Saturday 15 June 2013

Kill Bill Vol. 1

They say that ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’. Kill Bill is the absolute epitome of this saying. It tells of ‘The Bride’ who is out to get revenge on the people who shot her in the head at her wedding rehearsal. It is directed by Quentin Tarantino and so has many of the hallmarks of a Tarantino film. The first part of Kill Bill sees The Bride wake up from the coma that she was in, track down and kill the first two Deadly Vipers. It is a very good film to watch, and any fan of Tarantino will enjoy it in much the same way that they (hopefully) enjoyed his other films.

The plot of the film is incredibly engaging, and despite the high level of blood and violence, you are always rooting for The Bride (whose name is blanked out whenever it is spoken) to get her revenge. Now Tarantino’s tendency to break the plot up into chapters and jumble the story around a bit makes the first part a bit difficult to follow. We see her pregnant at her wedding where Bill (hence the title of the film) shoots her in the head. Then she wakes up in the hospital as one of the nurses is telling a man the rules for his rather horrifying way of making money on the side. She leaves the hospital (leaving two dead men behind her) and makes off in ‘the pussy wagon’. From here she goes to Japan, gets a samurai sword from the legendary Hattori Hanzo and takes on the Crazy 88s. In the film this is the big climax at the end (and it is an incredible scene), and so it is quite strange to think that this happens before the little knife fight between her and Vernita Green. Naturally, the heroine prevails and then leaves to seek her next victim.

Uma Thurman plays The Bride, and also wrote some of the script in what is her second collaboration with Tarantino. She is very good in this film and comes across (shockingly, given the nature of her mission) very convincingly as a woman out for revenge. She is very sinister and very cold, but if I have one criticism of her in Kill Bill then it will be that her delivery of her lines is quite poor. It never seems natural when she says that she has ‘unfinished business’, and some of the script writing isn't astounding. However, as ever with Tarantino I feel that this is intended and meticulously planned. Uma Thurman is incredibly believable in the role. The image of her in the yellow motorbike suit has become iconic and represents one of the best (and most incredulous) fight scenes I have seen.

As with every Tarantino film, the blood flows in plentiful supply. A woman on a murderous revenge-fuelled rampage directed by Tarantino is bound to be over the top, but Tarantino makes it very amusing in Kill Bill. For example, in the scene where O-Ren Ishii cuts the head off Boss Tanaka, the blood spurts up in a fountain-like manner, about two seconds after it should. However, this helps to make Kill Bill less dark and lightens the tone of the film quite a lot. I remember watching it for the first time with my flatmate, and we were laughing our heads off. Throughout Kill Bill the violence is very comical, and the gore is more amusing than disgusting.

The best part about Tarantino’s non-linear plot is that he re-arranges it in a manner that works perfectly in terms of suspense. The scene where Vernita and The Bride are having a cup of coffee and reminiscing is particularly tense, because all the time there is the lingering worry that something could spark off any moment. By leaving the big fight in Japan until the end of the film there is much more of a desire for Volume 2. For me, Kill Bill Vol. 1 marks the start of Tarantino’s move towards more comical films. The films before Kill Bill (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown) all seem much more realistic and gritty, whereas Kill Bill is a very tongue-in-cheek film, which comes across as Tarantino’s idea of ‘a bit of fun’. It says a lot that his idea of a fun film is equally enjoyable as his earlier films.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 is a classic Tarantino film, and is a thoroughly enjoyable film. It is very different to his other films, but in many ways, very similar. I found that it was very watchable, and I enjoyed the light atmosphere around it. The best thing about it though is that it makes you want to find out what happens in the second part. Usually I am quite skeptical about films split into two parts, but Kill Bill pulls it off perfectly. Definitely one to watch if you get the opportunity.

Other Tarantino films:

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