The Second Half of a Controversial Film...

Rating: 7/10 (19 February 2007)

After killing her way through the first movie, The Bride now faces her final three foes: Elle Driver, Budd and Bill. The body count drops dramatically and the plot is stepped up, making this the meat if the first film was the dessert.
When I saw this film the first time, I was really put off by it. With so much action in the first movie, I figured the same would happen in the second. But instead I was given a slow, steady series of conversations. And this just made me upset. Films don't work this way! You lay down the plot and then build up to a bloody climax -- you don't massacre people and then nap for two hours.
But upon my second viewing, I felt more okay with this when I realized that the idea was to give these final characters more depth and that in some ways made it a stronger film. While some conversations go on for too long (Bill's Superman analogy was interesting, but didn't need another fifteen minutes afterward), some are also very nice.
Also, I originally was opposed to Michael Madsen's character (Budd) because to me Madsen is best when he plays ruthless killing machines ("Reservoir Dogs", for example). But on the second viewing, I saw the beauty of his character. He is actually more complex, wrestling with sibling issues and at the same time being the only one who seems to have a sense of honor: he knows The Bride deserves revenge while everyone else denies her this. And while he is now a slobbish drunk, at the same time he has turned away from a life of violence. His story would be fascinating.
"Kill Bill" as a whole seems like a divider for Tarantino fans. Some people like or hate him altogether (I generally like him). But you will also find those who love "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" (and maybe "Jackie Brown" to some degree) but will detest "Kill Bill" for whatever reason. Is it the kung fu versus crime themes? I don't know. But that makes these two films Tarantino's most disliked movies, despite also being critically probably some of his best.
Obviously, David Carradine is a great actor for this role, and Uma Thurman (although I am not a fan) works well with Tarantino's style. Daryl Hannah does well, and I am especially pleased with the portrayal of Pai Mei. You're probably not watching part two unless you saw part one (but who knows?) and if you like part one, why wouldn't you watch part two? So a recommendation one way or the other is really not important. But I say go for it, even if you doubted the first part. I think the second takes more patience, but maybe you're the type who appreciates substance over action.