Wonderful piece, but it might not be what you expect.

Rating: 8/10 (16 April 2004)

Kill Bill Vol. 2, the second half of an intended full-throttle 4 hour epic, is amazing in its own right. However, viewers may feel surprised when the credits begin to roll, as, despite being aforementioned second half, Vol. 2 is almost entirely different.
It's almost hard to believe that Tarantino planned to keep the movie as one piece, especially since the focus of each "volume" contrasts greatly. In Vol. 1, the focus was to give enough story to support what was to happen on screen. The focus was action over plot, certainly. Viewers were treated to gorgeous fight scenes (most notably at the House Of Blue Leaves) only knowing the mere basics of the plot. With Vol. 2, the focus has flipped over to character development. We learn more about the Bride's past, as well as the other members of DVAS, and the settings are (seemingly) intentionally more dull in order to allow us to focus on the characters.
And nothing is wrong with this, at all. Tarantino has certainly succeeded in giving life to his cast, and the actors (especially Thurman and Carradine) have no trouble portraying their parts. The only flaw, then, is that the movie is just not what the typical Vol. 1 viewer expects. Nevertheless, Vol. 2 is a treat that no fan of Vol. 1 should miss, but don't expect another House Of Blue Leaves.
8/10