Film Review: Kill Bill Vol.2
The entertaining style of the movie is why it is worth a watch.
My friends and I were on our way to see Kill Bill Vol.2 and I, being the only girl in the group, foresaw my friends ridiculing me later for what I presumed would be me covering my face (to shield me from the gore) during most of the movie. After seeing less than half of the first movie without leaving the theatre, I assumed the same would be true for the follow up. And surprisingly enough, I was actually very taken in by the movie.
Vol.2 is the highly anticipated second half of Quentin Tarantino’s fourth work; Kill Bill. Although the two pieces were originally intended to be one, drastic changes were made to make the two volumes stand alone in their own rights. They are definitely two very different movies. Vol.1 was insanely bloody and brutal; Uma Thurman’s character “The Bride,” also known as Black Mamba, wakes up from a coma and is out for merciless revenge on the members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (who made an attempt on her life but didn’t quite finish the job). Black Mamba, The Bride’s code name as a former part of the same Squad, attacks and kills two of its five members. She continues her thirst for revenge on the remainder in the second volume.
As I was waiting in line at the theatre, a couple of people in line around me were saying that they hated Vol.2 because it was simply unrealistic. The unrealistic and unnatural events were the precedence of the first installment, and bring notoriety to the Tarantino name. If you are looking for realistic fight scenes and sequences, then Kill Bill is not your movie. I would not suggest any Tarantino movies to people who are only satisfied by the strikingly realistic; I would recommend them to people who are interested in artsy entertainment. Tarantino is an amazing filmmaker and if people seek innovative amusement then his motion picture will not disappoint. I usually hate excessive violence (no matter how unrealistic) in movies; the continuously fatuous violence in these movies is perhaps what redeems its use in the case of Kill Bill.
In the first volume Black Mamba wipes through two of her former allies and the Crazy 88s with ease. Her opponents in the second volume are more challenging than the first and the height of her struggle comes from being buried alive. The final fight with Bill is less than enticing considering the huge build up, and that is perhaps all of the plot that I am giving away in this review. However, if the violence of the first volume was something for too excessive, I do suggest giving the second installment a try.
The entertaining style of the movie is why it is worth a watch. It opens with Uma Thurman talking directly to the audience explaining her mission and her goals. As the movie tells The Bride’s background story, her instructor Pai Mei is characterized by quick-zoom close ups while humorously stroking his long white beard. He is an entertaining character indeed. Even if you are not a kung-fu movie geek or don’t catch many of the references to past cinematography fades, the stylistic techniques in the movie are impeccable. And through all of Tarantino’s charming additions, the movie maintains certain directness with the audience through its engaging brand of entertainment.
KILL BILL VOL.2
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah