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Well, well, well, Mr Tarantino - how good of you to join us. What's that you say? Your six year absence since Jackie Brown (1997) can be explained by the fact that you've been compiling an epic homage to 1970s kung-fu movies, packed full of clever post-modern nods, rib-tickling one-liners, deadly honeys in cat suits and excessive comic book violence? Not only that but this is just the first instalment, leaving audiences gasping for more after a brilliant, bloody, samurai sword-wielding cliffhanger? All right then, welcome back aboard.That's right, folks, Tarantino is back in the director's seat where he belongs, away from ill-advised ventures into the acting world, and has returned, quite literally, with a vengeance. Kill Bill: Volume 1 (Volume 2 to be released next year) is hooked on the perfunctory pretext of any kung-fu film worth its salt – revenge. Uma Thurman plays The Bride who, pregnant and ready to walk down the aisle, sees her wedding party butchered by her former associates (The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad) before taking a bullet in the head from the bad guy boss, Bill (David Carradine). After waking from a four-year coma, The Bride decides it's time for retribution and sets about finding her would-be killers for a kung-fu showdown. Firstly, she tracks down Copperhead (Vivica A. Fox) and has a vicious knife fight in her American suburban home. Then it's time to tackle the rather more intimidating foe of O-Ren Ishi or Cottonmouth (Lucy Liu), who has since risen up the underworld ranks to become head of Japan's biggest yakuza gang. Over recent years, cinema-going audiences will have been convinced that kung-fu movies feature honourable warriors, whose fights are beautiful dance-like choreographed martial arts extravaganzas – such as Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) or Zhang Yimou's Hero (2002). Tarantino's world is more Manga, 1970s chop-socky slash and trash where assassins continue to fight long after their limbs have been severed by samurai swords (think the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 1975). Once again, through his sheer enthusiasm for the medium, Tarantino has managed to draw audiences into this cult world as easily as he did with Blaxploitation in Jackie Brown. Power within the movie world has allowed Tarantino to indulge his fantasies when it came to casting. Firstly, we have David Carradine, the martial arts expert who beat Bruce Lee to the role in 1970s TV show Kung Fu, as Bill (although he is barely seen in Volume 1, but will no doubt feature heavily in the climax in Volume 2). Then we have veteran Japanese action star, Sonny Chiba, as Hattori Hanzo – the legendary sword-maker who equips The Bride with some 'Japanese steel' for her mission. Also, there is 19-year-old Chiaki Kuriyama resurrecting her killer schoolgirl role from Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale (2000) and the star of several Shaw Brothers films, Gordon Liu, playing two characters. The references to kung-fu movies, Japanese yakuza films and spaghetti westerns in Kill Bill are, predictably, so numerous that they could provide the basis for many a film studies essay. Also unsurprising is the director's ability to raise a few eyebrows with the huge amount of onscreen violence. Tarantino, despite his reputation, has never been one to use violence gratuitously – the camera looks away for us in the infamous ear-cutting scene in Reservoir Dogs (1992), for example. Similarly here, the violence is comic book, in keeping with the genre it copies – severed limbs gush geyser-like, decapitated heads spurt and blood hits the floor by the gallon (yet Thurman's Bruce Lee-style cat suit remains untarnished). Perhaps the most disturbing part of the film is when The Bride awakes from a coma to discover that a red-neck hospital attendant has been hiring her out to horny truckers. Her retribution is brutal and the camera watches unflinchingly as she shatters his head between a doorframe. Perhaps this is a message from Tarantino – this is real violence, what you are about to see never happens in real life. The latter world is confined to the movies (or until recently Tarantino's brain). Where else can you carry a samurai sword on a plane (scissors aren't even allowed in hand luggage nowadays), splatter bad guys without encountering guns or cops, or awake from a four-year coma with nothing but stiff legs? Tarantino's traditional writing partner, Roger Avery, has not collaborated on Kill Bill and so perhaps as a result the plot has lost some of its narrative complexity and the one-liners often fall rather short. However, despite all of the director's claims of 'homage' and references to ridiculously obscure martial arts movies, Kill Bill shouldn't be viewed with chin-stroking appreciation. What he has made here is a playful tribute to a genre that had a very strong influence over him during his formative years. It oozes adrenaline, is soaked in enough blood to make Takashi Miike jealous and is simply a ridiculously contagious and exciting film.
