Kill Bill - Volume One
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Movie Reviews of Kill Bill - Volume One
Movie Review: A tour de force in every respect
Summary: 5 Stars
Kill Bill Volume 1 has the hallmarks of a moviemaker falling in love with making movies all over again, and with his cast and crew doing the same. The plot's a basic revenge scenario, with The Bride(Uma Thurman) seeking vengeance on the Deadly Viper assassin gang, headed by the Bill of the title, who created a bloodbath of her wedding and left her childless.For anyone well versed in Tarantino movies, this is very recognisable as one of his movies. The film references are perhaps a little more obvious here than in Pulp Fiction, with Kill Bill using the kung-fu action movie as its mould and then working from there. The narrative style is also very Tarantino-esque, jumping around in a non-chronological order and playing with the audience's expectations. And of course no Tarantino film would be complete without a killer soundtrack full of obscure tracks from obscure bands. It's all here, and with a panache that must surprise even the most cynical viewer.
Uma Thurman gives the performance of her career, adding a carefully judged humanity to her character that could easily have been two-dimensional - check out her reaction when she realises she's lost her baby. Not only can she pull off the stunts, but she's also got a real personality behind her that few actresses can pull off (perhaps Geena Davis and Fairuza Balk spring to mind). Here she's even better than she was in Pulp Fiction. And that's saying something. Crucially, she's backed up by some great supporting players. Lucy Liu really proves that she's a big star in the making, building on her Charlie's Angels role so well that you wonder whether she could be the best breakout TV star since George Clooney. Also definitely worth a mention are some incredibly brief but tantalising roles for Bill Carradine, Daryl Hannah and Michael Marsden, all of whom appear in Volume 2.
What's great about Kill Bill is that it really lives up to the promise that Pulp Fiction gave us. Whilst Jackie Brown fleshed out Tarantino's characters, and his script for True Romance was one of the most fun road movies in ages, there were also the relatively successful but mostly disappointing scripts he produced for Dusk Til Dawn and Natural Born Killers (significantly the latter was disowned by Tarantino himself). Whilst Kill Bill could never be as influential as Pulp Fiction in terms of how it structures its story, or as shocking as Reservoir Dogs was at the time, it's still one of the most exciting, enthralling cinematic treats of last year. The way it's filmed screams of a master - impressive, since this is only Tarantino's fourth film in the director's chair - and the anime sequence is particularly impressive. Whilst it's true to say that if violence isn't your thing, steer clear, and that it's filmed in a way that makes you perhaps worryingly unaware of how violent it really is, Kill Bill Volume 1 is a rollercoaster of a movie experience and makes you long for part two. This is brilliant, brilliant stuff, that blows the remakes and tired adaptations that seem to have flooded our screens recently, out of the water.
Movie Review: Don't lose your head.
Summary: 5 Stars
There are as of this writing already 182 reviews for "Kill Bill," so it's absolutely pointless for me to add my two cents to the mountain of change - but what can I say, this is a movie you just want to talk about. I mean, it's obviously designed for real "heads" to dissect, virtual Frankenstein composed of the body parts of dead Hong Kong flicks that it is; but it stands on its own for less informed moviegoers as a typically Tarantinan bloodbath of ultraviolence, replete with sick humor and lurid cinematography. When I saw this in the theatre, I was amused by the fact that people got up and left in disgust every time another freshly decapitated torso spurted blood ten feet in the air, which was more or less every 3 minutes. The other half laughed and made lewd comments about Uma Thurman. Personally, I can take the violence as a stylistic choice without developing an urge to go shoot up my school, so I can appreciate what Tarantino is doing here - even though I'm sure I only got about an eighth of the references (if that). It's almost as if you were flipping through a bunch of those old action films on your TV and you suddenly noticed that they somehow completed each other's plots. It's true that "Kill Bill" is "only" a revenge story at core, but since when is that a criticism? True, it may be mostly a "technical" endeavor - so what? What this movie attempts to do, it does quite well, and that's all I'm concerned with when it comes to playing armchair critic.
Nice job by Uma. I've heard the criticism that she's an unlikely choice for a samurai, but that was obviously the point. She reacts with exactly the correct degree of irony when the scene calls for it, and it usually does.
