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Kill Bill: Volume One
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman
Genre:
Action/Adventure
Run Time: 111
min.
Release Date:
October 2003
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Chad Wilson |
After
almost four years on hiatus, Quentin Tarantino
returns with his fourth film as director in KILL BILL: VOLUME ONE.
Split into two pictures for Tarantino's wish to keep the entire film
uncut despite Miramax's urging, this first film of two is undeniably
"Tarantino" which is sure to please die hard fans of the independent
director. In truth, Kill Bill is a jumble of classic
action/martial arts film influences packaged as contemporary filmmaking.
Kill Bill follows the tradition of the martial arts action
film, albeit a film which once again features Tarantino's merging of
late era film styles and modern techniques. Uma Thurman (MY
SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND) plays the role of The Bride (her
name remains unknown...occasionally masked with audio censor bleeps), a
former assassin who, while pregnant, is nearly murdered on her wedding
day. Four years after the unhappiest day of her life, The Bride wakes
from her coma and begins a blood-splattered journey of revenge upon
those who nearly killed her, most of whom are former associates. David
Carradine
stars as the ominous and as yet unseen assassin leader Bill, Lucy Lui plays assassin and Tokyo mafia
queen O-Ren Ishii, and Vivica A. Fox
plays killer-turned-housewife Vernita Green.
Once one watches the film, there is little left to guess when asking
“What is Kill Bill?” The film is an homage to the martial arts
action film genre ...and it shows. While some audiences may be lost, it's
hard not to recognize the obvious lineage of Kill Bill from
kung fu films of the 1970's to fast paced anime (Japanese animation).
Indeed, Tarantino is so obvious with the inspiration for Kill Bill,
a sequence by Japanese anime company Production I.G. (GHOST IN THE
SHELL, BLOOD THE LAST VAMPIRE)
is dropped into the middle of the film, jarringly injecting the
childhood history of O-Ren's character in an animated gore-fest.
To say Kill Bill is violent and graphic is to understate the
presentation, but the film's violence is so outrageous and over-the-top,
it's comical. In one of the movie's dud scenes, the last of a few dozen
vanquished foes falls from the second floor only to land in a pool
filled with blood (get it...blood-bath...uh yeah). Limbs are severed
regularly, at which point entire septic tanks of blood spew from the
dismembered victims like a fire hose. The influence for these blood
fountains is clearly derived from stylized action animes and Asian kung
fu/crime films, but these displays are ridiculously silly rather than an
entertaining homage. The plot, such as it is, grabs for as much style as
it can get, but the film never makes any pretense. If you've seen the
trailer, you'll understand Kill Bill is action/revenge flick
and it takes no prisoners.
Kill Bill is enjoyable because of its vibrant and sympathetic
heroine played wonderfully stoic and emphatically emotional by Thurman.
The deadly deeds done by Thurman's Bride are brilliantly played against
the terrible tragedies she has suffered. The action present in Kill
Bill is a fan's dream, culminating the great anticipation of the
preceding scenes into kinetically powerful duels. While the many fights
of the film are again derivative of the genre (think Hong Kong wire
work), they indeed feel beautifully flawless and wildly chaotic at the
same time.
The problem with Kill Bill is its own nature as an adulation to
the martial arts/action genre. Kill Bill is so flashy, with
homages so flaunting (that yellow jumpsuit is a dead give away to Bruce
Lee in
GAME OF DEATH),
the film is made paltry by the fan boy-esque style. Most of the cast is
given so little to work with that the film must indulge in grandstanding
to craft the characterizations. Even Tarantino's normally interesting
retro influences and vintage musical scores are overplayed here,
escalating the films already tacky palette. Kill Bill may be a
film that knows what it is and what it's meant to be, but that doesn't
excuse its faults. Expect a violent, pedantic, post-modern homage to
kung fu films and you'll enjoy Kill Bill. Expect any more, you
can expect to feel cheated.
An average action movie made notable by the direction of retro violence
king Quentin Tarantino. Knock yourself out.
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Image from Kill Bill
Volume One
DVD cost: $14.99
Purchase:
BestPrices.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy: Christopher Allen Nelson,
who worked on the special effects, revealed in an interview that over
450 gallons of fake blood were used on the Kill Bill movies.
Movie Quote: "You
didn't think it was gonna be that easy, did you?"
Other Actors/Actresses
from Kill Bill Volume One
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