A beautiful continuation of the first volume

Rating: 9/10 (19 April 2004)

What can I say? I'm a hard-core Tarantino fan and Kill Bill Vol. 2 was just as excellent as I thought it would be. Vol. 1 was my favorite film of 2003, and I think that Vol. 2 compliments that film beautifully, while having the substance to be a stand-alone film. The various forms of cinematography that Tarantino employs are just as fun and stunning as Vol. 1, but this time we have a fantastic and hilarious homage to kung fu films of the seventies during The Bride's flashback to her training with Pai Mei, her master. The cinematography/photography was straight from the old Shaw Bros. films, and the slightest details show that QT is a huge fan, and knows some of the audience may be as well.
I can't say I was less entertained during this film as I was during the first, but I was entertained in a different manner. The non-stop action is not here, and the gore is significantly lowered, but the story is excellent and has a heart. Uma Thurman is once again absolutely radiant in this role  the role of The Bride was written for her and partly by her, and she is incredible. I've never been a fan of hers personally, but I really admired her work in this film.
I gave Kill Bill Vol. 1 a `10' rating on IMDB, and I would give Vol. 2 a `9'. And together, I would give them a 10. This was QT's opus, and I'll deal with not having a movie from him for several years if this is the material he will be putting out.
--Shelly