Kill Bill - Volume One

Kill Bill - Volume One
This is my first Quentine Tarantino film. Editing is ultimate. Wow! What Music! Uma Thurman gives a terrific performance. I knever knew Michael Madsen or Carradine at that time. Both actors were my Dad's-time-guys. But after seeing Kill Bill, I have pin-ups of Madsen in my room. Paps always used to speak of 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Jackie Brown' etc..but they were not 'my-period' films. Even Daryl Hannah! I knew her only as the 'mermaid' from 'Splash'. I saw KILL BILL on the BIG SCREEN and became hooked. Now I do not miss a single film by Tarantino.

I never really cared for action films nor did I cared for Quentin Tarantino until I saw this and other films he made. I enjoy watching this flim from begining to finish. I thought it could've done without the Anime cartoon but the rest of the movie was great and I can't believe we have to wait a decade or 2 for part 3!

WARNING: This review contains spoilers!

Note: In my summary of the plot I have put the film's story into chronological order so that events unfold sequentially. This is not the order in which the events of the film are actually shown.

Quentin Tarantino (director of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) has often been called one of the most violence-obsessed filmmakers in America, a title that he would occasionally protest. Now we can see why he would have objected to it, he simply hadn't earned that honor yet. But let it be known to all that Quentin Tarantino, or Q.T. as he sometimes refers to himself, is now an official auteur of the action film. His bloody kung fu saga, Kill Bill, is proof of this. Here he pays homage to his favorite exploitation films of the `70s and `80s* with the giddy enthusiasm of a teenaged fanboy.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 tells the story of The Bride, a former assassin with the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DiVAS), who is brutally attacked and left for dead during her wedding rehearsal by her ex boss/lover Bill. The Bride loses everything and everyone she cares about including her husband-to-be, her friends and her unborn child. After being shot in the head by Bill himself, The Bride sinks into a coma and awakens four whole years later. While she was comatose a hospital nurse sold her body to perverts who would have sex with her. On the day of her resurrection she kills the nurse and the creep who paid to have his way with her, thus beginning a cycle of cold bloody revenge. Her targets: Bill and every one of the Deadly Vipers. Her goal: Kill `em all. Her mission begins with a trip to Japan where she asks the legendary sword maker, Hattori Hanzo, to give her "Japanese steel". He refuses saying that he no longer makes instruments of death but when she explains that only his swords are up to the task of killing Bill, who was once Hanzo's student therefore making him partially responsible for Bill's wicked deeds, then he agrees to make her his finest sword, a katana with no equal. He also warns her that before her journey for revenge can begin that she must be sure that she will not falter no matter what. The Bride then leaves with her new weapon and prepares for an epic battle with O-Ren Ishii, a half Japanese, half Chinese, Asian American who's become the leader of a powerful yakuza crime syndicate.
When O-Ren was just a young girl she witnessed the horrible murders of her father and mother and she vowed revenge. At the age of twelve she fulfilled her desire for blood when she slew the man responsible. She quickly became one of the youngest and deadliest assassins in the world, which is why Bill took her under his wing.
After an amazing showdown with O-Ren and her sword-wielding gang, The Bride hunts down #2 on her list of people to kill, Vernita Green. The Bride and Vernita engage in vicious hand-to-hand combat (with a brief intermission when Vernita's young daughter comes home from school) before Vernita meets her doom before the eyes of her young daughter. But things are never as simple as they seem and "Revenge is never a straight line." While The Bride continues on her journey to kill Bill, we learn of a secret that may be her undoing: her daughter, the child that she believed to be dead when she was assaulted on the day of her wedding rehearsal four years earlier, is still alive and living with her daddy, Bill.

Some Tarantino fans have complained that this film is a departure from his dialogue-driven serio-comedies about charismatic criminals and lowlifes, but even as this is true Kill Bill is a definitive Tarantino film. Darkly humorous, graphically violent and as irreverent as always, his films polarize, provoke, and entertain audiences, which is why Kill Bill is quintessentially Quentin.
The film is rounded out by a terrifically diverse cast including Uma Thurman as The Bride, Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii, Vivica A. Fox as Vernita Green, Michael Madsen as Budd, Daryl Hannah as Elle Driver, David Carradine as Bill, and Sonny Chiba as Hattori Hanzo.

The DVD is a must-have for Tarantino fans, however be warned that a more elaborate DVD release may be on the way. Special features include the Making of Kill Bill featurette, two musical performances by the 5,6,7,8s and trailers for Tarantino's other films.

* Here are some of the films and television shows that inspired Q.T. to make Kill Bill:
Once Upon a Time in the West
Bruce Lee Ultimate Collection
Lone Wolf and Cub Box Set
Fox in a Box - Featuring Pam Grier
Lady Snowblood
Yakuza Graveyard
Charlie's Angels - The Complete First Season
Shogun Assassin
Shadow Warriors - The Complete First Season

This movie is a must see and a must have for all you Tarantino fan. This movie to overly violent and bloody. Normally I don't like movies like that. However, it ranks among one of my favorite movies.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 sets the bar for the genre of violent, action films. Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, David Carradine and others did a spectacular job in their roles. And a special appearance by 1960's J-Pop band the 5678's was really part of the films best moments. Quentin Tarantino should have won an Oscar for best director for Kill Bill Vol 1. I love it and I am look forward to buying Vol. 2.