Here comes the Bride...

Rating: 8/10 (25 April 2005)

Tarantino's fourth (and fifth) film as director see's him blatantly working through his cinematic obsessions in a whirlwind of bloodletting and wire-fu. Tarantino's movie mixes Japanese Yakuza, Samurai and Hong Kong martial arts genres together and even throws in a little Anime segment (By Tokyo's 'Production I.G.' studio) and somehow it just about holds together. There are some nice cameo's too, from Tarantino hero Sonny Chiba and Battle Royale minx Kuriyama Chiaki. Miike Takeshi favourite Kunimura Jun also has a small role too, winding up on the wrong end of Uma Thurman's 'Japanese Steel'. The film is full of cool, nerdy injokes for fans of this kind of stuff. It even opens with the old 'Made in Shawscope' logo that adorned Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers productions in the 70's. Somehow though, despite the fact the movie is terrific fun for fans of Eastern exploitation cinema and newbies alike, it leaves you feeling slightly unsatisfied. If you're a Tarantino fan you might find yourself wondering where all the witty dialogue is (That a good proportion of the movie is in Japanese won't help, either) with only the occasional trademark witty one-liner (Thurmans to young gangster wannabe while smacking his ass with sword "This is what you get for f**king around with Yakuza's Now go home to your Mommy!")although we're assured there's lots of it in volume two. Which brings us on to the other real problem. It's no secret that Kill Bill was originally a three hour movie that Miramax has sliced in half with their marketing katana. Unfortunately, this is exactly how it feels too. The movie just stops, albeit on a plot revelation, and up come the credits. Not quite the damp squib of Matrix Reloaded but perilously close. And whereas that film had far too much plot and not enough action, this seems to be the exact reverse. Even the dodgiest Shaw Bros. vehicle revealed more motivation for it's characters actions that Kill Bill does. Ultimately it's a film that cannot be judged until we've seen the complete thing. Unlike the Matrix or Lord Of The Rings trilogies Kill Bill was never meant to be sliced up this way and, despite it's being divided into chapters anyway, it doesn't seem to do the movie any favours. Personally I was always destined to enjoy this, it panders to some of the things I like most about cinema, and Tarantino clearly 'grew up' (Possibly the wrong words, come to think about it) on the same eastern grindhouse cinema I did myself. My advice then, rent out a couple of Fukusuku Kinji Yakuza movies, or Miike Takashi's Dead Or Alive films, or Shurayuki Hime (AKA Lady Snowblood) which this film borrows from most of all and have a marathon screening session with them and THEN see Kill Bill Part one. You'll enjoy it so much more once you know which films it's referencing, and you'll get to see some wonderful movies along the way.