Who says sequels are always worse?

Rating: 9/10 (2 February 2011)

Volume Two picks up precisely where Volume One concludes on a cliffhanger, and it is necessary to have seen the first one in order to follow the plot. Naturally, Tarantino, Thurman and Carradine return to wrap up the saga of revenge and violence, accompanied by Michael Madsen (another of Tarantino's favourites) and Daryl Hannah, both of whom are positively given additional screen time in this film.
Having already crossed two members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad off her hit list, we follow the Bride as she travels to a desert caravan park to confront Bill's brother Bud and fellow assassin Elle, who just happens to be Bill's newest lover. Sadly, she does so without the use of her beloved Pussy Wagon which (if I may make a pop culture reference of my own) we can assume was stolen by Lady Gaga. From there, she makes her way to Bill himself, where she makes a startling discovery that stands to challenge her motives entirely.
I mentioned at the beginning of the first review that to cover both volumes in a single document would be a tough ask due to the overt differences between the two. While Volume Two contains the violence expected from a film of this genre, it is nowhere near as gratuitous as the original, which sought primarily to reference the kung-fu genre in an exploitative sense.
Instead, Volume Two is somewhat more insightful and makes an effort to question the very nature of violence, and whether or not it is warranted in different circumstances. Anybody expecting the same scale of bloodshed as its predecessor will leave disappointed as the action in this film, while enjoyable, is severely unpleasant and never without consequence.
Tarantino delivers some of his best work in terms of both dialogue and set pieces with this pseudo-sequel. Apart from what could be considered an unnecessary opening scene in which The Bride breaks the fourth wall only to state the explicitly obvious, there are virtually no other instances where any character's lines feel either forced or lazily written. Madsen's perfect delivery of 'that woman deserves her revenge andwe deserve to die' and Bill's well- crafted monologue about mortality during the climax not only sum up the themes of the film neatly, but are also indicators that QT is back on his game in the screenplay department.
The extremely claustrophobic scene in which Bud (Madsen) buries The Bride alive is nothing short of terrifying, and is right up there with the Velociraptors in the kitchen (Jurassic Park) and Vito's assassination of Don Fanucci (The Godfather: Part 2) as one of my all-time favourite scenes. The training session with Pai Mei showcasing the origins of The Bride's development into a professional assassin is more than just an entertaining set piece; it is a film-within-a-film, and should be treated accordingly. Where some may view it as a major disruption to the story, I feel this was Tarantino's intention in an effort to further emphasise the film's exploitation angle.
Where violence is lacking, it is replaced by the development of genuinely interesting characters, accommodating a unique screenplay and fitting comfortably within the slower pace of this film when compared to Volume One. With such a complete and satisfying ending, confirmed rumours of a third instalment scream of a Miramax cash-grab. I hope to be proved wrong.
*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review.*