Not as good as the first

Rating: 7/10 (9 December 2005)

While I thought Kill Bill Vol. 1 was a tremendously entertaining film, I was less than enthusiastic about Vol. 2.
Problem #1 was the casting and performance of Darryl Hannah as the second-ranking assassin under Bill. I just didn't find her particularly interesting or menacing. True, she was dispatched with aplomb, but it wasn't that enjoyable. Perhaps it was her set-up: in the first film the final "baddie" was a leader of the Japanese Mafia, someone who not only had to be tracked but who had a cadre of obstacles protecting her. This built up great tension and excitement and made the payoff fight more interesting. Darryl Hannah's character didn't have that big build-up, there wasn't much of a reason for her to be menacing at all.
Problem #2 was the unsatisfying way the final confrontation with Bill was portrayed. To me, it was a let down. Sure, how he finally meets the Bride is a bit surprising, but again, there was very little menace in that confrontation. Tarantino makes a great choice virtually eliminating the violence by that last encounter (by then you tire of it and want something different), but his attempt at bad-guy "mind games" falls way flat, becomes uninteresting, and lets the viewer down.
Sure, there's some good stuff in this film, the best being The Bride's training under the ancient Kung Fu master. But overall, Kill Bill Vol. 1 is more entertaining.
7 out of 10 Barky