IT IS... CUTE!!!, TENDER!!!, AND MOVING!!!

Rating: 10/10 (6 April 2004)

CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS. This is the first time I've waited so long with anticipation to see a sequel. Finally, last friday I went to the first press screening for Kill Bill Vol. 2 in L.A. The theatre was packed and the emotion began as soon as the Miramax logo appeared on the screen. Then the "Silhoutte of Doom" theme by Ennio Morricone. And then, there she was, the Bride talking to the camera in her way to kill Bill. The applause went bigger when the title Volume 2, in a film noir kind of style, appeared. I'm not going to give away any significant spoilers. The film lasts almost 2 hours and a half. It consists of another five chapters. Every one of them is shot in different styles and different kind of film stock. And of course, they are all told in non-linear order. There is an extraordinary "cat fight" between The Bride and Elle Driver. It is quite the opposite from the elegance of the scene between O-Ren and The Bride at the end of Vol.1, but it is equally effective. And probably, the most memorable scene of the film: I'm not going to tell you what happens, but it is one that provokes claustrophobic feelings in the audience and is quite terrifying. You'll know what I'm talking about right away when you see the movie. The rest of the movie is soooo different from Vol.1, that you won't believe it is actually part of the same story. Tarantino lowers the level of violence in a pretty significant way, and dwells on a complex love story between Bill and The Bride, who have more things in common that you would think. And who would have known that Bill was such a cool intellectual guy? The movie is almost 100 percent dialogue-dialogue-dialogue and the music is pretty spaghetti western like. We all know what happens at the end. But many will be surprised (and I hope not dissapointed) at how Tarantino resolved it in the end. Just try to understand every word Bill says to The Bride trough the movie and you'll probably loooove the way it ends. Don't expect something graphic, though. But rather, something quite emotional. It goes really deeper than anyone of the press members expected. Kill Bill Vol. 2 goes straight for the audience's heart (well... o.k. you'll see). At the end of the movie, though many adored it and many despised it, we all agreed that Tarantino has surprised us again. The words that people uttered were "it is cute", "tender" "moving"...!!! Did we expect that from Tarantino? Never. Is it wrong to make a love story? No, not at all, especially when he is so good at it. Is it better than Volume 1? No, it is different. Extremely different. Is it worth the wait? Hell YEAH!!! ... But will it leave you wanting for a Volume 3?.... Nah.... The Bride has completed her journey. Now, move over.