God Will Be Cut

Rating: Null/10 (29 April 2004)

Well, to start off my review, I must state that my knowledge of martial arts, or even the films that influenced Tarantino to make this film in the first place, is extremely limited. I managed to get a thrill out of "Kill Bill Vol. 1" purely on a superficial level. I always love revenge flicks, and the stakes were definitely up with this one. This movie can be summed up in one word: intense. Uma Thurman plays "The Bride" (whose name isn't revealed until part 2) in her best role ever. Lucy Lui, Michael Madsen, Vivica A. Fox and Darryl Hannah play her assassins -- all led by the infamous Bill (played by David Carradine -- although you don't actually see Bill until part 2). This installment focuses on The Bride coming out of her coma and traveling to Japan to convince the retired sword maker Hattori Hanzo to fashion an instrument for her to strike vengeance against those who did her wrong -- and anyone who gets in her way. The best part of this movie pits The Bride against about 60 henchmen protecting O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Lui), and it is a thrill watching her slice and dice her way through the mob. Like I said before, I may not fully understand every aspect of this movie, but I still loved it and was entertained 100%. "Kill Bill" is another example of Quentin Tarantino's cunning ability to take obscure material and bring it successfully to the mainstream. And not only is this Uma Thurman's best movie yet, it's also Tarantino's defining moment. If you thought Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs were great, prepare to be blown away. The ending is perfect and gets us ready to sink into part 2...
"That really was a Hattori Hanzo sword"
10/10