Kill Bill - Volume Two
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Movie Reviews of Kill Bill - Volume Two
Movie Review: As Close To A Spaghetti Western You Can Get
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this movie on opening night, and I couldn't believe what I was watching. From the opening sounds of Ennio Morricone's "A Silhoutte of Doom," I knew that I was gonna be in for another wild ride on the Tarantino Express. The opening reminded me of the old Hitchcockian films of the 50s, along with the film noir that took place during that period. The way the incident at the Two Pines wedding chapel was handled expertly, with great cinematography by Robert Richardson. Everything from the sun glaring off the surfaces gave it a certain glow that added to the environment of the entire movie.
The stuff The Bride has to go through is unbelievable. If you thought wiping out all of O-Ren Ishii's Crazy 88 army was gonna be a heavy burden, it becomes more of an emotional and mental burden for the character in this volume. Budd plays the almost average Joe, and close relative to Bill, that got comfortable with himself in his confided tracker trailer in the middle of nowhere, where as Elle Driver is a caniving, yet beautiful, one-eyed bitch that you just love to hate. Gordon Liu gives new life to Pai Mei and delivers the goods for his character. Continuing the mythology from the martial arts Shaw Brothers movies from the 70s, Pai Mei is an unrelenting master of craft, with little compassion in his heart. And, of course, we come to Bill. Bill is a supercool "human snake," so to speak. His actions almost reflect what he's thinking. His charm is dark, with witty humor. From the scene of the Two Pines Massacre, before he wipes out the entire wedding party, he says to "The Bride's" groom, "Isn't it bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?" The groom replies, "I like to live dangerously." Bill gives him a look, with a smirk, replying, "I know just what you mean."
For die-hard fans of Vol. 1, it may seem like a stretch. This volume is 2 1/2 hours, unlike Vol. 1's hour and 50 minutes. Instead of a fast paced interwoven series of various non-linear flashbacks and occurances, this time we get to chance to see more dimensional characters. Budd's character who's more of a reclusive, redneck alcoholic that's on bitter terms with his brother. Elle Driver is, well, a evil one-eyed beauty, as I stated before. And Bill is "truly and utterly Bill." "The Bride" is given a name this time, but I won't spoil that for you. Instead of the hard-ass cold killing machine she was in Vol. 1, she becomes more of a 3 dimensional character this time. We see her in life or death situations, where her true emotions arise. When she reaches her destination, she changes from the cold assassin, to something she would never expect to become within a matter of seconds after being shot in the head 4 years ago.
This is the Spaghetti Western of all Spaghetti Westerns. Even though this wasn't filmed in Italy, of course, Quentin pulls it off with ease. Vol. 1 ended with a wham, where as Vol. 2 ends with a bang. A beautiful continuation of the story. I couldn't picture it ending any better. But I hope that the proposed Vol. 3 can end the series in true fashion...
Movie Review: Sublimely brilliant...
Summary: 5 Stars
Tarantino's second half of the Kill Bill saga might be written off by some as just "not as good as the first part..." Well those folks are missing the point entirely...This is merely an extension of the first part, as they were meant to be one whole film...There is definitely a change in tone and pace with this second part; however, it serves a greater purpose...Volume 1 was like an atropy shot to the heart, visceral and exciting...It had to be so in order to introduce us to this brutal story of revenge and retribution...
Volume 2 is able to take the pace down a little and get more serious and in-depth as far as story is concerned...Not that there needs to be much story anyway...This is a simple tale of revenge...There shouldn't be any other stupid sub-plots going on or any plot devices popping up for no good reason...If you're looking for that crap, just watch anything on TV these days and you'll be good to go...
What Tarantino does here, and does well, is take the basic elements of the revenge story and give it such an effective human quality that you can't help feel for the heroine, The Bride, whose real name is revealed later on in this, the second film...
You even feel a little sympathetic for some of the "bad guys" especially Michael Madsen's character Budd, Bill's younger alcoholic brother...He has arguably the best performance in the film and portrays Budd as a shell of his former assassin self now forced to worked at a slummy strip bar as a loser bouncer...Daryl Hannah is deliciously over the top as Elle, Bill's current girl and arch-nemesis of The Bride...Their fight scene inside of Budd's trailer trash home is brutal and painful to watch, and serves as a nice contrast to the balletic bloodbath that was the confrontation between the Bride and O-Ren and her gang in the first volume...We finally get to see all of Bill in his quietly evil glory and we can plainly see that David Carradine is relishing every bit of his role as the masochistic leader of the Dealy Viper Assassination Squad...
