Thank you, Master Tarantino for the 'Kill Bill' series ...

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2011)

"Kill Bill Vol. 1" ended with the revelation of The Bride's daughter being alive and this last shocking finale couldn't have made us wait three years for a conclusion, it was a 'to be continued' ending inviting for a direct continuation that would also feature elements preceding the first Volume and completing it with a necessary level of depth. So, to call "Vol. 2" a sequel or a prequel is irrelevant, as the two movies make one, and constitute Quentin Tarantino's greatest cinematic achievement after "Pulp Fiction".
Creativity is like a second skin for Tarantino, it's amazing how each chapter exudes a unique atmosphere. "Vol. 2" never ceases to amaze us when we already got our share of adrenalin and emotions in the first opus, and I think the secret is very easy to spot, it's somewhat located in your heart and it's the ability of Tarantino to touch you right there. Action is one thing, but the movie excels even more in its portrayal of the motives that drives the action. And one recurring element in "Kill Bill Vol. 2" more than any other, is the repetition of flashbacks whether shown or told, lengthy or furtive. The whole chapter involving the initiation with Pai-Mei is a great homage to the traditional Martial Arts films, and another enrichment of our knowledge about the Bride, finally known as Beatrix Kiddo, and the relationship with her Master. This aspect is crucial not only to justify her use of a special move to get out of a coffin, but also during the sword-fight when Elle Driver reveals how she killed Pai-Mei, indirectly informing us how she lost her eye. This fight closes the character's arc of Elle Driver and makes the revenge even more delectable, the 'Kill Bill and the Squad' thing getting a bit old.
The fascinating aspect is how the film relies on the psychological element as Bea doesn't have the monopoly of motives. When we finally discover Bill, we have some insights about the significance of his acts. In the first flashback, Bill promises not to be a 'killjoy', but there's something odd in that whole chapter. Again the editing of the scenes helps the narrative in an decisive way, if the massacre had introduced the whole series, we would have been terribly shocked. But now that we know what a killer the Bride is, there's something disappointingly odd to see her, in a lousy chapel with these giggling chicks, and that blonde-haired schmuck for a husband. Something doesn't feel right. I'm not saying we would have rooted for Bill, but at least understood him. The last conversation between Bill and Beatrix goes even further in the development of Bill, proving how a fascinating character he is, and a suiting villain for such a heroine like Kiddo.
The masterstroke in the screenplay is the serum truth, a poetical device to be sure that we all get everything, after all, the Volume 2 is here to conclude, to answer the questions without asking others. And we understand that Bea left Bill because she wanted to spare her daughter from growing under a bad influence, which quite justify Bill's anger, who thought his protégée was dead. On the other hand, Bea knew she was lying to herself with that wedding thing. So there are three truths in the Kill Bill series. First, you cannot escape from your past. Bill had to be back, and Bea's lies ignited his anger and caused the massacre. Secondly, you cannot escape from revenge, Bill's brother, Michael Madsen as Budd, knew it, and says in a poignant brotherly discussion that all the squad deserves to die. And third, you cannot escape from your nature, Bea was a killer, and the whole revenge against Bill let her express her most innate violent impulses  and as she conceded, the blood poisoned by the truth serum, she enjoyed those killings. The tragedy of Bea is that her nature as a killer inspired her, in a motherly protective move, to get B.B., her daughter, away from Bill. And seeing her shooting for fun, senselessly talking about a dead fish or watching 'Shogun Assassin' to get sleepy says a lot about Bill's education.
The depth in "Kill Bill Vol. 2" allowed the climax to be more meaningful, Bea had to kill Bill, less for the chapel massacre than to protect her daughter. The reasons changed and so did the fight style. When we expected another blood-fest, the climactic fight begins and ends abruptly with the five point palm-exploding heart technique that catches Bill and us by surprise. Bea didn't tell that Pai-Meei taught her the technique, why? Because she's bad, or just because she, like any others, wants to win the fight, and it's the perfect ending, as we tasted enough blood to rather appreciate an emotional farewell. The next morning, we find Bea with B.B. in a motel. This time, BB doesn't watch 'Shogun Assassin' but a simple cartoon, showing that things are changing for the better. And in the bathroom, Beatrix cries with an euphoria that sounds like the hangover following the blood-drunkenness provided by so much killings, or was it just the after-effect of the truth serum? Never mind, she joins her daughter to let us breath and celebrate the happy ending of a glorious saga.
The ending credits reminds us that what we've seen is just a movie, a homage to a genre ... but what a movie! what a colorful gallery of characters who penetrated our Pop Culture memories : The Bride, Bill, O'Ren, the Crazy 88, Pai Mei  "Kill Bill Vol 2" is an extraordinary homage to the worshiped Martial Arts genre with some Neo-western elements, there's this agonizing feeling of an end approaching, and the creative destruction incarnated by the Bride piercing the coffin as to prove once and for all, that these genres are not dead, Tarantino as God-like 'CineMaster' resurrected them.