QUENTIN TARANTINO IS A GENIUS!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (22 April 2004)

I've been looking forward to this movie for such a long time, and it not only fulfilled my expectations, but surpassed them. I was initially afraid that since I'm none too familiar with the martial arts flicks of the 70's, I wouldn't be able to enjoy it. Well...I was wrong! There's even a Japanese anime sequence that I loved. I am by no means a fan of anime, yet I enjoyed the sequence. Hell, I enjoyed every minute! Tarantino uses every trick in the book to keep his audience fascinated. First off, he uses all the lovely trademarks from his past films--long takes, non-linear narrative, sharp dialogue, etc. There's even some subtle touches that I'm sure Tarantino fans, like me, will pick up on. For example, there's a part where Uma Thurman says, "Everything's square," and goes on to do a gesture of the shape. She did the same thing in "Pulp Fiction." Also, there's an advertisement for Red Apple cigarettes, a made-up brand that popped up in his past movies. We even have Michael Parks as a sheriff. He played the same role in "From Dusk Till Dawn," which Tarantino wrote.

I can't say enough to compliment this movie. Everything works! Rarely do I give a movie a rating of "10." As I always say, there's a lot of good movies, but very few "great" movies. And I don't take the word "great" for granted. Uma Thurman is perfect in the lead role. I've never had a problem with her as an actress in the past. She's no beauty and isn't much to look at, but I never remember showering her with praise for any of her performances. In "Kill Bill" she carries the whole movie on her own two shoulders and does it perfectly. The role required a lot more skills than simply being in great physical shape. I know she didn't receive an Oscar nomination for this movie, but hopefully she'll at least be considered for Volume 2. But as Oscar politics go, the Academy tends to overlook actors in comedies and action movies. Everyone else in the cast is terrific as well. David Carradine has a very commanding voice, and that helps since he's never shown on screen. It's nice to see that Tarantino is not afraid to use actors who have talent, but simply because of their faltering popularity they're considered to be "has-beens." You know who else was considered a "has-been"? John Travolta. And look where he is now, all thanks to the great Quentin Tarantino.
The cinematography is brilliant. There's all sorts of weird and unique camera angles that I'm guessing were inspired from the 70's martial arts flicks. Tarantino even makes great use of black-and-white footage. The effects are cheesy, but they were meant to be and they added to the fun. We're supposed to laugh when we see characters' heads sliced off, and fake blood squirts out of obviously fake bodies. I'll tell ya what, I'd much rather see effects like that than CGI. The soundtrack alone is absolutely brilliant. Tarantino loves to use great hits from the 70's and put them to good use. That was most evident in "Reservoir Dogs."
As much of a Tarantino fan I am, I didn't think he'd be able to make a better film than "Pulp Fiction." Once again, I was wrong. I can't say that "PF" pales in comparison, but "Kill Bill" even surpasses that movie's brilliance. There's absolutely never a dull moment! Not only are the action scenes spectacular, but the story is fascinating. The action is by no means used as a crutch. We get to learn a lot about each of these characters. Even though there's many fast-paced moments, there's also many slower, quieter moments. Tarantino achieves a perfect balance in the film's pacing. I will just give one warning before I conclude: this movie is incredibly violent! I know people have mentioned that before, but they say that about all of Tarantino's films. Yet do we ever see the actual ear getting severed in "Reservoir Dogs"? No. Do we ever see blood squirting out the man's head in "Pulp Fiction"? No. But this movie is jam-packed with blood and gore. All I have to say is now I can't wait to see "Volume 2"!
My score: 10 (out of 10)