the vengeance is continued

Rating: 10/10 (27 November 2005)

The Bride has finished the first two people on her list; O-Ren Ishii and Vernita Green. But before we see the rest of the vengeance to take place, we are taken back to the massacre at the Two Pine Chapel. The Bride and her husband Tommy are rehearsing their ceremony when a surprise visitor comes; Bill, setting this vengeance story into motion. Now come back to the rest of her Death List Five, next to come is Budd. Living in a camper van and working in a strip club, Budd is very unhappy with his life. When Bill gives him news that The Bride is out to get him, Budd couldn't care less. Entangled with Budd's fate is Elle, who despises The Bride; who in return The Bride didn't like much either, setting up for one down dirty grudge fight; an ultimate cat fight with very sharp claws. But the the highlight come to the dramatic conclusion when The Bride finally confronts Bill, but has a shocking revelation in store for her.
Kill Bill Vol 2 is a spectacular conclusion to the masterpiece of Vol 1. Like Vol 1, Vol 2 is a patch work of movie influences and references. While Vol 1 was more in the realm of Japanese Samuria films, Vol 2 is set more in the Spagetti Westerns and Chinese Martial Art films. While Vol 1 has more action, Vol 2 has picked up more of the Tarantino Dioluge, adding more weight to the story, as we do finally see a lot of the background to The Bride and Bill. Though it doesn't suffer from the drop in action, as the dramatic tension is raised a lot; especially towards the end and the confrontation of Bill.
The violence is very dulled down in Vol 2. The blood has been with drawn and there isn't much blood to see, but it still has that vulgarity from Vol 1 that still has that mesmerising effect. Being the main fight sequences, the grudge between Elle and The Bride is a fight to remember. It was a dirty slug fight that wasn't afraid to bring the low punches out, and there were some very low punches from each. Though the fight of Bill many have found abit underplayed and not what they were wanting, it was a very fitting end. The tension in the small fight was so gripping that it resolved it wonderfully.
Uma Thurman out does herself from Vol 1. Her reaction to many situation were so believable; it was painful to see her face when she sees her daughter for the first time and when she was being buried alive that was also painful to watch hearing her crying. David Carradine does an excellent job as Bill. Though there were a few times it seemed he was talking to so for his dialog, kinda putting the emphasises out of place, yet it was a minor flaw in his role. Michael Madsen was great as the begrudged Budd, he showed a lot of hollowness in Budd, with Budd thinking it can be fixed with money. Daryl Hannah was just outstanding as Elle. She played a perfect bitch. She was a character you loved to hate. You could hear all the malevolence in her voice. Gordon Liu as Pai Mei was just perfect. You can't help but laugh with every whip of his beard he makes with his hand.
Kill Bill Vol 2 is a wonderful conclusion to this tale of revenge. It would be great to see Vol 1 and 2 in one whole film.