2.5 stars - If it was released as a B-movie then nobody would like it

Rating: Null/10 (17 December 2003)

SPOILER To say that this `4th film by Quentin Tarantino' was eagerly awaited is to grossly understate the situation. This is a film which has generated more attention prior to its release than any of his previous films.
After awakening from a 4 year comma, The Bride sets out to kill each member of DiVAS (Deadly Viper Assassination Squad) who left her for dead. Starting with O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) and moving on to Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox). This is about the head and tail of the story.
Many have commented about the action sequences - claiming them to be `absolutely incredible' and the like. I, however, was not so impressed. I believe that the action is bland and lacks imagination (we can see Tarantino at his keyboard now - `and she cuts him in half'). A film which has achieved this much press and good reviews should be prepared to offer the viewer something they haven't seen before but, alas, Kill Bill fails in this department as it does with so many others. We see eyes coming out (yeah, done better in Evil Dead), we see people being cut in half (better, even, in 13 Ghosts), arms being lopped off and simple stabbings. A generation desensitised to screen violence, however, will see nothing that foreign films haven't beaten 5 years ago. I found myself becoming very bored, even during the `great' Crazy 88 scene. Not even an interesting new angle was used to capture these events. There is an exception however. The fight between Chiaki Kuriyama (of Battle Royale fame) and Thurman is very well done.
The style of the film is another area of concern as it both succeeds and fails on different levels. I really liked the soundtrack and I enjoyed, also, the use of Japanese dialogue and subtitles to talk about areas of American society (such as pizza etc). This is probably where the humour ended for me. The editing, I would say is atrocious.Why is there so much rubbish cluttering up the film? Sally Menke must have been sitting there going `you know Tarantino if I cut out all the unnecessary stuff then not only would it be more exciting but it would also take the running time down'. Tarantino then must have crooked his eyebrow and said "no, thanks anyway. Ok, now zoom into her toe -1,2,3,4, and back to her face -2,3,4 - and back to her toe -2,3,4' etc. Oh and wasn't Tarantino pleased to get Sonny Chiba involved - "yeah Sonny you can play your character from the Hattori Hanzo TV series. Guess what I believe we can gicve about a 15 min dialogue scene for no reason". The character of O-Ren Ishii also did not merit her screen time. I do believe that there are some nice little touches that most people miss but a few will linger on. The fact that the Green Hornet theme (very cool TV show/comic) plays when she is on that plane is pretty sweet. Thurman makes references to `Kato' masks (Bruce Lee's character in The Green Hornet) and the very tracksuit she is wearing is Bruce Lee's from The Game of Death. Perhaps I just left bitter by these references because I, and some others know, that this knowledge comes with commitment and effort - and all these people will leave Kill Bill thinking that they are `really hardcore' without putting the work in. There are also subtleties that add depth to the film such as the perception of Bruce Lee vs. Bruce Lee when Thurman takes on the Crazy 88. She is dressed in the enigmatic tracksuit of the ultimate martial arts legend while the 88 are done up in Kato gear (where Bruce played second fiddle to Van Williams). Seen in this way, the film could be said to be about racism but based on the content of volume 1, however, there seems to be little to justify these moral undertones and they seem to be slotted in to substantiate the film. The movie, however, is stylish, and we are never left thinking that we are out with the hands of a capable film-maker. The story moves fluently and is swift but this said however, and I hate to end with negativity, the reason we have this security during the film is that it is so familiar. The zoom in to the eyes is very Shaw Brothers, the banister action left me looking back to Crouching Tiger and the dialogue sounds like a Tarantino rip off. I can't say I wasn't disapointed.
The best way to describe Kill Bill is to compare it to a `best of' music album. The new comer may buy it and feel satisfied but the experienced fan of the band wouldn't be so keen. To hear people talk about the greatness of Kill Bill is to hear the man who has just bought `The Best of the Beatles' walking up to a Beatles fanatic - claiming to be just as experienced with the band. It is exactly the same. Perhaps I could add another star or two to the current award if Kill Bill had any fresh ideas or visions. As it stands, however, Kill Bill can only be reviewed on its merits which I feel are limited. The line between inspiration and plagiarism isn't thin, its very substantial. It is in this area that I believe Kill Bill has fallen short the most. Lets take a moment to think about Tarantinos intentions for Kill Bill. If it was released as a B-movie then nobody would like it. They would say the film is `unoriginal', `poorly constructed' and `pretentious'. Kill Bill wants to be a B-movie and I commend the efforts but at least they are creative and artistic. Kill Bill is just a mess. Ah well, maybe volume two will make it all work . . . until then branch out with your movies. Let Kill Bill be only an appetiser to the world of cinema you have yet to experience.