Kill Bill - Volume Two
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Movie Reviews of Kill Bill - Volume Two
Movie Review: One of the few sequels that's equal to Part 1
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw "Kill Bill Vol. 2" in the theater the day it came out, and was impressed with it as much as I was with Vol. 1 - in many ways, for different reasons. I had heard that Tarantino had made part 2 the love story, focusing less on action and violence, and was curious as to how he did it.In one word: Brilliantly. Uma Thurman continues her quest for revenge as The Bride/Black Mamba, now with 3 targets left on her hit list: Budd (Bill's brother/Sidewinder), Elle (California Mountain Snake), and Bill (Snake Charmer) himself. How she does it can't even be explained, but it's incredible to watch -- and this poor woman goes through hell in trying to accomplish her goal (whether she does so or not ... see the movie). NEVER have I seen a film where the main character went through this much to get what she wants -- and you hope she gets it. The main action is intercut with flashbacks of The Bride getting her martial arts training from Master Pai Mei (some of the best, most rousing, and funniest scenes in the film), and part 2 deals much more in characters development, also the love story between Bill and The Bride -- which went horribly, horribly wrong.
With so damn much build up, most directors would easily fail to live up to what they set up in the conclusion. Not the case here, as the film ends unexpectedly but in a very satisfying way.
The performances are top-quality, and Uma Thurman's Bride deserves her place in the annals of American movie heroines. David Carradine, Michael Madsen, and Daryl Hannah all give outstanding performances, and together the two films form a complete movie that has everything - action, romance, violence, humor, thrills -- you name it. I stayed throught the end credits, where (as a former actor) I gained true respect for Tarantino, who appreciates actors so much he gave every performer -- even actors with the smallest roles -- their own screen time by spotlighing them individually during the credits (he also made them humorous - definitely don't leave until they're completely over).
As I said in my review of the first film, these movies are an EXPERIENCE to be seen, and should NOT have been edited to one really long film, as has been suggested. How retarded is that, when not one frame of film was was wasted on either.
When Tarantino releases this one on DVD, hopefully he will release the two as a package, with tons of extras and some great commentaries. For now, these are two masterpieces by a man who knew his vision - and made it 100% real.
Movie Review: SADLY OVERLOOKED BY THE ACADEMY
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're like me, before you buy or rent a film you might check the customer reviews on amazon.com to see what other people thought. The problem is, everyone has different tastes and different opinions on what is good and what is bad. If you're a Tarantino fan then you probably have seen this film twenty times and don't need to be sold on it's greatness. But for those of you out there who haven't studied every scene and memorized every line Mr. Pink ever said in Reservoirs Dogs...here's an honst review on the KING GEEK'S latest masterpeice. Kill Bill Vol. 1 was amazing but seemed a little more exploitive than anything 'ol Quentin had ever done. The film was just violent and had little plot...it was a straight forward revenge flick that pretty much never trailed from it's inspirations. I myself am a massive revenge film fan, (check out Rolling Thunder, Man on Fire, Mad Max and King of the Ants) and I have to say that the Bride fighting the Crazy 88 in Vol. 1 was one of the most awesome American produced martial arts action scenes ever captured on film. Saying that, the film lacked something that Tarantino really unleashed in Vol. 2...power. Kill Bill Vol. 2 shows us that Quentin has grown up and isn't all about excess and exploitation. He's not all about violence. At times in Vol. 2 it felt like it wasn't a Tarantino film because of the emotions that take place in the film. This film is a lot more dramatic, a lot more epic, and a lot more story and character driven. SOme of the scenes are so original and so smart and so well directed and acted that it's a wonder why the Academy Awards totally ignored the film at this years Oscars. Vol. 2 may lack the blood but it's the real guts of what Kill Bill really is. It's also a homage to Leone's spagetti westerns...half the soundtrack is old Morricone scores from Italian films. Michael Madsen's character is straight out of an old western. And then you have the Shaw Brothers tribute with the whole Pei Mei training of The Bride. This film effected me much more than Vol. 1 did. Both films are wonderful but Vol. 2 is the one that proves to the world that Tarantino is much more than fancy dialogue and unforgiving violence. Look for Quentin's newest project, he directed a scene in the upcoming SIN CITY adaptation in which Benecio Del Toro haunts Clive Owen's Dwight.Movie Review: This Bill Speaks Volumes
Summary: 5 Stars
At some point, Quentin Tarantino will smush Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2 back together to form a three-hour plus grindhouse epic. Too bad, because Kill Bill Vol. 2 needs no preface. It needs nothing added to it. It's a perfect film, on its own, and in many ways it is Tarantino's best film.It's also the most delightful surprise of Tarantino's brief career. Both Kill Bill films were shot at the same time, with a single script, as one film. Yet, the splitting of the film has resulted in two different pieces that differ greatly in quality. Somehow, Volume 1 contained all the worst of Tarantino - self-indulgence, film geek references no one cares about, no plot, no characters, mind-numbing bloodshed, and so on. It almost seems like Tarantino needed to get all the excesses of Vol. 1 out before he could go and make the REAL movie.
