Here Comes the Bride (Again)

Rating: 8/10 (2 February 2020)

Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Volume 2" followed less than a year after the first 'volume'. It concludes the story of the Bride's quest for revenge against her former allies in the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. As you may or may not know, "Kill Bill" was originally meant to be a single film but the distributor (Miramax) pushed for it to be split into two. Although they were probably more concerned about maximizing box office receipts, splitting the movie into two probably made it more palatable for most viewers as well. Whatever the motivation, I think that splitting the movie in half was ultimately for the best.
There isn't really a lot to say about the story since it just picks up where the first movie left off and puts us back on the road to fulfilling the promise inherent in the title. If you liked the first movie, this is more of the same (which isn't a bad thing). However, it must be said that this chapter is less action-oriented than the first one. There are both positive & negative aspects to that. On one hand, the violence is less cartoonish but, on the other hand, the pace can drag a bit at times. In an ideal world, the two movies would have been condensed just enough to strike the right balance between action & drama.
The cast is trimmed down a little from the first movie but we get to see much more from David Carradine (Bill), Darryl Hannah (Elle Driver) & Michael Madsen (Budd) this time around. All contribute good performances and it was also interesting to see Michael Parks & Gordon Liu return in different roles.
As with the first movie, the production values are top notch. Tarantino's direction & Robert Richardson's cinematography once again combined to produce a beautiful looking movie. Robert Rodriguez's music might not have produced as many iconic moments as The RZA's musical selections from the first volume but it's still a good soundtrack that gives the movie a unique flavour that sets it apart from the first one.
Overall, "Kill Bill: Volume 2" does a good job of bringing the Bride's story to a close. It may lack some of the excitement of the first installment but its measured storytelling is just as much a showcase of Tarantino's skill as a screenwriter and a director. Fans of the first movie will no doubt want to follow the story to its conclusion and I see no reason to dissuade them from doing so.