There are complex feelings at work here...Characters don't simply hate each other and want to kill one another here...These are characters with a history and a past together...Sometimes it hurts to kill someone you have cared about or been close to in the past, but the emotion of revenge is sometimes so overpowering that nothing else matters...
Of course, supporting players such as Michael Parks as the aging pimp mentor of Bill and Gordon Liu as the half-crazy kung-fu priest who trains Bill's assassins are both excellent in the limited screen time they're given...
In short, Kill Bill Vol. 2 is an understated work of art that deftly blends a revenge story with the winning elements of kung-fu films and spaghetti westerns and a certain x-factor that only Quentin Tarantino can bring to a film...Original dialogue that brings normally cardboard characters to life along with brutal but necessary violence and a recognizable cinematic flair that shows through and through...
Movie Review: Awesome movie
Summary: 5 Stars
More subdued, less bloody and with a personal approach to the storytelling, "Kill Bill: Volume 2" is an outstanding and highly respectable companion to the first installment, "Kill Bill, Volume 1" that for me is a true and original classic. But with that said, "Kill Bill: Volume 2," is a classic in its own right. It's a continuing story shown and told from a different viewpoint. In addition, the movie is effectively played out with imagination, visionary genius and amazing performances.
"The Bride" (Uma Thurman) hunts down the last three on her to-do-list, Budd (Michael Madsen), Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) and Bill (David Carradine), the man whose face and voice is a permanent reminder of her past, present and potential future.
"In Kill Bill: Volume 2," we're introduced to Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) a master of the martial arts, a man of wisdom, power and the only one who knows the secret of successfully carrying out the "5 point palm exploding heart technique" and the one who trained Beatrix Kiddo before she became "The Bride."
Although Budd, Elle and Bill want "The Bride" dead, they all have a deep-rooted respect, and for Bill, it's about the love he lost. If "The Bride" is going out, she's going out in fashion. For "The Bride" is the world's best assassin and her title should be a reflection of how her death is going to be played out, by whomever lays claim to her demise.
Did "The Bride" kill Bill and what ending manifested itself through all the horrid and hellish violence and deceit? You'll find out in Quentin Tarantino's illustrious homage to martial arts and the continuing quest of one woman's mission to seek revenge on those who did her so very, very wrong. "Kill Bill: Volume 2" will leave you with the insight of how it began and why it ended the way it did. Although, with that said, my only gripe would have to be with the ending. With such a monster house of originality and creativity, it just looked too weak for me to become inspired by it.
Still eluding psychotic charm, and a heating-em-up, sizzle brain of freakiness was Daryl Hannah's character Elle Driver. She's so hypnotic to watch, I just can't seem to find myself resisting her evil tendencies and oddness. Like the original, there were many poignant, articulately choreographed scenes and memorable characters. Gordon Liu is another, with his character of Pai Mei just reeking in flamboyant campy humor and stylish personality.
DVD extras include deleted scene, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Kill Bill: Volume 2" featuring Quentin Tarantino, "Kill Bill: Volume 2" premiere Chingon performance (which was fantastic!), Widescreen (2.35:1) -enhanced for 16x9 televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, DTS 5.1 digital surround sound, French language track, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Spanish subtitles.
"Kill Bill: Volume 2" is tireless with its absorbing characters, fascinating dialogue, brilliant music, masterful directing and story telling.
Movie Review: A Name, A Daughter, & Ultimate Redemption.
Summary: 5 Stars
"That woman deserves her revenge and we deserve to die. But, then again, so does she."- Budd informs his brother, Bill, he isn't afraid of commitment in "Kill Bill: Volume 2".
Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue (in this case its a pregnancy test). "The Bride" finishes what she started as she closes in for the kill in "Kill Bill: Volume 2".
"Vol.2" continues the story of "The Bride's" revenge with the chapters "The Massacre at Two Pines" (the viewer finds out it wasn't actually a wedding but a dress rehearsal), "The Lonely Grave of Paula Shultz", "The Sadistic Training of Pei Mai", "Elle & I", & finally "Face to Face" (for the record, O-Ren Ishii, a.k.a. "Cottonmouth", received a tragic brain transplant, while Vernita Green, a.k.a. "Copperhead", got "The Bride's" point over a bowl of "Kabooms" in "Vol.1").
