Sit back and enjoy the expertly-choreographed mayhem

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2016)

Tarantino's fourth effort and what a build-up; I hadn't seen a film this hyped up and over-covered since the release of the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. It's a good movie and even better for those who are fans of the same type of cinema as Tarantino: enjoy pretty much any '70s exploitation movie, from Shaw Brothers kung fu to Japanese samurai, blaxploitation and more, and you'll doubtless enjoy this one. However, this is not up to the level of Tarantino's previous offerings: the plot is wafer-thin and the dialogue is far more sparse than we're used to. His witty repartee is gone, instead replaced with plenty of black humour and more simplistic dialogue. The plot, which feels stretched (perhaps splitting the film in two wasn't such a good idea), involves Uma Thurman working her way through a hit list in a simple revenge drama. Tarantino's idea was to make just the kind of overblown trash movies he loved watching when younger, and he ably succeeded with this frenetic outing.
The movie is packed with action, and very violent action along with it. Japanese cinema is referenced in excessively bloody demises, where arterial fountains are the norm and limbs are chopped off like nobody's business. Elsewhere, you can't help but cheer as Thurman batters and mutilates her way through various killers, rapists, and hired help, and it helps that the actress puts her all into the film, especially physically; I don't think many actresses would be willing to undergo the punishment and unpleasant-looking stuff that Thurman suffers here. Of the other cast members, Lucy Liu makes for an ice cold villain whilst Vivica A. Fox has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it role. Asian film fans will enjoy seeing cult cinema icons Gordon Liu and Sonny Chiba pop up in welcome cameos. Plus there's an endless slew of film references, my favourite being the music taken from MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE! The infamous House of Blue Leaves massacre is easily the highlight of the movie, a twenty-minute action set-piece of outrageous proportions. Effects are purely basic, like those used in the '70s, with thankfully no CGI, and it pays off in spades. This film looks bloody and brilliant. It's just a shame that characterisation is so thin; Thurman has a cold heart which makes it impossible to identify with her at all. It's best just to sit back and enjoy the expertly-choreographed mayhem. Oh, and keep an eye out for the excellent anime sequence which fits perfectly rather than being out of place, which I feared it would be.