Tarantino is a genius... another masterpiece.

Rating: 9/10 (18 October 2003)

As the trailer and the opening credits will tell you, this is the 4th film by Quentin Tarantino. Granted he has had other projects other than just four, but this is his fourth that he has written and directed himself.

Kill Bill: Vol.1 is the first half of an epic story about a woman, `The Bride' (codename Black Mamba) who was gunned down at her own wedding by the mysterious and apparently powerful (and yet unseen) `Bill'. The Bride, as she is affectionately credited (and her actual name is bleeped out for dramatic affect) survives the gunshot and comes back with a vengeance to do nothing else short of  `kill bill'.
Quentin Tarantino grew up watching samurai movies and serials. He has admitted on several occasions that they were partly responsible for inspiring him to make movies in the first place and that he has aspired to make a modern-day samurai movie. Kill Bill is that movie.
Kill Bill: Vol.1 is nothing short of brilliant filmmaking. It has the `pulpy' feel of Pulp Fiction (dare I say pulpier?). It contains some of the brute violence (some say gore) of Reservoir Dogs, and is even influenced (admittedly) from a number of external sources and including Japan's Shadow Warriors series, old spaghetti-westerns, and there is even an exceptional Anime sequence right in the middle.
What's interesting to note is that all of these influences are often times so clichéd within their own genre, one wonders how anyone could attempt to make a movie with those elements without being one big cliché in and of it self. The fact that Tarantino is a genius (to partially quote my friend Rene) makes it possible for him to pull it off WITHOUT feeling like we've seen this movie a dozen times already.
In Kill Bill: Vol.1 Tarantino also has the knack of being able to push the realm of reality a tad over the top but somehow not leaving us in disbelief or disgust. Rather we are left in awe. His heroes (or heroines as the case may be) are not perfect and not without flaw, and we can at times see them falter, and I think that is what brings it down a notch from ridiculous.
Of course, Kill Bill: Vol.1 is packed with pre-existing music that only Taratino could accurately select and incorporate perfectly into his scenes. With perfectly choreographed action sequences and a haunting soundtrack to boot, you'll almost feel like you're watching a dance rather than a duel (In fact, on my second viewing, both my girlfriend and I were BOTH tapping our feet to the music) None-the-less, there is no shortage of pain, sweat, and blood to re-enforce that this is a brutal battle.
Personally, I haven't enjoyed going out to a night at the movies in a very long time as much as I had in going to see Kill Bill: Vol.1. In fact, it took me two-viewings to ensure I could be accurately inspired to write this review. People only mildly impressed by Tarantino in the past may feel the same about Kill Bill, however, anyone who truly recognizes and appreciates his work, will enjoy Kill Bill to its fullest.
(NOTE: Volume 2 is expected to be completed this February. Let's refrain from calling it a sequel, shall we?)