Makes up in blood what it lacks in substance

Rating: 7/10 (20 January 2008)

I saw this film upon its release in 2003 and have to say that I wasn't impressed by it. While the film definitely has entertainment value, it lacks substance and didn't do much for me. Since then, however, I've seen a lot of the sort of films that Tarantino took influence from when it came to this film, and upon a repeat viewing of this first instalment of 'Kill Bill', while my niggles are still there; I enjoyed it much more this time around and have to say that Tarantino definitely achieved what he set out to. The film is an amalgamation of the sorts of films that Tarantino loves, all strung round a revenge theme. Clear influence comes from the martial arts, pinky violence, exploitation and western genres. The plot is exceptionally simple and focuses on a wedding day massacre at the hands of a group of people known as 'The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad'. The only survivor of the wedding day massacre is the bride, who despite getting shot in the head, was not killed. Four years after the wedding day, she wakes from her coma and vows vengeance on all those who spoilt her big day...
Tarantino does his usual trick of not telling the story in a linear fashion, and here we get a segmented chapter method of getting it across, which works fairly well. I would say that I am a fan of Tarantino's style, but at times he can be a little too 'quirky' and it does his films no favours. Take the first fight scene in this film between Uma Thurman and Vivica A. Fox - the idea of having the two women fight each other with household items is great...but then the kid comes home from school and the whole thing is too unlikely to be believable. The fight scenes are obviously the most important thing in a film like this, and the aforementioned scene is good in spite of the mentioned problem. Other great fight sequences in the film are good too; the bloodbath at the end being the most spectacular part, with the preceding fight that sees Uma Thurman pitted against a ball and chain wielding Japanese schoolgirl being the most interesting. Tarantino usually does casting well, and this film is no different. We also get a good soundtrack that fits the film well. One of the bigger risks in this film is the animated segment, and for me it's not a good thing. However, despite my problems with the film; it's hard to deny its entertainment value and the amount of blood on display (so much that certain scenes had to be shown in black and white!) is definitely a bonus too. I won't say that this is a big favourite of mine, but I am glad that I gave this film a second chance.