Quentin Tarantino's tribute to Hong Kong cinema is a martial arts masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (8 December 2014)

Many complain, often rightly, that most movies today are nothing but gratuitous violence and language. And Kill Bill is by far the most violent film I have ever seen. But there is nothing gratuitous about even a single moment. This is blood, gore, and casual ultra-violence used not only to shock and titillate, but to create a work of art.
Never has bloodshed been so spell-bindingly beautiful. As Pulp Fiction was Tarantino's love letter to American popular culture and low budget movies, so Kill Bill is his love letter to the blood drenched cinema of Hong Kong And of course, what better way to pay homage to the shockingly violent martial arts movies and gangster flicks of the Far East than with the ultimate revenge fantasy. And there could sure be no one more deserving of revenge then the Bride, who was betrayed and left for dead by her mentor and fellow assassins on her wedding day. So after four years of recovery, nothing can stop her tracking down the people who did this to her and wreaking vengeance upon them.
By my count, at least half of this movie consisted of fight scenes. And they are some of the greatest fight scenes ever put on film. The speed and skill of the combatants far surpasses anything I have seen. The movements of the Bride and her enemies are like a lethal dance, with each attack, parry, and evasion flowing beautifully and seamlessly into the next with exquisite precision. At times, the fighters circle slowly, gauging each other, testing their defenses, outwardly calm but with every muscle tensed for the coming strike. At others points, they put everything into the attack, launching series of blows too rapid for the eye to follow, or engage in sensuous twists and back flips that carry them just beyond the reach of their opponents blade. To see them fight is to fall in love with them and their art, and to be almost ashamed at having done so.
Nor does the movie ever flinch from showing the sheer brutality of combat. I can't remember a movie with more blood than this one. Blood soaks the clothing of the Bride and her former colleagues as they fight, drips from each cut they inflict on each other. It coats the walls and sprays a crimson mist as limbs are hacked off and bullets find their mark. And when needed, fantastic geysers spurt forth, showering everyone in the vicinity. At times there is so much blood that the only way the film can duck and NC17 rating is to switch to black and white, which only gives it an air of noir. And every drop is shed for a purpose; whether to add grit and realism, or an over the top feeling of unreality, or even a dose of humor.
And humor is something that Tarantino does very well. He is a master of creating situations and visuals so shocking, so filthy, and so completely unexpected that you can't help but laugh, then wonder if you're right in the head. His choices of music are highly unconventional and often comic as well. For instance, most directors would not use Japanese renditions of American pop classics during the build up to climactic showdown. But here sharp counterpoint between what's playing and what's on screen creates a slightly wacky undercurrent that fits very well with the film's tone.
As usual, Tarantino has packed Kill Bill with references and homages to earlier movies, most of which I missed, being neither a film historian nor a martial arts junkie. The film is naturally split into chapters, which are arranged for maximum impact rather than in chronological order, although not nearly to the extent of Pulp Fiction. There are also vast yet intentional changes of pace, with the action heavy segments being interspaced with periods of recovery and preparation. And in a highly original move, the entire third chapter is an anime.
Kill Bill has very little in the way of depth or subtlety. It is not highbrow by any stretch of the imagination, and no-one in their right mind would show this to anyone under seventeen. But it is thrilling, visually stunning, and simply awesome. This is truly a masterpiece written in blood. Pulp Fiction may still be Tarantino's best movie, but this has to be my favorite.