Exquisite, astounding, compelling, but...

Rating: 10/10 (19 October 2003)

...there's something not quite perfect about Kill Bill. For the first hour I went back and forth between liking it and not liking it, especially between the first fight scene (which is wonderful, especially when the school bus appears) and the anime sequence. The movie is missing something in that space...maybe it's too slowly paced, or takes too much time explaining a plot that is so simple it could be explained in 5 seconds.
But starting with the anime sequence, Kill Bill was unflappable. So much of this film is a homage to other films, and yet it manages to be one of the most original films I've seen in years. The images and music in some scenes, such as the final swordfight in the snow, are simply beautiful. Exquisite, even. And even the minor characters, such as the sushi chef and the Texas sheriff, are interesting people you want to know more about.

It IS violent and bloody. Most of the blood is so over-the-top, it's just a geyser of red and not very disturbing. But some of it IS disturbing, and although I've seen much more gory movies like Dead Alive/Braindead and Day of the Dead, I actually wish Kill Bill had toned it down a touch. It's so bloody that many people have focused only on that aspect of the film, which is a shame.
Kill Bill has moments that are among the best ever filmed, but I don't think the film as a whole is as good as Pulp Fiction. I give it 9/10.