Kill Bill - Volume Two
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Movie Reviews of Kill Bill - Volume Two
Movie Review: roaring rampage of revenge!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have just come back from seeing Kill Bill 2... and i am amazed. The first film, since owning it on weds, has not left my DVD player and has been watched numerous times! I couldnt just watch my favourite bits... i had to watch twenty minutes extra before i realised i really must be doing something else!The 2nd one is MUCH less bloody - no mass killings like the Crazy 88! There is more emotion, a lot more dialogue and a lot more depth into the characters.
That in no way means that Kill Bill 2 sucks cos it has no action... it is fantastic. It is completly different in that it handles the death of the characters a lot more slow paced, making you really feel the brides pain and agony of what she has been through. Tarentino plays with humerous mixed in with complete emotional dialogue - and the moment she meets Bill was completly different to how i pictured it. I imagined two professional sword fighters wrecking eachother to pieces - but no. Instead we had pure emotion - and you're left feeling... can i say it... slightly sympathetic for Bill! I nearly cried!!! But at the end you can truely see that all the agony it took to kill him - The Bride is happy to get her revenge.
Budd is a fantastic character - the poor loser in the caravan who completly shocks us in how he treats the bride. I'm not claustrophobic myself but the scenes with the bride in the coffin, buried alive made me feel confined and scared!!!
Elle Driver is another fab one - complete cool nasty chick! And that fight scene is incredible - although beware snake fearers! (my mate was wriggling in her chair!)
Overall, the film amazed me - it completly did not disapoint me. Tarentinos humour (just the beard stroking had me in hysterics), his use of black and white, his use of music (that made the 1st one for me... the rock n roll music whilst the bride teddy bear rolls and slices limbs off the crazy 88's... genious!)
I cant wait to see the whole 4 and a half hour film... i imagine it will need a bit of editing just to make it fit just right, but i'm sure its actually the two parts that were edited to make it cliff hang and work better as two parts... so who knows.
I hope you enjoy the film as much as i have - this is my favourite tarentino.
Movie Review: May I Have A Glass Of Water Please?
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the first things that struck me about Kill Bill 2 is how Tarantino seems to have aimed it at a subtly different audience. The first was both a paean and a parody of the Hong Kong style fight film and the anime style that is part and part of the same package. This film is something else - in some ways it is almost a commentary on the forces behind the making of part one, and an opportunity for Tarantino, speaking through Bill (David Carradine), to express some of his aesthetics directly to a willing audience.
This makes it a somewhat headier film as it traces The Bride's (Uma Thurman) progress towards their inevitable confrontation. The first part of the film, told in the context of a live burial covers confrontations with both Bill's brother Budd (Michael Madsen) and Elle (Darryl Hannah). The best acting here is a surprise performance by Chia Hui Liu, who plays Pai Mei, a perfect parody of a Chinese master of the martial arts. In many ways, these sequences are some of the best in the film, and they crystallize what is happening to The Bride (also known as Beatrix Kiddo) in the present.
That part done, the action turns to the hunt for Bill and Bea's discovery of her child (mentioned at the end of Kill Bill 1). This is the point where Tarantino shifts gears, spending as more time on emotional and intellectual questions than he does on actual violence. This makes an interesting contrast, and those who were expecting an explosive conclusion may find that this time they are a bit nonplussed. There is a moment of blurring action, but this adheres more to the Samurai model where the actual stroke occurs in a moment, almost as a side effect of the dramatic content.
What makes this all exceptional is that Tarantino to what was an absolutely predictable plot and manages to make each movement full of surprise and seeming free will. Tarantino shows himself a master of camera styles and choreography to the same effect, focusing this time on more intimate spaces. The physical acting is also notable (especially the fight scene between Elle and The Bride). The two films in this series make an interesting study of the palette of one of our more unorthodox directors.
Movie Review: I probably don't even NEED to review this, but I will
Summary: 5 Stars
Alright... It should be abundently clear that this is a fantastic movie... I have yet to hear of anyone who "didn't like it," and as far as movie experiences go, Kill Bill Vol 2 did not disappoint.
In fact, it had fantastic surprises, turns of events, and overall cinematography, and was just a delightful watch... I liked it and David Carradine's performance as Bill so much that I went out and bought the complete first season of Kung Fu.
Kill Bill Vol 2 obviously follows the character played by Uma Thurman, "the Bride" further down the path to retribution for the murder of her family. Bill is played in a marvelously sadistic yet serene manner by Carradine, and it's by far the best peice of work I've ever seen him do. Michael Madson does not dissappoint, nor does Daryl Hannah, and Gordon Liu is scene stealing as the old priest, Pai Mei.
