Review of Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2

Rating: 8/10 (28 October 2005)

One of the most acclaimed movies this decade is Kill Bill, Volumes 1 and 2. Both movies made over 60 million dollars each in the United States (over 330 million dollars worldwide in total) and has gotten so much praise one would wonder why is it that this doesn't have its own star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame yet. Directed by the unique and creative Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill mixes bloody gory violence with a lot of beautiful imagery, excellent music, and a well-rounded cast of zany characters. Sounds great doesn't it? Well, Kill Bill Vol. 1 is a very good movie, but it is not as good as people say it is. As for Kill Bill Volume 2, now that is a spectacular movie. These two movies in actuality is one film, but for marketing purposes and because the finished product is so long, Miramax decides to release it as two separate films. Despite the rather slow start, Kill Bill finishes so strong you know why Tarantino is as popular as he is today.
Kill Bill is about a woman, whose name is not revealed throughout most of the film (known as The Bride), looking for revenge after the gang of assassins she used to be with attacked her during a wedding rehearsal, killing every single person except for her. But before she goes after the man that started the massacre, she wants to get rid of the four people that were involved in the bloodbath first. Much easier said than done. The first Kill Bill basically is like an action flick, not concentrated too heavily on plot, but more on action. Kill Bill Vol. 2 does contain its amount of intense action, but also sinks deeper into the personalities of not just The Bride, but of the assassins, and Bill himself.
The first part of Kill Bill is advertised as a massive action flick full of intense sequences of sword fighting and action. The truth is, there is only two massive action scenes, and both are good, don't get me wrong, but there is a lot of fluff in between the two action scenes. They range from several scenes of chatter, to an anime sequence, to a long sequence of The Bride trying to wiggle her toes. Talk about slow-paced. To add to that, it took 10-20 minutes before the final fight was finally set up. In other words, she was at the scene of the major fight, yet it took forever for the fight to begin. This first part of the movie would be much shorter if it was Robert Rodriguez editing the film.
Tarantino also does this one-take shot that just can turn a potentially short moment into a very stretched and prolonged scene. And this happens twice. The movie is good, there is a good storyline, two jaw-dropping action scenes, good cast of characters(I fell in love with Gogo Yubari, and also the top assassin Elle Driver) and a shocking twist in the end, but overall I find Kill Bill Vol. 1 rather overrated. If there is one thing I love about the first part though, it has got to be the music, especially the credits theme and also the now famous theme to the hotel where the final battle takes place. Now enter part 2.
Kill Bill Vol. 2 is everything Vol. 1 wanted to be. Volume 2 perfectly mixes suspense with action, humor, excellent music, brilliant acting, and a very good ending. Volume 2 basically fills all the holes Volume 1 created, and also answers all of the questions as to why the events took place and how The Bride became so skillful. Volume 2 concludes the entire ordeal, as the Bride has to deal with Budd, Elle, and of course, Bill, but gets a little more than what she bargained for. Elle Driver makes an even longer appearance the second time around, and Daryl Hannah (well-known as the mermaid in Splash) gives the best performance of the movie, as she portrays the ruthless, clever, unpredictable, and rage-filled rival assassin of The Bride. Her battle against the Bride stands in my opinion as one of the best fights within the past 10 years.
The second half of the movie also has several flashbacks that helps weave the story together, and the flashback themselves were very entertaining and offered its share of foreshadowing. This was the pure filming brilliance that I was expecting from Tarantino. Very few flaws in the movie, and there never was a sense that the movie was dragging too long, and it is clocked in at over 10 minutes longer than the original, but it did not feel that way. There is not much more to say about the second part, except for the fact that it really picked up the slack and delivers one of the best movie experiences this decade. Kill Bill overall is a great film, overrated, but a superb film nonetheless. Not the best I have seen this decade, but has an entertainment value that is much higher than the usual films within the past few years. Kill Bill: packs a violent punch, a truly entertaining roller coaster.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 = 7/10 Kill Bill Vol. 2 = 10/10 Kill Bill overall = 8/10