Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2
Starring Uma Thurman, David Carradine, lots of supercool actors
Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino


You wanna be like Tarantino? Go read a bunch of books. That’s right -- go read a book! Yes, Tarantino has an encyclopedia-like knowledge of films, but more importantly he knows how to tell a story. In numerous interviews, Tarantino has made it very clear that his non-linear style of storytelling may seem fresh to the world of cinema, but it has been used in books for ages. In Kill Bill (Vol. 1 & 2) he uses that technique and his knowledge and love of martial arts and western films to provide us with one hell of a story.

From Uma Thurman’s yellow track suit to the appearance of Sonny Chiba -- Kill Bill is full of homages to some of Tarantino’s favorite flicks of the past. It is a simple story: Uma Thurman’s character, The Bride, wants revenge on all the SOBs (Bill and his gang of deadly assassins) who shot her and ruined her wedding day. She wants blood and she finds it in the bodies of all those responsible for her misery. With that being said, we get Kill Bill volumes 1 & 2 -- two films full of great stylized action, razor sharp dialogue, and surprisingly some sensitivity from Mr. Tarantino. I don’t want to give away too much else about the story, but I promise you, watch the film and you will love each unfolding layer of the story and its characters.

The films are epic. Intended to be one long film, Kill Bill volumes 1 & 2 separated are as good as they are together. After being split, the first film seems to be the in-your-face half, while the second film is much more psychological. Both great, but depending on your cup-of-tea, you probably will enjoy one more than the other. I happen to like the second half, primarily for a great monologue that Bill performs on why he loves the mythology of Superman. It’s hot. What I recommend is watching both parts back-to-back for the best experience.

As usual, Tarantino has gathered an impressive group of performers to act out his life size action figure fantasies and some of those names include Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Vivica A. Fox, and Daryl Hannah. With Kill Bill being Tarantino’s fourth film, Tarantino has not really grown-up -- but his talent has definitely matured.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: Razor sharp action and dialogue and what we have come to expect from Tarantino. It doesn’t disappoint.

The Bad: Ridiculous amounts of blood, which is actually a good thing in a Tarantino flick.

The Law: Kill Bill is one for the ages.