Revenge, served up Tarantino-style

Rating: 8/10 (2 February 2020)

The two-part "Kill Bill" saga found Quentin Tarantino paying homage to Asian cinema, particularly martial arts & samurai movies. Originally intended as a single film, the story was split into two volumes at the behest of the distributor (Miramax). This is understandable since a four hour runtime would have been daunting for most movie-goers, regardless of the director's stature. You could certainly argue that the story's more digestible in two parts, though there's arguably a bit of imbalance as a result. The first volume is certainly the more action-oriented of the two, so I'm not surprised that it's (slightly) higher rated.
The story is much more basic than previous Tarantino scripts like "Pulp Fiction" & "Jackie Brown". One might even say that it's a fairly routine revenge story. However, you can rest assured that Tarantino dressed it up with his usual knack for tight plotting and quotable dialogue. In a nutshell, the story concerns a nameless character ("The Bride") who seeks revenge against her old allies after a wedding day betrayal that left her in a coma for four years. That's about it, though the exact circumstances of the betrayal and its aftermath are gradually revealed throughout the course of the story. It's a testament to Tarantino's skill as a screenwriter and a director that he was able to stretch such a threadbare premise into not one but two successful movies.
As usual with Tarantino, the cast is a big part of the film's success. "Pulp Fiction" standout Uma Thurman played "The Bride", which was a character that she & Quentin created together. Considering that the part was written with her specifically in mind, it isn't especially surprising that she did such a good job with it. She even received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. Apart from Thurman, the other notable returnee was Michael Madsen, who played one of the targets of the Bride's revenge. However, most of his scenes are in the second movie. Sticking to the first movie, the other standout is another female - Lucy Liu, as the ruthless O-Ren Ishii, feared leader of the Yakuza. Her showdown with the Bride is unquestionably the centerpiece of the movie. Interestingly, Bill (David Carradine) isn't heard from much in the first movie, which proves to be an effective way of building suspense.
From a directorial standpoint, it's hard to find fault with Tarantino's work here. His visual panache is undeniable but the film's copious style serves the narrative rather than overshadowing it. Robert Richardson's cinematography is consistently impressive as well, resulting in a movie that's a sight to behold from beginning to end. Also, unsurprisingly, this is yet another Tarantino movie with a stellar soundtrack. This time around, Wu-Tang Clan's The RZA put together an eclectic mix of tunes that suit the action perfectly. There are enough iconic selections here that I honestly have trouble picking a favourite.
Ultimately, "Kill Bill: Volume 1" is a good movie but I wouldn't rank it among my absolute favourites from Tarantino. The main flaw is an abundance of over-the-top violence that I frankly find off-putting. I don't especially mind violence in movies but when it's cartoonish like this I find that it cheapens the movie, particularly when it's one that shows a considerable amount of care in all other areas of the production. There's also a bit of a disjointed feel to the episodic narrative but I can live with that, given the ambition of the overall storyline. The movie isn't perfect but there are definitely parts of it that are just about perfect.