A perfect 10

Rating: 10/10 (13 October 2003)

Alright, I'll start this review off by saying that I am rather biased on the issue of this film. I'm one of those Tarnentino-followers that you hear so much about, that would follow him to the grave as long as it meant they could see another one of his films. The difference for me, of course, is that I've (gasp) never seen a Tarnetino film. Yes, I know, this is terrible, and it will be remedied soon. However, Kill Bill Vol. 1 just made me know WHY I am a Tarnetino fan.
The second reason I am biased is because I read the script before seeing the film, a couple weeks before, in fact. Why does this make me biased? Because I can view the film as the whole that I wish it was, rather than the half of a film that it turned out to be. Okay, let's get down to the nitty-gritty, and hopefully I'll explain a little bit more of that in the review.
THE ACTING:
I've not much to say about the acting in this film. It was perfect for what it was supposed to be, it was perfect with what I was expecting from the script. There were some awesome moments, Uma's first line in the film still haunts me to this day, because of the way it was written, yes, but also because of her delivery. I have no complaints with the acting in Kill Bill, so it deserves a 10.
ACTING SCORE: 10/10
THE WRITING:
I love Writer/Directors. I hate it when a bad director takes a good script and makes a bad film out of it. I hate it when good directors mid-understand a script, and make a bad film out of it. Neither of those can happen when you've got a writer/director. Tarentino knew what he wanted to write, and he wrote it. Perfectly. The brilliance of the script is not understood, I don't believe, until you've seen Vol. 2 (I love the script version of Vol. 2 a bit better than Vol. 1), but once you see it, the amazingness of Vol. 1 is shown. Yes, it is a revenge film, but it is THE revenge film of all time. Every line, every scene, is perfect.
WRITING SCORE: 10/10
THE DIRECTING:
And this is where the film truly shines. Every shot is amazing, every shot is what it should be, every shot delivers exactly the right sensation to the viewer. Okay, I had some different shots in mind from when I read the script, but it's okay, because what Tarentino has delivered is better than what I could have come up with. Everyone imagining going into the film industry must see the chapter entitled 'The House of Blue Leaves,' simply for the four amazing styles in which the fights are shot.
DIRECTING SCORE: 10/10
OVERALL:
I admitted at the beginning that I was biased for this film before I saw it, but I don't think that that means I think a crappy film is a good film. Any film that puts this much effort into being good deserves to be seen, and this film not only tries to be good, it accomplishes that goal stunningly.
The only problem I have with this film is not a problem with the director, actors, or anyone...but MIRIMAX. I have a problem with cutting the film in half. Yes, it is a four hour movie, and yes, people don't like four hour movies. I don't know what the solution was, but I hate that they had to cut the film in half.
Just know that you will not be disappointed when Vol. 2 rolls around. It is better than Vol. 1 through and through.
So, should you see Kill Bill Vol. 1? I would say 'yes' for sure, but I do want to say: there is a LOT of violence in the film. Not as much as I was lead to believe was in it from the script, but still a TON. Some of it is unrealistic (and meant to be so), but there is a lot that was so realistic that the more squeamish among you may want to skip this. The rest of you: yes, go see the film.
OVERALL SCORE: 10/10