!TARANTINO IS BACK!

Rating: Null/10 (31 October 2003)

Kill Bill has received more than it's fair share of publicity in recent months and as a big fan of his previous Directions (Pulp Fiction being one of my favourite films of all time) I was very exited about this film.
Uma Thurman plays the Bride, a former hit woman, who was double crossed and left for dead by her fellow killers Copperhead (Liu), Cottonmouth (Fox), Sidewinder (Madson) California Mountain Snake (Hannah) and their boss Bill.
Right from the outset you know you are in Tarantino country with the different styles of camera work, drifting from colour to black and white (even sepia) and back to colour, an animated sequence (which works surprisingly well), a non-linear story to the memorable characters and Tarrantino's unique quirkiness. The pace is a bit on and off, however I suspect this is designed to give the audience a breather between the fast and in some cases unrelenting action scenes. Don't blink during the final half hour where the fight scenes rival if not better the Matrix without using so many special effects.
Tarantino has obviously had a lot of fun with this film, letting his imagination flow, drawing heavily and unashamedly on his influences. As good as it is, this is no Pulp Fiction and there are some points in the film where Tarantino's over enthusiasm gets the better of him, however this does not take anything away from the end result. What Kill Bill lacks in dialogue and memorable one-liners, it makes up for with visual style and wonderfull dark humour, never trying to take itself too seriously and proving to be a triumph of style over substance.
Not surprisingly, Kill Bill has been criticised for it's violence, however this is mostly cartoon like, over the top and too tongue in cheek to be really offensive (althought the usual hardliners will always fins something to moan about - you know who you are). With that in mind, this is definitely adult material and not for the faint of heart.
I whole-heartedly support Tarantino's decision to present the movie in two volumes, as it would simply be too much to take in and appreciate all in one sitting.
Kill Bill did not disappoint me, instead for the first time this year I left the cinema buzzing with excitement at what I had just seen. Love him or loathe him, Quentin Tarantino has produced what I consider this to be the best film of 2003 and what is sure to be another cult hit. I can't wait to see Vol 2 when it hits cinemas next year.