And that movie is Volume 2 - a delirious, insanely entertaining epic that is perhaps the most visceral film experience you will ever have. The plot here is more disciplined. The characters get fleshed out (and occasionally bled out). There's no fat here - it's all 100% Grade A, US Prime movie spectacle. You'll laugh, cry, forget to breathe, cringe, gasp, wince, and do everything else short of having a seizure. Here is Tarantino at his most manipulative, his most masterful.
And, apart from the obvious scenes worth savoring (the Massacre at Two Pines, David Carradine's Bill making his daughter a bologna sandwich, The Bride's pregnancy test, and the Pei Mei sequence), there are little details are even more impressive - Michael Madsen getting chewed out by his strip club manager, a five-minute black screen sequence that has to rank among the most suspenseful scenes in film, and a biology lecture from Daryl Hannah's evil Elle Driver. All of it is good. None of it feels self-congratulatory. How was this made at the same time as its predecessor?
Since Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino has largely been out of the eye of pop culture. Jackie Brown was too low key, and Kill Bill Vol. 1 seemed to try too hard. But with Kill Bill Vol. 2, he reasserts himself as an audacious force in moviemaking, the Scorsese of his generation. He'll spend the coming months turning the two Kill Bills into just one. But he doesn't need to. Frankly, his next idea can't come fast enough.
Movie Review: The Superior Half
Summary: 5 Stars
I've watched most of Quentin Tarantino's movies, and while they're all at least good, even great, each seemed to be missing something for me, just one crucial thing that I couldn't put my finger on, and I'd always rate them 4 out of 5 in my mind. I did not expect this to be the Tarantino film that I could rate a solid 5.
Taking a turn from the non-stop action of volume 1, volume 2 takes a slower, more dramatic, and ultimately superior pace to the first half of the story. The little action there is is great, but the tension and drama are what drive the film. It begins with an ingenious black and white re-cap of the El Paso Massacre showing the events just before the assault began and moving through the final steps of the Bride's revenge, taking her through Sidewinder, California Mountain Snake, and finally Bill. The action is less goofy and more intense, serving to support the drama rather than star on its own.
Performances are excellent all around, with David Carradine doing a phenomonemal job as Bill. Michael Madsen, great as ever, play Sidewinder, while Daryl Hannah is a creepier villain than one would think possible of her. And of course, Uma Thurman does a great job as the Bride, going through all her emotional distresses and rewards.
The cinematography is not as ambitious as Tarantino usually makes it. There are some great camera angles/movements and the black and white was great in how sharp it is, but Tarantino seemed less gutsy than in his past films. I don't think this hurt the movie at all, but it's something to notice. The soundtrack isn't as memorable, but like the down-played action, it serves the film well.
As with the previous DVD, this one is sparse, though not entirely bare-bones. There's a Deleted Scene this time, one which probably should have been left in the film. It's hokey, but so is the sequence it's meant to be in the middle of, and I think it would have served the movie well to be part of it.
Overall, I'd have to say that I enjoyed this above the other Tarantino movies. Performances were driven and realistic, while the dramatic tension is more than well done, particularly during the last segment of the movie. There couldn't have been a finer conclusion to this enormous cinematic effort.
Movie Review: An Amazing Conclusion to this tale of revenge
Summary: 5 Stars
Several months ago, eclectic director Quentin Tarantino regaled our senses with a visceral thrill-ride known as "Kill Bill: Volume 1". This first half of Tarantino's epic tale of revenge introduced to the enigmatic former assassin known as the Black Mamba (Uma Thurman) and the circumstances that led her to embark on a quest to `kill Bill'. Mamba miraculously survived an assassination by Bill and his current hit squad (although her entire wedding party was murdered), only to end up in a coma for four years. Once she regained consciousness, she began to exact brutal vengeance on those responsible. In "Vol. 1" she took out Vernita Green/"Copperhead" (Vivica A. Fox) and O-Ren Ishii/"Cottenmouth" (Lucy Liu). The revenge was purely physical and graphically brutal. It was a veritable assault of visual images and thrilled the audience with the completeness and thoroughness of Mamba's revenge. Fascinatingly, "Kill Bill: Volume 2" is a drastically different film even though it continues the same story. "Vol. 2" takes a more philosophical approach to Mamba's revenge, whereas "Vol. 1" was the more physical approach. While more talkative possessing less action, "Vol. 2" is no less effective than "Vol. 1". What "Vol. 2" brings is the rest of the story that "Vol. 1" rightfully left out. In this concluding episode, we now know more about the history between Bill and Mamba. We learn more about why Bill ordered Mamba's assassination. As an added bonus, after seeing a steely-eyed killing machine in "Vol. 1", we get to see a more vulnerable Mamba in this installment. The combination of the two volumes completes this story. One is the yin to the other's yang. The choice to split the film into two parts now not only seems correct, but essential.
Doubts about Tarantino still having `it' should be full dispelled by this incredible cinematic achievement. "Kill Bill" honors martial-arts films of the past while setting a standard for future films to emulate. "Kill Bill" manages to thrill the senses while challenging the mind. Tarantino showed that he had this talent when he made "Pulp Fiction". "Kill Bill" is the next step in the evolution of Tarantino's work. Where he goes from here is anyone's guess, but it has the potential to be spectacular.