There is little that can disappoint with this movie as it has a great pace, Tarrentino's amazing sense of detail shows through in almost every scene, and the only complaint I have heard from anyone about the movie is that they didn't like that the body count was lower in Volume 2 than Volume 1. Basically, Volume 1 is a classic revenge movie that explains the characters briefly, with more depth on the specific characters who star in it and a little cameo depth on the characters for Volume 2. It asks all the questions and leaves you wondering what's going to happen for Volume 2.
Volume 2 answers the questions and also has some great plot twists and things to throw you off the track a bit, and delves deep into the relationships between Bill and The Bride (I'm not giving away her name for the sake of those who have only seen Vol 1...), and is just a marvelous peice of filmmaking... It's very possibly the best martial arts movie ever made, and as Martial Arts Movies go, I liken Kill Bill Vols 1 and 2 as comparable to how The Godfather Vols 1 and 2 are to Mob movies. There may be some other great mob movies out there, but nothing quite compares to the first two Godfather movies... There may be some great martial arts flicks out there, but nothing will ever quite compare to Kill Bill Vols 1 and 2.
Movie Review: Tarantino dialogue at it's best!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was expecting Kill Bill, Vol 2 to be much like the first. I was surprised to find it was a completely different film! Though I loved the first, it was definitely a pleasant surprise to find the second much more mellow and more about the depth of the characters instead of blood and kung-fu fighting.Uma Thurmon is back as The Bride, the woman who was set to be married when her ex boss and former "friends" (an assassination team) gunned her, her future husband and entire wedding party down. She got her revenge on the first two members of the Death Squad and in Vol. 2, she's back to take out the other two.. and the ringleader, Bill.
The dialogue is, as always, incredible. Quentin Tarantino just has a way with words and dialogue that keeps my attention riveted... and keeps me laughing. Since I like Tarantino's dialogue so much, it was no surprise I liked Vol.2 so much better than Vol.1! This version was much slower paced and seemed more concerned with explaining the characters and their motivations moreso than the first.
Despite being less bloody than the first, there is no shortage of great fights in Vol. 2! The final fight between Bill and the Bride is EXCELLENT. I also very much enjoyed her fight with Elle Driver, which was surprisingly funny and very well choreographed. The fight with Elle was probably one of the best fight scenes I've seen in a movie in a long long time!
As in the first, the acting is top notch. All the actors are so perfectly matched to the characters they were playing. Uma Thurmon is totally wonderful and believable as the wronged Bride bent on revenge. Michael Madsen is great as Budd, the redneck who is a lot smarter than he looks. Darryl Hannah as Elle, phenominally evil - I don't think they could possibly have cast a better person in that role. David Carradine finally gets to be seen, playing the infamous Bill. While he did an excellent job - I have a hard time buying him and the Bride as a couple... though the two definitely have some chemistry on the screen in a mentor/protoge kind of sense.
Overall, while the movie was different than Vol.1, it was still excellent! I highly recommend it, especially to Tarantino fans. 5 stars!
Movie Review: Great Concolusion...but Sadly Lacks the Spunk of Vol. 1.
Summary: 5 Stars
I just got back from seeing this film and I must say I was a little let down when the credits began to roll. Sure it was a very good film, but in my opinion the slower pacing of the film should have been in Volume One and the quick action pace should have made up Volume 2. I understand QT's motive was to draw our attention in the first film and explain most of it in the second. First off, the acting is even better this time around because we get to know the characters inside and out. Uma Thurman again nails the role she was destined to play. Madsen was his usual self (not really a bad thing), and I love him for it. Daryl Hannah was one of the two shockers in this movie. She provides the best and most believable female villian ever. I thought her career had died...well it has been ressurected. Her "cat fight" with Uma in the trailer was brutal and flat out exciting and had a squishy ending that made many cringe in distust. Finally, the best for last. David Carradine as Bill was flat out an awesome casting choice. The character Bill was given so much dialogue in this film I think it would have been boring unless the actor speaking it could hold our attention throughout. Carradine's voice, manurisms, and delivery were top notch and should easily earn him an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actor. Sadly there are not as many homages to old films in this one and the music is good, but not nearly as great as in Volume 1. Nevertheless, this is a fitting conclusion to this epic pair of films. I will certainly be seeing it again in a few days. To those reading this review who have not seen it yet, remember that it is much slower than Vol. 1 and is loaded with dialogue rather than letting the action speak for the film. Before I forget, the master instructor, Pai Mei, is truly a colorful personality who is funny in an intimidating kind of way and another of the many characters that you will remember when leaving the theater. I must also mention that buried alive scene which was done so well I actually thought the dirt was being dumped on me. Forget the over-the-top gore and non-stop thrills from Vol. 1, and sit back and take in the meaty complexity and marvel that is Vol. 2!