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Review

Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Year

2004

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

In last year’s Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Quentin Tarantino showed that he didn’t care anymore to hide his admiration of countless films, TV shows, and genres, and he filled his movie with many references to them, more in-your-face than ever before, even making the movie more interesting on account of his spectacular integration of references to a coherent story than on account of the story itself. It must be considered that that first half was not intended to be a film on its own until after production was over (when the decision was taken to split the film in two), but still, the fact that the first half is so much like that, makes the experience of the second one rather unsettling.

The revenge saga continues as former assassin Black Mamba a.k.a. The Bride (Uma Thurman) goes after Budd (Michael Madsen), Elle Driver (Darryl Hannah), and of course Bill (David Carradine), who ruined her new decent life by killing her husband-to-be and their friends during her wedding rehearsal. This time around, however, we get to see a lot of this woman’s past, her training with cruel Pai Mei (Chia Hui Liu a.k.a. Gordon Liu), and her relationship with Bill. The reasons of everything are made much clearer, and every character gets an edge of humanity, especially The Bride, whose real name and motivations are finally fully revealed.

I walked into this movie expecting the same kind of flamboyant emptiness from the first installment. I remember being disappointed by the lack of Tarantino’s usual witty dialogues (though there are valuable tidbits here and there), but the showy references to so many interesting genres more than made up for it. By expecting the same thing from the second half, I experienced another kind of disappointment. It’s great to see the characters come to life through Tarantino’s inimitable dialogue, but I’m not sure such fleshed-out humanity belongs in this kind of saga, or what it had become in my mind. I know I enjoyed the first one better; I savored every minute of it whereas I had a hard time understanding what kind of film the second one was, but I think I have finally reached an agreement with myself about it.

The thing is, this is the movie I expected before I saw Vol. 1; if this had been it, I would’ve loved it, it would’ve filled my expectations completely. Instead, in both cases I found myself getting something completely different from what I expected, but something I loved in one way or another, something that put me to think afterwards, as empty as the show could have seemed. I’m pretty sure watching the whole saga as one film (as originally planned) would be a dream come true, and that’s probably a bad thing, in the way that the decision to split the movie in two affected the experience. But since I wouldn’t want to lose any minute in the editing room, I think I prefer it this way. The whole saga is mesmerizing, and every volume is great in itself for different reasons.

Once you get past the unsettledness caused by the fact that you’re actually watching a serious movie this time, the thing gets pretty dense. The Bride’s journey is touching, shattering, much more than it seemed. Her reunions with Budd, Elle, and especially Bill, are emotionally charged for different reasons, and it’s heartbreaking to say the least, not only concerning our heroine. At times, extravagant vignettes, such as Pai Mei’s chapter, undermine all this drama, but the whole is touching and definitely hits many chords.

As one good friend of mine put it, the two keywords of this film are Honor and Destiny, themes that Tarantino is certainly proud to include in his films. In the end, not only is the Bride a fully fleshed human being, but her journey is something we definitely care about in more ways than one. Come to think of it, the fact that this kind of movie achieves that is outstanding, because its nature points the other way. That’s Tarantino, and nobody else could’ve done it so well.

So, as I said, we’ve got those memorable lines at last, and the performances are also something to applaud. Uma Thurman is simply magnificent in one of those few characters that are at the same time funny, tough, sweet, mean, charming, vulnerable, and smart. She plays smoothly, truly dancing with the director, easily becoming the queen of the screen. David Carradine is also remarkable, in what’s probably his best screen work to date, and an injection of adrenaline for his career. Madsen and Driver are well-worth praising as well, as are many other members of the cast.

Needless to say, the procedures are accompanied by a great choice of music, and also original work by RZA and Robert Rodriguez.

I’m here waiting for the compilation, or at least the time when I’ll be able to rent both movies and watch them back-to-back. I’ll savor them as many times as necessary, and I’ll love the experience every time. I know I will. And you can’t say that about many movies, can you?

“That woman deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die... But then again, so does she.”

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Other reviews of Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004): Morris

Review

Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Year

2004

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Monday, May 31, 2004

I am a huge of fan of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and mostly of anything that Quentin Tarantino directs. No matter what people think or say, I think the man is a genius. That said, I couldn’t wait for the second installment of his revenge saga, which, as it happens, is absolutely different from its predecessor.

The Bride (Uma Thurman) continues on her quest to kill the people who murdered her boyfriend and friends just when she was about to get married. Next on the list are Budd (Michael Madsen), who is already waiting for her, and Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah). Bill (David Carradine) comes at the end, of course. But will she make it to the end?

Let’s cut to the chase and say first things first that I definitely like Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) much more. That’s not to demerit its sequel, but they really are two extremely different movies and I enjoyed the first installment a lot more in every single aspect.

In this second half there’s barely any violence. It is much more Tarantinesque in the way dialogue plays a much more important role. We finally get to know a bit more about the characters’ past and what brought them to the place where they are now. That includes the relationship between The Bride and Bill, and her further martial arts training by Pai Mei (Chia Hui Liu). The characters are further developed and brought forward.

Now, that’s a good thing, but still, the scene I liked the most in the entire movie is the one where Elle and The Bride meet. That whole sequence in the trailer is brilliant, from the dialogue to the acting to the choreography to the denouement. Tarantino at his best. Scenes with Pai Mei are also highlights.

Not faring that well, for me, are the final scenes with Bill. Some things work and some don’t. I felt some contrivance in them, especially when their child also appears. But there’s also some marvelous stuff in them, such as Bill’s Superman monologue. A mixed bag, although I don’t want to spoil anything for you. I’ll only say this: the very final scene is a blast, loved it.

Oh, and the use of music is, once again, extraordinary.

Uma Thurman has never been better. Well, she has, for she is an excellent actress, but in this second installment we get to see a lot more range in her performance and I must say she is outstanding. I think this will be one of the best performances of the year, hands down. David Carradine, on the other hand, is effectively resurrected by Tarantino and given a great role with which he does great things. And the delicious Daryl Hannah is beyond excellent as the deadly Elle Driver.

Now that the whole story has been fleshed out for us, I’d love to see a complete version, no matter how long it is. Tarantino has already put it together and hopefully they’ll have it on DVD. Then again, if they don’t, I’ll be more than satisfied to watch the two parts over and over again.

“I guess I overreacted.”

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Other reviews of Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004): Groucho