Wecome back QT

Rating: 9/10 (5 May 2004)

Ever since the disappointing 'Jackie Brown' in 1997, film fans have been wandering "what ever happened to that Tarantino fella that every young new movie Director tried to imitate?" Well the answer is that he was writing (along with the lovely Uma Thurman) his story of "bloody revenge" that is known as Kill Bill Vol 1. The basic plot is that a character known only as the Bride is left for dead in a Texas chapel on her wedding, day along with 8 other unfortunates. It also transpires that she is pregnant with the would be killer's child (the Bill of the title). 4 years later she wakes up in a hospital bed, & then goes on a violent, bloody & at times hilarious revenge rampage. That's it in a nut shell & the result's are absolutely magnificent. From the opening cat fight with Vernita Green (Vivacia Fox) to the incredible (& I mean INCREDIBLE) showdown with the Crazy 88, the film's pace is relentless. It thunders from set piece to set piece wreaking havoc on the senses. But be warned, the film is not for those of a weak constitution. It contains some of the most outrageous, bloody & over the top violence ever put on to celluloid. But that is where QT's wicked sense of fun comes to the fore. The Violence is so gloriously gory & OTT that you can't help but laugh at it's absurdity. There is also a beautiful crafted & imagined flashback sequence done in animated Manga style that is possibly the highlight of this near masterpiece. I say near masterpiece because there are a couple of minor grievances I have with this movie. The characters all seem a little 1 dimensional, in fact they are almost cartoon like, so you don't really care about any of them a great deal. Also there isn't any of the usual Tarantino snappy dialogue that you almost take for granted with the great man. There is also the "I'm sure I've seen this before somewhere" feeling you get whilst watching this movie. If you are a fan of old Samurai or Kung Foo films you will recognise alot of nods to some of the Eastern classics (Bruce Lee's yellow jump suit in Game of Death being an obvious one). Those small gripes aside, Old Banana Chin has come up with the goods once again. & you can forget about all the CGI nonsense that was so obvious in the Matrix Reloaded, What you see on screen in Kill Bill is a masterclass in choreography, timing & gushing blood fountains. Magnificent. Buy it.