A bit confused....

Rating: 7/10 (23 October 2003)

During the watching of this film, I got confused from time to time. What exactly was Quentin Tarantino (QT) trying to depict with this film? I was expecting the usual excellent QT dialogue, and there was some in Kill Bill, but it was not nearly up to usual QT standards ala "Pulp Fiction".
WARNING - POSSIBLE SPOILERS
I found the anime' sequence very disturbing, but not due to the violence. I would have much preferred that the action and plot line portrayed in the anime' done by live actors. I think that it would have carried much more weight. I realize that QT loves anime', and was trying to do his own homage to it, however, I found it to be an insult to my intelligence. Anime' is deliberately over the top in part because of the inherent brand of particular intensity of violence hidden in the Japanese psyche(this is not meant as a racist tone at all- I've studied Kendo and Iaido since 1989, and have had several Japanese friends, and seen their culture up close and personal). Not many Westerners really get what anime' is all about, just like a white boy from the suburbs really doesn't understand what South Central LA is about by listening to Snoop Dogg. Therefore, in Kill Bill, I found the use of anime' to be confusing, way over the top, ridiculous, and an insult all at the same time.
I'm a bit amused by some of the comments here that rave about how realistic the swordfighting scenes were. They were realistic only in the sense that most contests with the katana are decided with only one or two cuts, unless you are trying to wear down your opponent who is stronger than you with a sliding sayumen (cut to the forehead, in order to make the blood drip into your opponent's eyes, wearing them down). All of the Hollywood sword positions (way too low jodan no kamae (high on guard position)- at eye level, with blade across face- kind of like the homeboys who hold a pistol sideways- it accomplishes nothing- maybe looks cool to an amateur) were way overdone. Only Uma Thurman seemed to have taken whatever training that she was given seriously- she had the best chudan no kamae (middle on guard position) of the lot. Strangely enough, her character lacked kiai (fighting spirit- exhibited by a loud yell from the diaphragm at the stroke of the cut) though- I don't recall much of that from her. Her zanjin (remainder spirit) wasn't bad, though, and her shobori (a cut into thin air after an actual cut in order to cleanse the blood from the blad without touching it) was pretty good.
Why am I going into all of this detail? Because, QT was supposedly making a movie with a lot of expert swordplay, and I was confused and a bit disappointed by it all. I really wanted to see Uma "tie a line of fishes" as Kensei Miyamoto Musashi recommends when fighting a group of opponents- but, it was the same old "everyone surround the hero, but attack only one at a time" bit.
However, QT did redeem himself with the end scene. I don't know if he intentionally shot the climatic battle scene between Lucy Liu (outstanding job of acting) and Uma with the snow falling, with full realization of the hidden meanings. You see, white is the Japanese color for death (like black here in the West), and two determined people fighting to the death, surrounded by all of the death from the previous scene, while WHITE snow falls- the subtlety there was marvelous.
The plot line of "The Bride" was actually pretty good, but the pop in and out of violent scenes intermixed with everyday life was too much of a contrast, even for QT. When The Bride wakes up, it seems like a shot for shot reproduction of the Mia Wallace scene from "Pulp Fiction", though. The characters of Bill, the sheriff, the male rapist nurse, the assasins- all classic QT characters. I was hoping for a bit more development out of them, though- specifically Bill, The Bride, and each one of the assasination team. O-Ren (Liu)got the best characterization of all- and she's not the protagonist! What's up with that?
All in all, Kill Bill was OK, I guess- but it was not what I expected, and it is definitely not up to "Pulp Fiction" standards.