowledge that he has absorbed from grindhouse cinema in the past 35 years. Though a little wide and over the top, it is still very admirable the work that Tarantino presents in Kill Bill-Vol.1. Though it is not a Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill-Vol. 1 is a kick-butt movie all of its own.

Grade: B+

10/10/03
By

Joseph C. Tucker

 

Bill’s Overkill One for the Grist Mill

San Quentin n. 1. Prison in California
2. The patron saint of retro video store clerks and self-appointed hipsters imprisoned in the past.

Tricks are for kids. So is Kill Bill Vol. 1. It’s a jejune mess from supposed auteur extraordinaire, Quentin Tarantino. Labeled as his FOURTH, it’s his worst film by a long shot (even worse than his segment of “Four Rooms.)” This is the best he could produce in the 6 years since completing the highly enjoyable “Jackie Brown?” Was he shootin’ up with “Rush” Limbaugh when he conceived this tedium? Getting the coveted Jack-booted “R” rating for Grand Guignol blood bathing, he didn’t have the guts to let the sex get beyond mild innuendo. The main babe doesn’t even get to expose her two best assets. This is no more than pusillanimous pap for Samurai wanna be’s. Especially those with an insatiable thirst for monotonous Asian antics first put to film, seemingly centuries ago, in Hong Kong. How many times can you stand to watch another knock-off (er “homage”) of “Crouching Tiger, Eaten Roy Horn?” Swinging, swooping, swishing, swashbuckling starlets celebrating Grrrl power? Bill’s Angels and Mr. Blonde? How many video games, TV shows, and films must it take to sate this sophomoric appetite for mindless destruction? Isn’t there enough of that insanity in Iraq and Israel? Grow up, grasshopper!

Opening with a paean to the Shaw Scope production logo, followed by a ‘70’s porn title graphic “Feature Presentation,” and a Klingon proverb regarding revenge, we are shown an in-your-face close-up of a bloodied supine bride (Mrs. Ethan Hawke) shot in black & white, to the tune of Sonny Bono’s “Bang, Bang!.” Panting, she seems to be contemplating the razor’s edge between sadism, masochism, and a sado-masochist like the dotingly creepy cowboy-booted Bill (David Carradine). “The Bride’s” post backstory is told through subsequent b&w flashbacks showing a matrimonial rite gone wrong. Terribly wrong. We witness the family values approved “shotgun” wedding. We are shown a CSI-like evidential view of the bullet, from its ignition to impact in the skull of the pregnant intended, an immediate indication that this is no “Brideshead Revisited.” Instead of a wedding repast, we get a blood feast. We gaze upon the family photo album for a while, enjoying the nice “shots” of the whole damned reception. The only detail gone missing is the playing of Golden Earring’s “Twilight Zone.” Later, we get to witness the special talents of the comatose harlot with the pulse of 69, “earning her keep” at ol’ hospital hell. Our visit includes a near fatal encounter with a whistling one-eyed teenage enema nurse aka Elle Driver/California Mountain Snake (Daryl Hannah). Despite the overwhelming odds in a facility with less security than a pre-9-11 Logan Airport, The Bride has a “miraculous” recovery at the insertion of a female mosquito probiscus and deftly bucks her orderly’s/pimp’s ministrations. Is this because canon law requires at least one miracle in order to bestow sainthood on a deserving paragon? Since the grains of sand are running out on the Polish Pontiff, and he is the all-time beatifier king, maybe the filmmaker was compelled to carpe diem. At any rate, the re-animation of The Bride is the starting point for this plodding tale of revenge. There will be no Shaw shanked redemption.

However, as ‘revenge is never a straight line,’ we are ahead of the flick’s pulpy fictional non-linear sequences. The script starts with “Chapter 1 (target/victim) # 2. Where’s Peter Greenaway when you need him. Residing in a cute little Pasadena craftsman home called “The Bells” and apparently not forewarned by Bill, Vernita (Copperhead) is surprised by the return of The Bride (Black Mamba). A WWF grade catfight breaks out interrupted by Mrs. Green’s 4 year-old daughter. Evidently, Samurai etiquette requires civility around children. Did all the snakes get preggers at the same time? After introductions, during which The Bride’s real name gets bleeped out by Samurai censors, the gals take it into the kitchen for a coffee chat. Unfortunately, street ‘tudes get the better of them and viper Vivica’s Foxy Brown drowns in an explosion of sugary kiddy cereal. Kaboom! The Pussy Wagon then peels back to the future in search of numero uno.

