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:
Inglorious Basterds - http://mattsthoughtsonmovies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/inglorious-basterds.html
Django Unchained - http://mattsthoughtsonmovies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/django-unchained.html
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