It's Tarantino, And It's Good!

Rating: 7/10 (10 October 2003)

KILL BILL!!! Just saw it and was I ever pleased. Tarantino's hiatus has left all his fans yearning for another blistering flick from the cinematic genius. He returns with KILL BILL: Vol. 1. He returns with style.
The performances are all over the top, but this kind of tongue-in-cheek moviemaking calls for that kind of behavior. Uma Thurman is sensational, as well as Lucy Liu. Vivica A. Fox doesn't have much time to develop, so her performance can't be lauded too much. Daryl Hannah is promising, with more to come. Michael Madsen is almost non-existent. However, as with Daryl Hannah, he has more to come. David Carradine has yet to show his face but comes off riveting as the title character.
The scenes move quickly and the flow of the movie is uneven. The movie really shines for its style and little bells and whistles. There is a great amount of detail, and the nods to martial arts culture such as the music, the formats used (there's even Anime), the costumes and the characters themselves are very enjoyable.
In the opinion of this viewer, Tarantino, who is known for his great dialogue, has abandoned cleverness and gone more for emotion and in-your-face action. This film isn't very talkative and when characters are talking, it isn't engaging dialogue. You don't have fun with it. The dialogue is always building up to something and you almost always know what it is. The film is very straightforward. The flashbacks are a kick, giving further insight into the characters.
This isn't totally important to talk about, but it still is a major part of the film. Violence. I mean some serious violence. This is one the bloodiest films I have ever seen, and that's saying a lot. Some of the deaths are appalling, and for that Tarantino needs to be praised. When you go over the top with a film, you have to go all out. One of the characters has an accident, ala the movie Hannibal, that has to be seen to believe. Innumerable limbs and oceans of blood are lost. It's great. This isn't a movie to take terribly seriously, you 're just supposed to have fun with it the way Tarantino probably did making it.
Last but not least, twists. This film starts with a twist, cut off by a bang. I think most who saw the movie knew what Uma Thurman was about to say before she got that bullet in her head, which obviously didn't kill her, but only made her more angry. The bullet was courtesy of Bill, as mentioned in the trailers so I'm not giving anything away. He has a nice twist of his own, which serves as the last line to Vol. 1, leaving it in a cliffhanger.
Where Vol. 2 will go, it's hard to say. If it is anything like Vol. 1, which I imagine it will be, then most are in for a real treat. KILL BILL is a great movie experience, with Tarantino at the wheel. Enjoy!