comments on Kill Bill Vol1

Rating: 10/10 (7 November 2003)

Hi everyone...heres my thoughts...hope you enjoy...
First off, WOW!!! How superb was the directing by the always-brilliant Quentin Tarantino? He shocked us with his brilliance with Reservoir Dogs, he proved his brilliance with Pulp Fiction, he continued his brilliance with Jackie Brown, and now he has gone to a new level with his brilliance with Kill Bill Vol 1. His direction in the showdown that pits The Bride against Go-Go Yubari, the Crazy 88's and O-Ren Ishii was top-notch and a stand-out piece of direction. The help Tarantino received from the outstanding Yuen Wo Ping was invaluable and can be seen throughout the fight sequences. However, there was one flaw that I noticed. How does the Bride miracously clean up her face after every fight? Thankfully, this minor flaw can be overlooked and forgiven due to the awesome fight sequences that surrounded it.
In a role that Uma Thurman claimed to be impossible to play, she excelled beyond even the highest expectations to give a knock-out performance as The Bride aka Black Mamba. In an up-and-down career, Uma has definitely hit a high point playing the revenge-seeking Bride.
Uma's performance was matched by all co-stars involved, including Lucy Liu as the violent Tokyo Crime Boss O-Ren Ishii, Vivica A Fox as the changed women Vernita Greene, and also the legendary Sonny Chiba as Hattori Hanzo. All these stars complimented Uma's performance to help this become an all-round superb movie.
Minor roles played by Daryl Hannah as Elle Driver, Michael Madsen as Budd and the unseen David Carridine as Bill are agonising teasers that make you want to see more of these characters...but will have to wait for the second volume to be released.
I must say I had my doubts before seeing the movie in concern with the anime sequence. Although after seeing the film, I realise why Tarantino choose that style to tell the story of O-Ren Ishii's childhood. Even though i have never been a fan of Japanese anime, this was one sequence i thouroughly enjoyed, and was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked in the movie.
However, push aside the brilliant directing, push aside the great acting, push aside the awesome story, push aside the surprisingly entertaining anime sequence, and push aside the great fight sequences and visual wit, because it is the amazing soundtrack that truly makes this movie a groundbreaker. The awesome combination of old-school martial arts music and typical spaghetti western music is truly a delight to hear and enhances the movie to a level few movies can reach.
I cant wait for Kill Bill Vol 2 to hit Australian Theatres and hope it matches up to Vol 1.
'Movies- best thing in life' TJC