Ultra-ultra stylish martial art blood-fest!

Rating: 10/10 (22 October 2003)

That Tarantino has a real passion for the movies, we all knew. That he loves his quirky left-of-center soundtracks we were never in any doubt. That he could successfully pull off another ultra-stylish genre-busting event movie whilst From Dawn Till Dusk and Jackie Brown, good as they were, still withered in the dazzling light of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction we wondered and wondered.
Has Quentin Tarantino, writer and director of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction still got what it takes? Has Kill Bill been worth the wait. Or is it merely a "good movie"?
Well relax. Because Kill Bill Vol.1 sees Tarantino back to his true form.
The story is simple. A basic revenge movie. But this is only a structure on which Tarantino can hang his stylish visual feast. From the outset, his influences come thick and fast; martial arts; 70's baxploitation; Akira Kurasowa; Alfred Hitchcock; Sergio Leone and many more. However, how many would have ticked the checkbox marked "Japanese Anime"? That many, huh?
Kill Bill is ultra violent, but in a graphic novel sort of way that is hard to take offence. Anyone who has seen 'other' Asian exploitation movies such as Battle Royale (with cheese!) and Ichi the Killer, even Monty Python and the Holy Grail, will know what to expect.
The film constantly surprises and always entertains. But the biggest revelation is Uma Thurman as 'The Bride'. She not only kicks ass, she also gives a performance which constantly walks a tightrope between seriousness and parody with such skill, she gives Johnny Depp in Pirates... a run for his money. So much so, the Tarantino/Thurman partnership could almost be the new Scorcese/De Niro for the New Millenia! We'll see.
To say Kill Bill 'kicks ass' is no measure of its success: Pulp Fiction doesn't 'kick ass'; Reservoir Dogs doesn't 'kick ass'. What they do do, however, is to showcase a blinding storytelling talent that excites and inspires a new generation of kids all around the World into being film directors like the movies of Peckinpah, Hitchcock, Kurasowa, Leone, Scorcese did for the present generation of filmakers.
Quentin Tarantino's unabashed passion for the movies is there for all to see. It excites, inspires and above all, rekindles OUR love in the movies.
That is success. That's what Kill Bill does.