Reinvented Tarantino

Rating: Null/10 (18 October 2003)

Kill Bill is nothing short of remarkable. Nine years after Pulp Fiction, director Quentin Tarantino's fourth film is a wonderful narcotic. Personally, I think Tarantino, though great as a director, is limited in his writing ability. I know there are many who would disagree, but all three of his films share a general form of dialogue, a sort of hip-70's retro talk that grows old by Jackie Brown. But in Kill Bill, the dialogue is at a minimum and I couldn't be happier. Here, Tarantino pays brilliant homage to the chop socky films of Sonny Chiba (here appearing as a master swordmaker) and the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone. Uma Thurman is flawless in her role. The fight scenes, in their sheer brutality and obvious choreography, beat the Matrix all to hell. Limbs fly and fountains of blood follow. A cool comic interlude allows Tarantino to voice his inner bloodloving child in a series of bloody encounters. This film is Tarantino's most enjoyable work, and without the dull 70's dialogue, the experience is enriched by the raw force. Cannot wait for Vol. 2.