To properly setup this backstory, Mr. Tarantino inserts a nice little anime (ironically less cartoonish than the rest of the film and quite nice looking on the big screen), so Asian Dragon Angel aka O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) can establish her credentials as a badass multicultural mutt. She has come a long way since she used to achieve the big “O” from having her knee joints jostled by Fish on Ally McBeal. Mr. T, apparently shackled to the ball and chain of compulsive redux, gives her a trite little cliché named Gogo Yubari to pal around with clad in (yawn) naughty schoolgirl attire. Cubby Broccoli, eat out your dead heart. Following the lead of GAT politicians, globalizing Bill provides the capital for her godfatherless organization. Banzai!

Meanwhile, in Okinawa, we are served a cold platter of sushi sans tea, and a Mr. Miyagi moment to give an ol’ genre icon (Sonny Chiba) a chance to mentor the completely rehabilitated near-mom. After some “witty” multi-lingual banter, the chef and The Bride come to an agreement. Together, the maiden of revenge and the mentor agree on a one-month plan, to provide adequate practice time for her as well as enough time for the creation of the sword-of-the-gods by Sonny Sword Master. Upon completion and a Zen-like ritual, The Bride is ready for the big confrontation. Read posted informative chapter title and proceed to next adventure. Sssssslither…

See the jet fly across the water and land in Japan. See The Bride ride an ensemble-matching motorcycle, including appropriate Nike product placement. Quentin Crisp would be impressed. See Reservoir Seoul Food make a big entrance into the House of Blue Leaves. Rock to the beat of the 5.6.7.8.’s featuring beehive ‘do’s like the B-52’s (the Gay B-29’s would be too crass considering the location). Wince as femme Fatale, Ishii’s right arm loses her left in a Python moment. See customers and harridan leave House of Blues. See Kato look-alike crew in their cute masks. See crew attack. Wait for Seller’s Clouseau to yell, “Not now Cato, you idiot!” See Gogo go bye-bye. Picture Ishii (Cottonmouth) as Al Pacino at the top of the stairs utter, “say hello to my little yellow friends!” Gasp as 88 Yakuzas in black & white attire storm the palace. See The Bride turn them into sashimi. So solly cholly, no wasabi. Hai! Witness more hordes with swords than brandished by Sophocle’s Ajax. See piles of blood-spurting limbs spray a sea of red over the dead, leaving more one-armed noisemakers than an untaxed Indian casino full of slot machines and almost more dead limbs than a Gale Norton protected ancient forest. No arigato. See virgin white snow violated by vexed vixens vying for victory. See O-Ren get scalped Kemosabe. Hai!

See the plane depart into red skies. The End (of volume 1)? No way, San Jose! We must watch The Bride carefully write “the list” in bold 2 ink deliberations, and listen to whimpering admissions by femme Fatale (Julie Dreyfus – not Seinfeld’s ex) about the whole “affair” to Mr. Bill. Chopped off in mid-conversation, there is no “to be continued,” or built-in previews, or even a pregnant pause. Only innuendo implying a partially aborted birth. This off-putting, chop-sockey hack job doesn’t even set up “Volume 2,” where the opening song will most likely be “Don’t Mess With Bill” by the Marvelettes. Instead of completing this “epic,” the legendary director takes a cue from other current epics, like “Lord of the Rings” and “The Matrix,” as well as from fellow producers (the Weinstein blobs) to serialize in an attempt to satisfy their yen for bucks. So, after an “intermission” of a few months, cultists, who were left under the dangling sword of Damocles, can wait until next year to line up to pay again for the exciting conclusion. Or not.

The cinematography (Robert Richardson) is top notch, art direction superb, and choreography lyrical. The songs are the usual Tarantino eclectic blend of puns and catchy classics. The original music (RZA), which borrows a bit from “Irreversible’s” menacing techno tunality and Tomita’s soaring sonics, works reasonably well. Foley is sharp, and makes effective use of surround sound. Despite all of this dedicated craftsmanship, the film as a (partial) whole, is basically a fatuous exercise in over-indulgence. Style once again triumphs over substance. With the mélange of languages, s/dubtitles, and lack of intelligent dialog, this “action” half-film will make a pile of undeserved lucre internationally if not domestically. While Clint Eastwood has long ago passed on the pasta to make films that resonate, it’s a shame that a man with the potential of Mr. Tarantino chooses to chew the chow mein with this derivative dreck. Silly rabbit.

