1st KILL BILL VOL. 2 Review!!!

By Wind(up)bird April 1, 2004 7:23 AM

Ok, it's late and I'm tired, so I'll skimp on the fancy talk and lay it out straight. This is not a perfect movie - at least, not the first time around - though Tarantino fans (and movie geeks) will definitely get their kicks.

Click here for the Kill Bill Vol. 2 Trailer! -- 04/07/2004

Editors Note: The following review was not written by the dtheatre crew. We apologize for any bad writting and the use of cheesy metaphors.

Bad news first: It's long. 9 reels long, in fact. I remember seeing some little blurb from QT about how a 3-hour exploitation flick smacks of pretension, but two 90-minute exploitation flicks smacked of ambition. So help me do the math here - what does one 111-minute movie ? one 130-ish-minute movie smack of? Whatever it is, it's more than three hours.

So what, right? It's just more movie to love, right? Well... the problem is it FEELS long. The first volume had a great pace - it was a lean, mean, fighting machine. This one, though, feels bloated. Self-indulgent. At times, it even starts to take itself a little too seriously. And this hurts the film. Though I'm sure multiple viewings (and what Tarantino film doesn't get better every time you see it?) will somehow make all those extra minutes more endearing, at first glance at 2 in the morning... it drags.

Ok, that's about it for the bad news. Here's the rest.

The action scenes, though few and far between, kick ass. The flashback to the Bride's training with Pai Mei (Gordon Liu again...in disguise!) is one of the best training sequences ever, right up there with SNAKE IN EAGLE'S SHADOW. Everything's just right, from the student's cocky cleverness to the master's humbling display of whup-ass to the grit and determination in the Bride's eyes. There's an excruciating scene (one of many lengthy, excruciating sequences in the film; see above note about self-indulgence) where she has to use chopsticks to eat but cannot force her bruised, cramped fingers to hold them... Cool stuff. And Liu is FANTASTIC - probably the only guy who could possibly make Sonny Chiba's Hattori Hanzo look like a pussy. Kung-fu fans will giggle everytime he strokes his beard and glares. Then there's the killin'... There's an early face-off with Budd that's just plain nasty, a lengthy, claustrophobia-inducing live burial sequence (serious claustrophobes may need to take a breather - for real), and then the fight with Elle Driver... which is so kick ass it'll take your breath away. Possibly the film's greatest scene. So much wit, emotion, and raw, visceral adrenalin-pumping glee went into this scene it's almost too much. And of course, there's still Bill to contend with... The violence, though not as fountain-spurtingly extreme or prevalent as in vol. 1, is still pretty heavy. Tarantino's camera has a Fulci-esque fetish for eyes, and gorehounds will certainly read this as a sign of things to come... and in a few cases, they'll be right (it's no accident that Fulci gets a shout out in the credits).

Anyway, all this leads up to - du-du-duh! - the final confrontation with Bill. But before we get to Bill (and during, and after) there's a lot of talk. A LOT of talk. Seriously, I love Tarantino's dialogue as much as the next guy, but enough is enough. Thank Eris he's got a great bunch of actors to get us through. We finally see some of Bill and the Bride's history, and eventually learn more about her daughter, and of course the aforementioned Pai Mei flashback; we also learn more about the relationships between the characters (including how Driver lost her eye). There's a deliriously enjoyable (but narratively unneccessary) scene with Michael Parks as a suavely dangerous Mexican pimp. Bill has some great scenes, though his Pai Mei story goes on a little too long. His Superman monologue is fantastic, though. There's a lot of stuff with Budd that seems (unfortunately) cut around Michael Madsen's slow, rambling delivery. If you're cool with Mr. Blonde, then sit back and enjoy. If not, you're in for a rough time. I said it before and I'll say it again - the key word here is self-indulgence. QT clearly loves his actors, loves his characters, and can't bear to part with anything he deems precious, whether it benefit the film or not. A lot of these talky scenes could have been trimmed down, and some could have been tossed entirely. But they do make the action that much sweeter.

Oh, and speaking of self-indulgence, nearly all of the final reel is credits. There are essentially three credit sequences, and while it would have been criminal not to have credited all these fine people, once is enough. It feels like 2 music videos that have been tacked on before the final crawl.

