Quentin Tarantino Returns

Rating: 8/10 (31 August 2004)

'Kill Bill: Vol. 1' marks the return of acclaimed director/writer Quentin Tarantino to the cinema screen after a six-year hiatus. Tarantino originally made Kill Bill as a 180-minute homage to films that have influenced him (he seems to enjoy 70's Kung Fu movies the most). However, the movie studio's economic concerns over a three-hour film meant the director was asked to split the film into two parts; hence, we have this film (Vol. 1), with Vol. 2 being released some time after.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 tells the story of The Bride (Uma Thurman) and her quest to kill Bill (David Carradine - who we hear, but do not see in this film). Her grudge with Bill is the result of Bill and his serpent named Assassination squad (of which she was a member) interrupting her wedding by killing everyone. The Bride manages to survive a bullet to the head that leaves her in a coma (her unborn child it seems, was not so lucky). After she awakens, she swears she will have her revenge on Bill and the rest of his assassins. As this is the first of the two films, The Bride only encounters two of Bill's assassins: Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) and O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu).
The story unfolds in chapters that are not necessarily in chronological order (much like 'Pulp Fiction'). Tarantino's script is always entertaining as it takes The Bride along her journey. Along the way, she encounters several colourful characters, such as Buck (who likes to) and Hattori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba). It is interesting that some of the best moments in this movie are the scenes with Hanzo (a legendary Japanese sword maker) that are quite sombre while the rest of the film is mostly fast paced action. The plot also features some nicely thrown in unusual moments such as The Bride's real name being beeped out whenever another character says it. An element of accuracy is also present since The Bride battles atrophy after she awakens from her coma. The main disappointment though is a lack of proper character development and none of the excellent dialogue that Tarantino does so well.
In terms of direction, Tarantino shows that he has learnt a few new tricks. These include one scene that is entirely in Japanese anime and several others filmed in black and white. However, one must question whether the choice to do this was an artistic one or an attempt to tone down the violence.
The cinematography in this movie is stunning. There is no better example of this than a scene filmed in undisturbed snow that becomes covered in blood. The contrast created by the red blood on the white snow is something to behold. Also visually captivating are the well-choreographed action sequences where Uma Thurman shines. In fact, her fight scene with the 'Crazy 88' gang is much better than the hyped Neo vs. several Agent Smiths in 'The Matrix Reloaded'. The action seems to fall flat however, whenever a limb is severed. The blood spews so ridiculously that it looks more like a gag in a 'Monty Python' film than an action movie. Tarantino has apparently done this effect purposely, as part of his homage to 70's kung fu films, but it seems stupid and out of place.
In terms of acting, 'Kill Bill: Vol. 1' has little. Arguably, Sonny Chiba as Hattori Hanzo gives the best performance. Uma Thurman is good as The Bride, especially her fighting sequences that clearly required extensive physical training. However, she never truly gets enough time to display her acting talents. Lucy Liu's performance is not very good but is still her best one to date. The less that can be said about Vivica A. Fox's acting ability the better, so it is pleasing to see that she gets little screen time and dialogue. The remainder of the cast is unobtrusive and does not hamper the film.
Overall, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is a fine film that highlights a director who is a master of his craft. It has a good plot scored with some high-quality music and is visually beautiful; the only disappointments are a lack of quality dialogue and some sub par acting. One cannot help to wonder what might have been if this motion picture had not been cut in half.