Practically everybody else in the film is her enemy, beginning with Vivica A. Fox. The impressive first scene sets the general tone of the movie as fast-paced, violent, tragic-comic, provocative, and blatantly derivative. Later we get a dose of the backstory, including some Politically Correct Violence as rape victim Uma exacts brutal revenge on her rapist. Then it's off to Okinawa to acquire some steel to take on her next opponent, Lucy Liu. And then...the limbs really start to fly.
But I mean, come on. What did you expect? Is this really THAT shocking, coming from QT? It's hard to sympathize with the suburban soccer mom who brought her 13-year-old to "Kill Bill" and then got up indignantly halfway through and dragged him out of the theatre, disrupting all we discriminating adults. It's as if somebody went to a porno flick and complained about all the gratuitous sex. If you want an "uplifting story of the triumph of the human spirit," then go rent some paltry, sappy, contrived piece of trash starring Tom Hanks, and make yourself a nice hot cup of international coffee. If you happen to enjoy celluloid violence and action and irony and dorky in-jokes, and you happen to not already be a raving lunatic, then you can probably go see this film without subsequently running amok on society with a chainsaw. And if you do, don't blame it on Quentin!
Movie Review: One of Tarantino's Best (of the few that he's made)
Summary: 5 Stars
Masterpiece. The word has never been so well applied to an art form than when it comes to "Kill Bill: Volume 1 and 2". I am a serious movie buff and I think it goes without saying that I loved this movie. It is definitely a movie buff's movie. Packed to the hilt with references to the chop-socky kung-fu flicks of days past, this movie delivers everything you want and would ever come to expect from the auteur that is Quentin Tarantino.
The story goes like this. The Bride (Uma Thurman) was a part of a gang of international assassins called the DiVAS (the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad), whose teammates were Vernita Green, O-Ren Ishii, Elle Driver, and Budd (played by Vivica A. Fox, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, and Michael Madsen, respectively.) They are led by Bill (David Carradine, never seen, only heard).
The writing is excellent (as always), the dialogue exchange between The Bride and Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox is wonderful in the brief screen time she has) is razor-sharp. The choice of opening credits music is absolutely perfect; it fits the mood of the film thus far very, very well. I love a good action movie, but they are usually brainless fluff pieces with buff men blowing things up left and right. But I got a serious kick out of an intelligent film where the hero was a heroine. Uma Thurman is pitch perfect in creating The Bride to be as real a person as possible. She is running away from a violent past, but it caught up to her. Now, they all have hell to pay. The scene in the hospital after she realizes what's been taken from her consists mostly of silence, then screaming sobs. Its pretty heart-wrenching stuff. The soundtrack to the whole movie fits like a glove. Pieces from spaghetti Westerns, old disco music, cues from classic film scores, all of it works perfectly in the film ("Twisted Nerve" works especially well in showing a possible demise of our heroine).
The whole movie bounces back and forth through time. For those who don't like this type of storytelling, abandon this page and look for something more linear. It shows the past, then the future, then the past, then the present. She has all her victims on a list and checks them off one by one (only two are picked off in this half) as she treks across the globe to get to them. Lucy Liu is absolutely poisonous as O-Ren Ishii. And Elle...well, let's leave evaluating Elle for a review of Volume 2. In-jokes abound, as many references as Tarantino could fit into the film, incredibly choreographed fight scenes (the House of Blue Leave sequence will leave you breathless), and just the fact that they made samurai swords cool again all add up to one of the best films ever made. And its all, essentially, from very small pieces of other cheesy films. Taking the best of the worst can create the best of the best. The Bride takes out the worst of the worst and eventually rampages on to become a pop culture icon for the new millennium. Admit it, girls....even guys, you know you wanted to be The Bride for just 10 minutes.
Movie Review: Very Cool!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is by far one of the best movies you will ever see.Its cool,hip,fast,slow when it needs to.Its a movie with style.Writer-Director Quentin Tarantino just knows how to make great movies.
The story is simple.Its a story of revenge.Th Bride is shot down on her wedding day by her former employer Bill and her old friends O-Ren,Vernita,Budd & Elle.She falls in coma.When she wakes up from her coma she goes on murderous rampage of revenge against them.This film of course is in Quentin Tarantinos style of non linear structure storyline.