If I sound like I'm being too harsh, it's because it's late and I'm cranky. Really, if you have a little patience, the rewards will be pretty sweet. The actors save really save the day. Carradine plays his entrance scene like he's the ghost of Johnny Cash, and the harsh, high contrast black and white (complete with classic John Ford doorway shots) of his openening scene gives it all an ethereal, almost ghastly, glow. We've had a whole movie of just talking his character up, and I have to say, he doesn't disappoint. He's suave, smooth, tacky, and utterly, completely dangerous. Just watch the way he handles the toy gun toward the end. It's just a toy, but in his hands... you know he knows how to use the real thing. It's eerie.

The real winner here is Uma Thurman. It's a bit early to be saying this, but there could (and perhaps should) be an Oscar nod for her this time. We see a lot more of her this time... with Bill, with her would-be husband, with her daughter...and at different ages. Her character is considerably younger when she trains with Pai Mei, and you see it - Uma looks like a college girl. And acts like it - so naturally it's not even acting. We see so many sides to her this time: killer, mother, victim, lover, student, etc. And Uma is every one of them. And it's a huge credit to everyone - Tarantino, the DP, the editor, and of course Uma - that she gets sexier and sexier as the movie plays out. Even when she's covered in dirt and mud and blood and freshly risen from the grave you want to lick her clean and fuck her. I don't think I've ever seen a performer who's so completely ALIVE in every way, and she was a marvel to watch.

So, Uma fans, dig in. Kung-fu fans, you might considering waiting for DVD so you can fast forward. But really, if you're a true cinema geek, this is a remarkable film, a great piece of compressed cinema history, and when Tarantino's on, he's motherfucking ON, and you'll feel the hairs on your arms stand up and KNOW that you are in the middle of glorious cinema. You might have to sit through some overly-long scenes to get to those yummy moments, but there are little treats to get you through (like Sid Haig, for no particular reason...like he needs a reason; or Rufus - "Rufus is the man!"). I seem to remember a funny rumor that Tarantino had grown so fond of these characters he was considering building a career-spanning franchise out of them... doing some other things, then dropping in on them in a decade or so... well, not to give too much away, he's certainly left himself open for that possibility, and you know, I think it would be kinda cool. I'm also really interested in seeing how vols 1 and 2 would cut together... I have a feeling that with a little rearrangement, the indulgences of part two could be smoothed out, and form one huge juicy dripping masterpiece of cult exploitation cinema... So let's hope that sometime down the road we'll get to see KILL BILL as it was originally intended... But for now, this'll do.

Article was originally published on aintitcool.com

Original Article

| comments: 31

Reader Discussions:

Post YOUR opinion too!

what's the point?   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 17, 2004 12:31 AM

it was a good movie.  it would have been better if it were kept as one movie.  it would have been more cohesive.

it was typical tarantino fan-fare... his best work to date.

RE: what's the point?   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 17, 2004 12:37 AM

action took the forefront of the first movie which had the undesired side effect of bringing casual viewers along.  vol 1 was merely a tribute to spaghetti westerns & samurai movies... to give us more of the same would tire us.  

vol 2 has content.  and good content at that.  could you honestly tell me you didn't care what happened to any of those characters?  the development was top notch.

excellent movie and looking forward to seeing it again.

your dumb   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 17, 2004 3:18 PM

your a fucking idiot

poop   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 18, 2004 10:46 AM

a fine film...for me to poop on

RE: your dumb   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 19, 2004 12:39 PM

its 'youre' if you are going to say something bad about something or some one use proper english please, moron

RE: your dumb   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 19, 2004 1:58 PM

it's :"you're" not "your" you fucking idiot

Idiot!   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 22, 2004 1:37 AM

It's an awesome film! You're an IDIOT! Alot better than the first and It didn't feel long at all.

Grammar and Stuff   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 22, 2004 5:19 AM

A [space] lot.

Learn to articulate a sentence before blasting someone for being an idiot.

But back to Volume 2, eh. Kill Bill comes together perfectly when Volume 1 and 2 are watched back-to-back; standing alone, however, Volume 2 has serious pacing issues, and as the original reviewer said, seems a little self indulgent.

Still a good flick though.

Volume 1 made it into my top 10 films of 2003. Volume 2 won't make the grade.

RE: Kill Bill 2   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 22, 2004 6:08 AM

I'm sorry to hear that.

The Movie!   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 23, 2004 12:54 AM

this was a great movie, i really liked it alot. so when i went back home i lubed myself up and started to ovulat over my dead tuna fish. No here's the secret, my key ingredient to my tuna casserole, anything u can manage to ovulate on it!

