A plus B movie

Rating: 10/10 (9 October 2003)

Yes, it's got a b movie plotline. Yes, it pays homage to everything from Shaw Brothers Kung Fu flicks to Spaghetti westerns to Kurosawa to every exploitation movie ever made. It even has a Japanese anime sequence. And yes, I realize that, as I've described it, Kill Bill: Volume One seems pretty unoriginal.
But mark my words, it's like nothing you've ever seen... Nothing.
I also realize that from the trailers, the movie looks kinda silly, and it is. But there's something going on beneath the surface that I can't quite put my finger on. I've only seen it once (four days before offiicial release at a press screening) so I'm not quite sure what that thing is yet. Rest assured, I'll see it a few more times before it's all said and done.
However, I think much of it has to do with the performances. Uma Thurman just plain blew me away. Much will be said about how physical a performance this is, and that's true, but that's not what impressed me the most. What really got me was the raw emotion she brought to the role. In a film where many implausable things are taking place, she grounds us in a stark reality. And what about that Luci Lu? After Aly Mcbeal, the Charlie's Angels movies, and Ecks vs. Sever, I had all but permanently stricken Mrs. Lu from my cool book. Well, she is absolute dynamite in this film! She's frightening, funny, sly, and even sympathetic.
Much will also be said about the film's violence. And yes, it's gleefuly violent. Cartoonishly violent. Ironicly enough, the least cartoonish violence in the film is in fact a cartoon. I defy anyone to not be disturbed by the amime sequence. But after a day or two, you'll start thinking about that opening sequence. Nothing funny about that. Then you'll rethink The House of Blue Leaves segment. Yeah, it's funny, but there's something about it that's just... unsettling.
I've tried to claim that this movie might be serious when actually, I'm still not sure. But I've thought about it constantly for the past three days, so there must be something deeper going on.
Then again, maybe not. Either way, kudos to Mr. Tarantino for, yet again, making a movie for an audience of one and getting away with it.
He's 4 for 4 in my book.