More subtle than Volume 1 (what isn't?) yet almost as much fun.

Rating: 9/10 (23 March 2008)

Kill Bill Vol. 1 is by far my favorite movie in recent memory. I've seen it 4 times and I still love every second. I love it for its outstanding boldness and relentless intensity.
Volume 2 is quite different from volume 1  that should be a given. Originally conceived as a single movie, one shouldn't expect the second half to mirror the first, especially when it's written and directed by Tarrantino. Don't expect another sassy knife fight or Kung-Fu bloodbath  expect the unexpected.
This pertains especially to the pacing. Volume 1 was fast and furious but Volume 2 is more contemplative. There's more word play than sword play and all the characters get ample room to blossom... before they are killed.
Everyone is colorful and amusing. Tarrantino has a way of simultaneously building fondness and contempt for the players, such that when one heavy back-stabs another, you feel a mix of elation and annoyance. Go ahead and like someone, but don't get too attached
Kill Bill is brimming with great performances, any one of which would single-handedly carry an average movie. Michael Madsen is Budd, Bill's estranged brother. (The two have a complicated relationship.) Although he appears to have gone tender, Budd is not to be under-estimated! Larry Bishop is hilarious as the sleazeball boss of the strip club where Budd is slumming as a bouncer. Darryl Hannah plays Ellie Driver, a truly bitchy villain you'll love to hate.
David Carradine is the charismatic Bill. (aka: The Snake Charmer) In the opening sequence of Volume 1, we saw him at his very worst but most of the time he is surprisingly pleasant to be around. But by his own admission he is a murdering bastard and he seems to have a knack for royally pissing people off. We see this with his former mentor Hattori Hanzo, his brother Buddy, and most especially the film's protagonist, The Bride (played of course by Uma Thurman).
Uma continues to dazzle as she did in the first volume. Seldom has a heroine been cast in so many different lights. Depending on the scene, she can look plain or glamorous, confident or vulnerable, exuberant or despondent. Her moods go all over the map but they're always convincing.
There's a few very cool dual roles. Gordon Liu played the "Crazy 88" commander from Vol. 1 and in real life he's the fight choreographer. In Vol. 2, he plays Pai Mei, a lonesome hermit who is the high priest of all martial arts. (Apparently Tarrantino dubbed the voice in Cantonese!) It's highly amusing to watch him put Uma through her paces. (This sequence also helps to illustrate how Uma's character became the deadliest woman in the world and is able to prevail in one particularly hopeless situation.) You won't even recognize Michael Parks, who was the Texas Ranger in Vol. 1.
Volume 2 relies heavily on dialog. This has always been an exceptionally strong point for Tarrantino and he comes through as strong as ever in this picture. It takes some strain, however, to reconcile the more cerebral high of Volume 2 with the sensational absence of subtlety in Volume 1. You have to shift mental gears to appreciate the entire package. It's well worth the effort.