Whaddya think?   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 24, 2004 3:44 PM

A very interesting film indeed. This review is coming from a samurai/kung fu film fan, and after the first impressions of Kill Bill Vol.1, the stark difference was probably too much of a surprise. Characters like Elle Driver are just not given much depth, or scope. Her role is to pretty much be a cliche evil character, which is something I found really dissappointing. Where has the enigmatic foes such as O-ren? But hands off to big Q, Bill did not dissappoint. It's a shame the rest of the film did.

Nae bad   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 26, 2004 5:39 AM

Nae bad like. I widnae say it wis a' that lang likesay. I thoucht it wis ower an' don' wi' pretty fuckin' quick ken. Uma Thurman's a foxy blon likes. A'body at the pikters wis sayin' 'at they'd dae almost onything to her likes. I hid tae agree. Fox likes. pure sexy. Ah wisnae as feart o' bill as ah'd thought Ah micht be hoowever. Bill wisnae that hard at 'a. Bit o' a pussy ken

Aye?   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 26, 2004 6:32 AM

Shouldn't you be fucking a sheep somewhere?

RE: Aye?   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 27, 2004 3:14 AM

Ah'm fuckin' a sheep as we spik. Ah thoucht ye were a random sheep for a wee minutey ther an' a'. Ach weel!!

RE: your dumb   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 30, 2004 8:27 AM

Shut up You ARE all stupid.

B movie   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 1, 2004 3:45 AM

Now don't get me wrong I really liked Kill bill But in a way it is just a glorified B movie with better actors.  Now I know this is the point of the film as a tribute but if this is the case then Tarintino could have used prehaps some more cliched ideas like  the film ending as soon as Bill dies or a show down with Bud high noon style (shoot out of some kind would have been nice)  I don't know I thought it was quality but I can't decide how much Tarintino wanted a tribute film and how much he was just doing a larger than life fdilm which happened to have kung fu in it
SPOILER SPOILER





Also at the end of the film why didn't Bill just shoot the bride he seemed preety quick with that pistol of his.

RE: Aye?   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 1, 2004 3:48 AM

His accent is Scottish you retard not Welsh!

RE: rasict!!!   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 4, 2004 7:56 AM

I'm Welsh and I take offence to that comment above. Why does evenone think we Welsh like to shag sheep?

Come on you Dragons! World Cup 2006 here we come, England will be kicked into touch!

RE: rasict!!!   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 5, 2004 5:13 AM

wHO CARES TALK ABOUT KILL BILL 2

RE: rasict!!!   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 5, 2004 5:13 AM

Coises my Caps lock was on....

RE: rasicts   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 6, 2004 3:01 AM

fuk u

RE: rasicts   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 6, 2004 5:35 AM

Who are you saying fuck u to?

RE: rasicts   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 10, 2004 8:49 AM

u

RE: rasicts   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 10, 2004 7:42 PM

Every body shut up ok.  What did you think of Kill Bill Vol 2?  I thought it was qualers.

RE:   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 11, 2004 8:13 AM

Yea me too, what a big pile of qualers.

RE: RE:   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 11, 2004 8:30 AM

What do you mean a big pile of qualers, qualers means quality so your grammer is wrong.
However the sentiment is there.  I thought the fight with Elle Driver was awsome both brutal and stylised you can't get better than that.  The climax to that was so obvious in hindsight but when it happened in the cinema where I was everyone let out a groan..and another about 10 seconds later when it gets squashed.Qual-It-Tay.

Boo-Yay!   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 12, 2004 7:49 AM

Yea, it was Qual-it-Tay! Now lets Par-Tay! Come on, get Biz-Zay all ma Hom-Ays get Jig-Gay!

RE: Boo-Yay!   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 24, 2004 5:34 AM

Your a fool
Qual-IT-TAY is a phrase emphasising the word quality i.e the object in question is three times as good as a normal quality object thus instead instead of saying quality 3 times you individualise each syllabal.  It is not some type of hip hop slang.
Thus Kill Bill 2 is Qual-It-Tay, dTheatre is Qual-It-Tay
You are a dick

RE: Twat   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 24, 2004 6:18 AM

I'm a dick? You're the one making up words like qual-it-tay. This is just my opinion but I think you're a huffelback grufflemuncher.

RE: Twat   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 29, 2004 5:05 PM

Your funny. Qual it tay is a word just slowed down.  I was just kidding about calling you a dick. I like your random insults have you got a patent on them?

RE:   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on May 30, 2004 7:11 AM

I do now!