“Kill Bill” kills the film competition
November 2003 (retro review)
By Matt Brakefield Staff Writer
“Revenge is a dish best served cold” These words flashed on the movie screen as I listened to the heavy breathing of Uma Thurman. The first image of Uma in “Kill Bill: Volume One” features her on the ground, beaten and vulnerable with a blood-covered face. “Do you find me sadistic?” asks a calm Bill. No reply. Bill continues with his sweet nothings while wiping away some blood from her face with a handkerchief. The sound of a gun loads and the woman cries out, “It’s your baby!” A bullet fires at the woman immediately after her pleading. The opening titles begin to play, as does the classic Nancy Sinatra song, “Bang Bang, He Shot Me Down.”
“Kill Bill” marks the fourth film written and directed by cinematic genius Quentin Tarantino. He is well known for the scale of violence in each of his movies (some people don’t like him because of this; other accept it and hail his work). His past projects are “Reservoir Dogs,” “Jackie Brown” and 1994’s critically acclaimed crime drama that gained him great attention, “Pulp Fiction.” “Kill Bill” was originally written as one, three-hour movie, but Tarantino decided to split it into two parts; thus this review is of “Volume One.”
In the picture, Uma Thurman plays the main character, known only as The Bride. She has just retired from the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, or DiVAS, and with that out of her hands, she plans to get married to her fiance, have a baby, and lead a normal life. At the wedding, however, the tables turn when everyone is assassinated at the church as The Bride is betrayed by her fellow friends from the old squad. Not only that, Bill leaves her to die with a bullet in her head. Fortunately for our protagonist, she survives the attack but is put into a coma for almost four-and-a-half years.
After waking up in a hospital from the long coma, she swears bloody revenge on ever member of the DiVAS, whether or not they regret their previous actions, saving Bill for last. Among the squad are Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), Budd (Michael Madsen), and, lastly, Bill (David Carradine). Each member has their very own code name that is based on the names of poisonous snakes, such as Copperhead, Sidewinder, and the main character, Black Mamba.
The film mixes many element of spaghetti westerns, kung-fu flicks, and B-movies. It also features many Tarantino twists, such as his use of multiple and intense colors that light up the screen. He also throws the scenes out of chronological order, like “Pulp Fiction,” which allows him to bring depth to the thin plot. Also typical for a Tarantino movie, “Kill Bill” has many older songs that fit perfectly with the situation. For instance, when Elle Driver is sent to the hospital dressed as a nurse to kill The Bride, the haunting “Twisted Nerve” whistling song is heard. In addition, the movie even has an exciting ten-minute anime sequence. As these elements demonstrate, “Kill Bill” shows how much Tarantino loves movies.
One tip to really enjoy the film is to leave reality at the door and accept some of the implausible things shown in the movie that a human being could not do. For example, in the climactic action sequence, The Bride is able to fight her enemies while she is balanced on the edge of a railing at a Japanese restaurant. The small details like this allow you to see beyond reality into another world.
Overall, “Kill Bill” is a brilliant film. I am sure that it will become another cult classic in cinematic history. At the same time, it will be criticized for its unusual approach to entertainment, since it has what most current movies lack; plot, intrigue and quality acting.