The casting is great.Even though we dont get to see Bill until Volume 2 it leaves you know a bit anxious to see him in the next one.David Carradine everyone will remember from Kung Fu.One of Tarantinos qualitys is casting people that have been having a bad run in films.In Pulp Fiction John Travolta,in Jackie Brown Pam Grier & Robert Forester and this one David Carradine.Uma Thurman as the Bride is perfect choice.I wont have never expected her do all the things she did in the film but was i surprised.And the Viper Assanation Squad greatly casted with Vivica A. Fox,Lucy Lui,Michael Madsen & Darry Hannah.
The action is mesmorizing and incredible especially the scene of "The House Of Blue Leaves".The dialogue is not what you would expect from a Tarantino film but good inoff for this.Another thing that is Tarantino trademark of putting great music in his films the music helps move the film and get to feel the groove of the it.Also the acting is top notch.There is graphic violence in this film but not as much as people say i mean ive seen worse.Trust me this not the movie that will make you stop the film because you feel sick.This not Tarantino best film but it is his coolest to me.So stop whatever your doing my friend and go buy this film,you wont regret it.
The film was originally going to be one film Kill Bill and not split into to two parts.But Quentin Tarantino was shooting some much footage that also so good.If i remember correctly it was one of the producers that mentioned the idea to split the films.It was not so much a bad idea.In my opinion both Volume 1 and 2 are perfect and diffrent in their own ways.This one more action and showing homages to Asian cinema that Quentin loves.Instead the second one is more dialogue and emotional driven.With more homages towards Spagetti Westerns.
The DVD doesnt have practily any extras.One nice little behind the scenes.But its to short.At least its informative to its small length.The DVD includes trailers from his other films and of Kill Bill.But i have to tell you there have been rumors of a new special edition of the dvd coming in the near future so wait if you dont want to waste your money on buying it two times.
Kill Bill Vol.1 is true film of filmakers love for the whole art of cinema.There is no other director that loves film like him.Quentin Tarantino tested himself to a new genre showing his talent being of the best directors of our generation.
Movie Review: A bloody masterpiece for the adult crowd
Summary: 5 Stars
From its television spots and trailers, one might have guessed Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" would be a stylish Samurai "Crouching Tiger" type of film. Well, that assumption is correct, but the movie indeed turns out to be so much more as the critically-acclaimed director applies his own originality and wit.Uma Thurman returns to Tarantinoland as the Bride, a revenge-obsessed woman who was the only survivor of her slain wedding party. She sets out to track down the group of assassins responsible, including title character Bill (David Carradine) who put the near-fatal bullet into her head. Tarantino uses the same "out-of-order" technique he's used in the past to tell the story, which might give away certain details in the film, but doesn't necessarily take away from the suspense. The plot follows the Bride as she tracks down each assassin one-by-one to kill them.
Tarantino dances between B&W and color, and live action and anime to really capture the pace and mayhem of this twisted fantasy world (or maybe just to capture the Japanese spirit of the film). He also divides the story into chapters, setting up some of the biggest scenes. And while some violence is past Tarantino efforts has been unsettling to watch, it is blantantly over-the-top and almost cartoonish in this film. But don't think you can get away from a QT movie and not squirm in your seat. There are moments, like the one with the "paying visitor" to the hospital, that are quite disturbing.
All in all, this is a bloodbath with a bite. As you sit back and realize this is one of the most violent movies you have ever seen, you will also find yourself laughing at times at the clever dialogue and a few gags. So as you go through every emotion while watching "Kill Bill," you will most certainly appreciate Tarantino's mission to offer something different and provocative to movie-going audiences. Everything's here: great performances, great cinematography, great music, and that little something extra. And the best part is, it's not over! We still have another volume to venture through which will undoubtedly offer much-needed backstory explaination and set up the Bride's final vicious showdown with Bill. I'm glad the film was split into two parts because I believe the exact moment this first segment cut off was enough to wet the audience's appetite for Volume Two.
Now that I've reviewed the film, I feel I must now offer a note in post-script. While I, a 23-year-old, thoroughly enjoyed this film, I had an inkling of distraction in the back of my mind because there were two children under seven sitting on my same row. Parents, please be responsible. This is not a film you should take your kids to, even if you really want to see it and couldn't find a babysitter. Wait for DVD/video or see it another time on your own. And if you work in a theatre box office and see parents try to take young children into films like "Kill Bill," please give them sufficient warning of violence/sexual content/language.