Why a disappointment?

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2004)

The most important thing that can be said about Kill Bill Volume Two is that it doesn't quite live up to expectations built up from the incredible Volume One. But that isn't to say that the movie isn't something special anyway. If you like Quentin Tarantino, and in particular, enjoyed the first volume of Kill Bill, then you will want to see this movie again and again.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
The film is completely different to the first, with dialogue taking over from violence (though we still get some fabulous fight scenes-The Bride's showdown with Elle shouldn't be missed by anyone!), and unfortunately, unlike with other Tarantino films, this dialogue can drag at times. When the Bride finally gets to Bill, don't expect The House of Blue Leaves-you will be disappointed. Some parts of the final confrontation are fantastic, but some will leave you itching for the story to just move along already. Emotion takes over, and whereas in the first movie, the Bride is portrayed as someone looking for cold, heartless revenge, (the scene with Vernita Green's daughter proving this), the character seems to do a complete turnaround. At the time it seems a little annoying, but with the addition of the Bride and Bill's daughter to the equation, it does make sense looking back. The last line of Volume One, in which Bill asks `Does she know her daughter is still alive?' was impeccable, and added a fresh twist to a very linear story up to that point. The moment when the Bride finally learns the truth is one of the most perfect moments of Volume 2, leading up to Bill and the Bride's final confrontation. And despite the seemingly endless amount of Superman talk, this confrontation is still fascinating for the most part, even it doesn't quite live up to expectations rendered from the first movie.

Other parts of the movie however, do really give us a reason to treasure Kill Bill. The scenes where the Bride is being trained by Pei Mei (a great and often hilarious performance by Gordon Lui) are fantastic, as is Chapter Six where we learn more about the day of the wedding rehearsal massacre-shot beautifully in black and white. The scenes where the Bride is being buried alive are surely the best of the movie though-the direction is amazing, making the audience feel everything the Bride is feeling. Even when the screen is nothing but black, you are entranced by what is happening. These are the scenes you leave thinking about, and which make you realise that even when Quentin Tarantino is not at the very top of his game (the level which Kill Bill Volume One achieved) it is probably impossible not to adore him anyway.

Unlike Volume One, performances really need to be at top level in this movie, due to the much extended use of dialogue. And on the whole, they achieve this. Special mention must go to Michael Madsen (Budd) who possibly put in the performance of his career, despite the rather small amount of screen time. David Carradine was immense as Bill, as was Uma Thurman (the Bride) though at times, Miss T struggled slightly with lengthy amounts of dialogue. Finally, Darryl Hannah was a revelation as Elle, conveying pure evil in everything she uttered. Hopefully, Kill Bill will be the beginning of a big revival for her.

Kill Bill Volume Two is a slight disappointment, but only in the highest sense of the word. On it's own, it would probably be regarded as a classic, but it suffers from being in the shadow of it's predecessor. As a result of the film being split into two parts, a lot of Volume Two seems to be padded out to fill time which is a shame. But it still deserves 4/5.