Copyright 2003 by

T R Black

Leaving the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad is not an easy thing to do. When you think you are out, even been The Bride (Thurman) and pregnant on your wedding day doesn’t make you immune from been a target. Waking from a coma four years later and realising that your fiancé and unborn child are dead, revenge is the first thing that would cross your mind. You make a list of the five people that have taken so much, a Death List and head out to deliver some vengeance.

Its taken six years but finally the fourth film to be directed by Quentin Tarantino is finally here, it just a shame they had to split it in two.

Most if not all movie fans would have gladly sat through a three hours plus Tarantino film without a complaint ever passing their lips but the powers that be at financers Miramax and QT himself deemed it necessary to split the movie in half. We will never know if this was a marketing tool, just to copy The Matrix sequels or Tarantino’s true intention but we are stuck with it.

Split aside Kill Bill Vol. 1 is still an astonishing movie. Combining everything that is great about Asian Martial Arts cinema, past and present, and then even throwing in some Anime into the mix, with his own unique vision, Tarantino has created a movie that is both mesmerising and sensational. From the shocking, no holds barred opening to the inevitable cliffhanger ending, Tarantino viscously grabs your attention and never lets go, however hard you struggle. Never afraid to mix excessive violence with comedic moments, the movie has his distinctive feel running all the way through it even when the material that influenced the picture tries to take a strangle hold.

Central to the movie’s success is the performance of Uma Thurman. Never has a woman looked so hard in Western cinema. We have had pretenders to the tiara of action queen such as Ripley from Alien the Alien movies, Lara Croft and Trinity from The Matrix but never has a western actress dealed out death with such aggression and purpose. She even gives some Asian stars like Michelle Yeoh, a run for their money. Uma has always been an actress with so much promise but never the right script to push her into the limelight. For every Pulp Fiction, Gattaca and Dangerous Liaisons there is a Batman & Robin or Avengers that drags her back to square one. This is movie that will make her the star she so rightly deserves to be.

As with all Tarantino flicks the movie is filled with talent. Lucy Liu excels as Yakuza Boss O-Ren Ishii who is as evil as she is beautiful. Liu’s character is the main villain for Volume 1 and The Bride’s plan for her downfall is central to the success of the movie. If the character didn’t have the screen presence she has, splitting the movie in two just wouldn’t have worked. Chiaki Kuriyama as Go Go, Gordon Liu as Johnny Mo and Julie Dreyfus as Sofie Fatale, complete O-Ren’s new squad and reinforce her position as the boss of bosses.

There is also exceptional support from characters that will play a much bigger role in Volume 2. David Carradine is menacing even though you never actually really see him on screen and Michael Madsen just has to appear a couple of times to look cool. Daryl Hannah’s Elle Driver has a brief introduction but we get a taste for her character.

Every cinematic technique under the sun is utilised by Tarantino. The man goes to town on everything from slow motion to animation to bring this visual spectacle to life. The violence, which is a big talking point in most of Tarantino’s movies, is over-the-top, even cartoon like in parts. Excessive blood spurts and the use of fast cuts takes away any sense of believability, showing the audience that this is a fictional world, far from the restraints of reality. It is Tarantino’s attention to detail that is the true delight. He pays homage to the Chop-Socky movie and shows a true passion of every aspect of Asian cinema, old and new. From hiring master Yuen Woo-ping to choreograph the fight scenes to casting Japanese superstar Sonny Chiba, he treats the material and ideals of the genre with the up most respect and dignity. There are so many references. Just looking at Uma’s Bruce Lee inspired clothes that you know this is a movie that he has thrown all his passion for film into.

Kill Bill Volume 1 is an action packed opening act to what is a larger story. If you understand this then it makes for a far better movie. There is no reason for it to stand on its own, as you know the second part it coming. Yes there isn’t as much of the trademark Tarantino dialogue as fans might have hoped but this is counteracted by some of the best real life, non-CG fighting sequences to grace the silver screen in a very long time. The movie is a cinematic tour-de-force that will live in the memory for a long time and might only be surpassed by the second volume.

Star Rating = * * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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