Back in the early ‘90s on the set of Pulp Fiction,writer/director Quentin Tarantino constantly told the actress:”Uma Thurman will kill Bill.” This marked the beginningof the concept for Kill Bill. Almost a decade later,Tarantino’s vision is presented in two parts.
I’m glad there’s someone like Tarantino in theworld, and that he’s making kick-ass, cool-looking movies.It’s a shame that he only makes them every four to fiveyears, but if they’re all as good as Kill Bill, I don’tmind the wait. There’s no doubt about Tarantino’s loveand affection for cinema as it is evident in almost every frame ofhis latest film Kill Bill Vol. 1.
Despite a script length of 222 pages, the plot of Kill Bill is afairly simple one: The Bride (Uma Thurman) seeks revenge againstBill (David Carradine) and his gang of DiVAS (the Deadly ViperAssassination Squad) for having killed everyone in her life on herwedding day. After being in a coma for five years from theincident, The Bride awakens. She sets out (while wearing a yellowtrack-suit that pays tribute to the one worn by Bruce Lee in Gameof Death) on a venomous rampage thirsty for blood, and there is alot of it. How this film got an R by the MPAA is beyond me, buthey, it’s Quentin Tarantino. Maybe they were distracted bythe gorgeous cinematography done by one of the decade’s best,Robert Richardson (Platoon, Casino). Or maybe they just gave in tothe awesome, CGI-absent fight sequences that were choreographed byfight master Yuen Wo-Ping and movie icon Sonny Chiba.
People who have enjoyed Tarantino’s previous films(Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown) should have noproblem digesting this film as though it is another piece of sweetcake baked from Tarantino’s wild imagination.
Others will enjoy it as homage to the grind house film, which isa generic term for violent, pornographic films shown in anextremely run-down movie theaters. The films produced in the ShawBrothers studios, such as Five Deadly Venoms and Shaolin MasterKiller, are noted as the primary inspiration as well as the filmsof Sergio Leone, whom Tarantino has referenced as the maininfluence for all of his films.
The film does not feel like 110 minutes long, and it will onlyleave most audiences members wanting to know more, such as who isThe Bride, what is her relationship to Bill, and why was shegetting married?
Too bad Miramax feels they need to milk viewers for allthey’re worth. But what else do you expect from a studio thatfeeds on spending more money than any other studio when it comes toOscar campaigning? But hey, I’m not complaining as long asthey keep greenlighting interesting work.
Kill Bill Vol 1. opens Friday. The second installment is slatedfor release on Feb. 20, 2004 when Thurman will finally killBill.
