QT has done it again. (****)

Rating: 10/10 (8 June 2004)

When I saw "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" last October, it was one of the most amazing experiences I'd ever had in a movie theater. Combining pretty much everything I've ever loved about movies since I was a little kid into one fantastic (half of a) film, it was like a blast of pure oxygen, a jolt of adrenaline that stayed with me for weeks.
"Kill Bill: Vol. 2" is not the same kind of film. The people who are saying that the two movies are very different in tone and style are correct. This is by no means a bad thing, though, because their differences make for a fascinating comparison.
"Vol. 1" is paced to kill, a movie that seldom pauses for character development or even dialogue, yet STILL possesses extraordinary emotional depth, mostly because of Uma Thurman's stunning, Oscar-worthy performance. The Bride (whose name is revealed in "Vol. 2") is one of the most fiercely sympathetic characters in movie history.
"Vol. 2" is much more introspective and relaxed, more about emotions than violence (although there is plenty of it). I have a feeling that many will be bored with it, as they were with "Jackie Brown". But like "Jackie Brown", I think this film will also reveal layers upon layers of riches upon each viewing, and will age beautifully.
In "Vol. 1", The Bride crossed O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) and Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) off of her death list, and now in "Vol. 2" she has three people left to kill who played a hand in the Massacre at Two Pines: Budd (Michael Madsen), the one-eyed Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) and of course Bill (a great David Carradine), none of whom are going to make it easy for her.

During a terrifying scene where the Bride is buried alive, the film switches to a flashback of her days as a student of the ruthless kung-fu master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu). This sequence is actually my favorite part of the whole movie, and Pai Mei is hands down one of the most entertaining characters I've seen in a long time. When the flashback ends and we find out why the Bride was remembering his teachings at that particular moment, it has a remarkable emotional payoff (set to the gloriously triumphant "L'Arena" from one of Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western scores).
In the end, I think I slightly prefer the no-holds-barred mayhem of "Vol. 1" to the more laid-back "Vol. 2", but is it still a totally awesome and entertaining movie? Does the story come to a satisfactory conclusion? And is Uma Thurman's performance just as extraordinary as it was in the first film? Yes, yes and yes. Hell yes.