Simply Awesome, Pop and High Culture Seamlessly Combined into a New Cinematic Form

Rating: 10/10 (21 October 2003)

The 70s are often lauded as the era in which American cinema first reached the status of art as a new breed of director/auteur snatched the reins of film making from the old studio system. Lucas and Spielberg and the emergence of the modern blockbuster would mark the end of that era, as the corporatization of the movie industry would reshape the very rationale for filmmaking itself. The work of contemporary directors like Tarantino, Fincher, Smith, Favreau, etc. may now be categorized as a new cinematic form, one that self-consciously reflects an appreciation for film in all of its varied manifestations. While Coppola, et al honed their craft under Corman, their later work abandoned the simple forms of exploitation cinema. Tarantino, more than any of his contemporaries, found something to appreciate in all forms, and nowhere is that more evident than in "Kill Bill, Vol. 1." While his previous work embraced 70s film aesthetic, here Tarantino is wearing his heart and influences on his sleeve. "Kill Bill, Vol. 1" is a modern spaghetti western with heavy Asian influences. The film follows the path of revenge taken by a character referred to a both "The Bride" and "Black Mambo," her code name as a member of DiVAS (The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad). The DiVAS are a parallel universe version of Charlie's Angels, a genius conceit through which Tarantino also takes issue with modern cinematic violence. "KBV1" is one of the most violent major American films of all time, but its bloody aesthetic stands in sharp, unsanitized contrast with the modern film versions of "Charlie's Angels", where the protagonists often engage in bloodless unarmed combat, and violence is easily dismissed as something can occur without the benefit of permanent injury if not death. In some sense, the exaggerated gore in "KBV1" serves as a constant reminder that combat is rarely bloodless, and always injures someone, whether physically or spiritually. All this aside, I can't recall a more enjoyable time spent at the movies. The plot is crisp, the acting fantastic, and the action scenes are unbelievable. The back stories are alternately tragic and touching, with O-Ren Ishii origin story and The Bride's encounter with Hattori Hanzo being particular standouts. This is film as it should be, artfully constructed, without drawing attention to the often arbitrary distinctions between high and pop art. This film in particular forever shatters the significance of that distinction.