Reviewed by Paul Clarke
Reader comments about Kill Bill Vol 1
saiyuki (Email address withheld) writes:
I must say: THIS MOVIE WAS BLOODY. But it was bloody in a fun way. Overly enjoyable and fun, but only if you can handle it :)
Jason Vega (Email address withheld) writes:
Wonderfull movie. I enjoyd it a lot... I would go as far as call it the movie of thew year.
Thank you Quetin for this masterpiece
Kaname Chidori (Email address withheld) writes:
Gosh, I hope I'm not the only person who thought 'Kill Bill' was funny? I saw it til my purse was empty, and I loved it more each time. And for those people who complained that there were no classic QT one-liners, there were, you just missed them because they were in Japanese. ;D
jules (foxyjules16@hotmail.com) writes:
omg i loved this movie. Ive been a fan of his movies since i was a little kid even thought kid shouldnt be watching these types of movies i couldnt help it i thank my brothers for letting me watch them and not telling my mom. But that ws then and now i have all his movies on dvd ive got some that he had produced and others he has written. I couldnt wait to go see kill bill. Because this would have been the first time i have ever saw one of his movies on the big screen. I was so happy. I knew for when i got my ticket i wouldnt be dissapointed the movie did hum judtice and he kept his amazing unique great film make quality. He tryed somehting different to his usually work and he succeded. WELL DONE and i cant wait 4 kill nill volume 2. Go c this movie it brill. I mixture of all genres.
Darkchylde (Email address withheld) writes:
This movie was one of my favorite samuri films ive ever seen.Lots of blood and lots of skill was shown.
Its great to have you back Quintin.
:D
Paul Scott-Lee (Email address withheld) writes:
Kill Bill has to be one of my favourite movies of all time, the fact the film centres around a group of deadly women makes it so much more exciting and different. I've had the dvd on order for the past 2 months.
I also love the way the film is in 2 parts and so consequently is left for you to try and figure out for yourself what's going to happen next. Can't wait until Vol. 2 is released.
Bill (Email address withheld) writes:
I love Kill Bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In my most humble opinion it is Tarentino's finest film to date.
Why, oh why!, oh why!, did the film receive such wimpish reviews on its release?
I can't wait for Kill Bill2
jens (Email address withheld) writes:
im surprised that this film review couldn't even get the plot of the film right. its chronologically fragmented but not that difficult - cottonmouth goes first and then copperhead.
and nobody noticed????
nath (Email address withheld) writes:
kill bill is a marvellous compellation of witty one liners and classic samurai gore. quentin best film since pulp fiction
MJ Blount (wetwillysback@hotmail.com) writes:
When i first saw Kill Bill i thought it was a great film with lots of blood and violence, but not much else (different from the tarantino usual). However, when i got it on DVD and watched over and over i realised it was much much more. I love the way it is shot in different and unusual angles, the anime is great and i loved Uma in it. She rocked! I thought the crazy 88 scene was magnificent and beautiful and the violence isn't as bad as it first looked. I wouldn't say it is good as volume 2, reservoir dogs, or pulp fiction but definitely a classic!
* Disappointing to see the reviewer make that mistake about the order of killing.
JAMi3 (Email address withheld) writes:
In my opinion, this ny least favourite Quentin Tarantino film, this is not to say that I didn't enjoy it, because I am yet to see a film by him that is below average. He is one of my favourite directors but when I saw Kill Bill, whilst still finding it vastly enjoyable, I felt it was slightly empty. Whether this was because I over hyped it in my head (mainly due to the director's name alone), it was missing the Roger Avary and Quentin Tarantino ingenious dialogue, although it was not without its humourous moments. When I first saw it my favourite scene was the House of Blue leaves massacre, but the more I saw the film the more I was swayed to the first fight in the film with little girl walking in from school. I also enjoyed the anime parts and am glad they were used sparingly, for effect.
In most of Tarantino's film he adds a quirky new feat. In Pulp Fiction it was the alternate storylines and time jumping. In Reservoir Dogs it was the character development, storyline and essential the violence. In Jackie Brown, it was a combination of the two with an excellent use of humour and a fantastic soundtrack. Other than the Animated scenes, I felt that Kill Bill was more of the same, directorial-wise I mean. What other tricks has Tarantino got up his sleave for the next film.
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