Very effective style but Volume II better bring something in the way of substance

Rating: Null/10 (19 October 2003)

Four years after she was savagely beaten and shot in the head on her wedding day by her fellow members of Bill's Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, The Bride awakes from her coma, swearing revenge on those who killed her baby and tried to kill her. She compiles a list and sets out after the first person on her list, Tokyo crime boss O-Ren Ishii.
On the wave of to-be-expected hype comes Tarantino's latest film, and what a very mixed bag it is indeed. The decision to split it into two parts is probably for the best for audiences who may not be able to cope with this for three hours plus, but it may also weaken the film in a way that I can't be sure of until I see Volume II. I enjoyed the film  and let me stress that for I know many seem to treat Tarantino's films as a `you're either for us or agin us' issue  but I have some issues with it.
In terms of style, it is faultless. Whether it be the camera gliding over the tops of rooms or using black and white and animation to interesting effect. In fact the opening of the film is so powerful that I actually jumped in my seat as The Bride's opening line was cut short. However the emphasis on style has lost sight of any meaningful substance. I hope that Volume II will bring this to the table and not just do more of the same  if it doesn't then this is a weak film, if it does then it should work as a whole. I found it ironic that the only part of the film that became emotionally involving was the animated back story of O-Ren Ishii  ironic that the cartoon section should hold more substance than the main film. While I realise that we will discover much more in Volume II I still found it hard to keep with a film that was only interested in giving me visual stimulation.
Speaking of visual stimuli  the fight scenes are clever and impressive. The total lack of CGI is refreshing and the wire work looks natural and never goes totally OTT. My favourite scene is in the blacked out room in the House of Blue Leaves  a scene that lacks the gore but is visually uncluttered and stylish. The gore does get a bit tiresome and some of it was meant to be shocking but little of it is (unless this is your first movie!). One thing that bothered me in the cinema was some viewers feeling they had to laugh during the fight  as if Tarantino can only do violence if it is darkly funny in some way?!
The list of homage's etc come thick and fast. At times it works well (Sonny Chiba's comic relief chapter) but at other points it is so heavy and self aware that it is almost a spoof of the genre rather than a part of it. The opening title cards before the film are quite clever but when Tarantino gives up his own style in favour of aping others then it is a bit much. Likewise the Rza's score is mixed in the same way. At times his music is perfect  keeping the mood without losing his own style  at others the music is almost a lift from other films and it feels like a spoof.
The cast are good despite not having much to work with in terms of characterisation or dialogue. Thurman is strong and holds the attention, Liu is impressive but her character is at her most interesting when in anime form. Carradine manages to be larger than life despite us only seeing his hands. Chiba is a nice comic touch at the start of his scene and Chiaki Kuriyama is cool (despite herself being a walking reference). Fox, Madsen and Hannah have little to do but will hopefully have more in Volume II.
Overall I did quite enjoy the film but I was left a little cold by a mix of lack of substance and total visual onslaught. It has clever moments and it never let my interest wane but I really would have liked a bit of heart to go along with the vast amount of guts (and limbs) it had. Will I be there for Volume II? A fantastic last line from Bill himself ensures that I will be.