"Kill Bill, Volume 1″ (Miramax)
Quentin Tarantino has directed four movies – “Reservoir Dogs,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Jackie Brown” and the newly released “Kill Bill, Volume 1.” Coming up in February 2004 will be “Kill Bill, Volume 2.” Ever since he hit his high with “Pulp Fiction” critics and fans have been asking if he has another hit movie in him. “Jackie Brown” didn’t answer that question but “Kill Bill, Volume 1” does. “Kill Bill” shows that QT still thrills.
This movie is composed of ultra violence, ultra comedy, and ultra style. Tarantino manages to combine the old chop-socky essence with anime animation, and fuse it all with a sixties type of glamour. You may have seen some things like this in other movies but you have never seem them combined so winningly as Tarantino does it.
Uma Thurman is “The Bride,” a woman who had her entire wedding party massacred, and she herself left for dead. Now four years later she has come out of her coma and is itching for a fight. She makes a list of those who did the deed and begins to take her revenge.
“The Bride” knows that the murders were planned by Bill (David Carradine) and that he used the assassins known by code names, but also known as O-Shen Ishii (Lucy Liu), Vernita Green (Vivica A Fox), Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), and Budd (Michael Madsen). The killing of these people is on her “to do” list.
As “The Bride” goes about her work, the story moves back and forth in time. There is no linear movement of the script and so the viewer has to keep an open mind on the time line. You also have to remember “The Bride” got a bullet to the brain, and she also lost her unborn child.
If you don’t like blood then you won’t like “Kill Bill.” The blood letting is offsetting but in a comical way. Heads and limbs are chopped off but it is all done in such a stylized and exaggerated manner that the horror of what has been done never fully sinks into the brain of the viewer.
In the middle of the film there is an anime sequence showing the early life of O-Shen Ishii, and it is just as violent or even more so than the real life action scenes in the movie. Just because it is animated doesn’t make it less horrifying.
In this half of the movie Thurman, Liu and Fox are the central characters. Hannah and Madsen are expected to be front and center in the next half. Thurman is amazing as the revenge crazed “bride.” She looks great, has terrific comic timing, and moves like an athlete in the action sequences.
Liu is also a standout as she uses her charm and grace to contradict her evil actions. This film should move Liu into the next level of stardom. Fox is enjoyable in her scenes but doesn’t make the impact Liu and Thurman do.
The film is rated R for profanity and continuous violence.
Some will be horrified by “Kill Bill” while others will be enthralled. No one will be unmoved by it. It is a film that will polarize viewers and critics alike. Tarantino has been promising to return to his brilliant directorial mode and he has come back like gangbusters. His stamp is indelibly on this movie and his signature is written in every scene.
“Kill Bill” is a movie of extremes, but the main one is QT’s extreme talent.
I scored “Kill Bill, Volume 1” a hurry with the second half 8 out of 10.