The film, like "Vol.1", has "cult film" written all over it (this has got to be, arguably, Quentin Tarantino's two best films). "Volume 2" is less violent than the first "Bill" and keeps the blood spurting in check. The action is still great (the fight between Hannah and Thurman is claustrophobic and has some funny moments, but, I couldn't stop thinking where in the hell that damn snake was hiding! Since I hate snakes, I was waiting for it to jump out!).
The performances were great throughout. Michael Madsen gives an outstanding performance as Budd (its hard not to like the guy. Yeah, even after he puts 2 slugs (full of rock salt) into "The Bride's" chest & then buries her alive). He also has some of the better lines in the film ("Wrong brother, you hateful b*tch." , is his greeting to Elle Driver on his cell phone). Daryl Hannah is awesome as the menacing, hateful Elle Driver (it hurt to see Budd go into that final goodnight but it was great at what happened to Elle!). Uma Thurman's cold, pissed off, daggers in the eyes, facial expression's to Bill while she hugs her new found daughter was the price of admission alone and David Carradine, as Bill, goes from phantom menace in the first "Bill" to jilted lover in this film is quite a revelation. The final showdown itself is quite good but not what I expected.
Tarantino's direction is great, as always, this time, paying tribute to the spaghetti western (think desert heat. Lots of it). Hittori Hanzo is heard but not seen. The soundtrack is outstanding, borrowing from the great Ennio Morricone and artists Chingon, & Shivaree (both play over the closing credits). "Kill Bill" is a must see for fans of the Shaw Bros., Sergio Leone, westerns and any and all action films of the genre.
I'm anticipating "Volume 2" to hit DVD in Sept. or Oct. of '04 and hopefully, an ultimate box set with director commentary (Tarantino certainly has the mouth for it) with everything but the Vasilube thrown in sometime in the near future.
Above all, "Kill Bill" is, basically, a love story. What a valentine. Thanks "Q & U".
Movie Review: Review Part 2: Where we learn of Bill
Summary: 5 Stars
(continued from the Kill Bill 1 page)...
Where Volume 1 was Tarantino's homage to old school martial arts films and Japanese pop and cinema culture, Volume 2 is a western. On the surface, it's easy to think that these are two very different genres of movies but in theme that's not true. Both deal with revenge. How many martial arts movies and westerns have you seen where someone has been killed and must be revenged?
The music is another connection to the styles. In Vol 1, the music is more J-Pop and Japanese style in theme (look at the 5, 6, 7, 8s). In Vol 2, Robert Rodriguez (director/writer of Desperado, etc) created the music (in fact, he did it for $1 with the intentions that Tarantino would direct a portion of Rodriguez's next movie for $1 which happens to be Sin City. Make sure to catch that April 1st). With Rodriguez's flair, the music becomes more western/mexican.
The other connection is that a lot of Asian films are like Tarantino's in that they are non-linear (i.e. The Grudge, etc). Vol 1 was very non-linear in it's story-telling approach. Vol 2, being more westernized, is told in a more linear way. Not to say it doesn't move back in time then to the present, because it does. But, in comparison to Vol 1, vol 2 is very much more linear. And herein lies the brilliance of this movie. Tarantino bridges the two cultures and cinema styles, creating an epic that is part Japanese and part American old West.
In Volume 2 we learn that everything we thought we knew is probably wrong. By this, I'm referring to Bill. In Vol 1 Bill is an insidious voice at the other end of the phone, one hand on his sword, moving it up and down. We hear his raspy voice and that's about it. He is an pitch black character. In Vol 2, when we actually see Bill and get to know his character, Tarantino has changed our perspectives. Yes he is evil, but not only that, he is human. A lot more human than we are led to believe. It's creepy and makes his character more real.
The violence is more subdued this time than in the first one. Where Vol 1 was a blood soaked revenge story, Vol 2 more resembles some of Tarantino's other stories. It's filled with more awesome dialogue and more story. Here we learn all of the answers to The Bride's past and how she got to where she was.
There are still some awesome fight scenes. The Bride's battle with Elle Driver is intense while strangely humorous. My one complaint is that we have a 3 hour lead up to a very quick battle with Bill. It's over too fast for me. I was a bit let down. Don't get me wrong, HOW it ends is excellent for reasons I won't spoil, but they get to that ending too fast unfortunately. I was a bit disappointed. But, that is a quibble in what is truly and excellent saga. I can't say enough for this series. It is amazing.