Kill Bill : Volume 1

Review by Clint Morris

Believe it or not, it’s been six years since Quentin Tarantino [Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs] released a film. Even then, he’s only ever had four.

It might come as a surprise to some, considering the reputation the man’s got for being one of today’s most influential and respected filmmakers.

In fact, film students of today actually look to the young Tarantino’s films for inspiration and assist when starting out – while critics use his films as a basis to compare others in the same genre.

But with good reason, if anything, because Tarantino has given audiences what they desire - something different, something largely entertaining, and something well worth your dollar. He too is obviously sick to death of the same old same old, and so every time gives audiences something he thinks they mightn’t have seen before – or at least, something they might want to see.

Some may condemn the violence in his films, some may point fingers at the language, some may even out him as ripping off past films [he’s not ashamed to confess he does so], but most can’t argue that he’s one hell of a passionate, cluey filmmaker.

Tarantino’s latest film might come as a bit of a surprise to the outsider. But his fans know better. Throughout most of the director’s films, there’s usually a reference to old kung fu movies or spaghetti westerns, and most suspected the day would come when the explicitly obsessive genre-loving ex-video clerk would leave the suit’n’tie gangsters behind for a no-hold’s barred tribute to his other favourite genres - in this case, the Chinese martial arts and Japanese Samurai films.

Well that day has come - at last. Took your time buddy.

“I have vermin to kill”, read the subtitles at the bottom of a scene where a woman known only as ‘the Bride’ [Uma Thurman] tells ancient samurai-sword maker Hattori Honzo [Sonny Chiba] her reasons for needing a weapon of destruction.

He’s apparently retired from making such a weapon, obviously believing butchery is not the answer. But once The Bride relays her story of how a man named Bill [an unseen David Carradine] slaughtered her and her family, which she miraculously survived, he agrees to aid in her mission.

For the entire length of the film, the one woman machine then tracks everyone on her list – the members of the group that assassinated her family named ‘The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad’ – determined to get her revenge.

Fans of Quentin Tarantino – in particular those left a little disappointed by his last effort, Jackie Brown – will relish what’s in store for them here.

It has all the elements of a typical Tarantino film – an excellent musical score [a mix-match of oldies and jazzed up Samurai movie themes], that trademark out-of-sequence chapter design, lengthy, clever chunks of dialogue and of course, blood - in fact, a lot of blood.

It’s the decapitations and slice’n’dice that gives this effort a different feel. Not a bad feel, but a good feel. One that’ll have audiences howling in laughter, and others – most likely those few who don’t consider themselves a fan of the directors work - sick to their stomachs.

Whereas Tarantino’s previous films are most commended for their exhaustive, spellbinding screenplays – this one’s quite the opposite. There’s very little story to speak of in fact. But that’s obviously the intention being a tribute to the Japanese and Chinese martial arts movies, which almost never put plot before action.

And a fitting mark of respect it is.

Choreographed by the master, Yuen Wo-Ping, the fight sequences on show here are just outstanding. And because Uma Thurman’s doing a lot of slicing and dicing, kicking and punching, pushing and shoving, it’s all the more engaging.

Thurman – who starred in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and who’s always been his number one choice for the role – is a towering spunkette of fury here, and has obviously been trained to the core, because she looks a treat in those martial arts scenes [especially the film’s 20 minute finale where she takes on a bar-room full of sword wielders].

Some might find it a bit of a surprise to find a lot of Tarantino’s regulars don’t appear here – although Michael Madsen and Michael Parks have small roles – and in their place, a smorgasbord of some of the best Kung-Fu and Martial Arts movie stars to ever hit the back video aisles. Again, it works in the films favour. Sonny Chiba’s scenes, in fact, are probably one of the film’s highlights.

To complete his acknowledgement to the chop suey film, Tarantino also throws in an anime sequence towards the middle of the film that’s a nifty way of chronicling one of the characters back stories.

The only downfall of Kill Bill is that you’re only seeing half the movie. When the studio was shown the finished film a few months back they decided it was just too good to be edited, and ultimately decided to chop it in half, in turn releasing two separate movies.

Good for them - bad for the audience.

We sat through 3 hours of Pulp Fiction – why not 3 hours of non-stop Kung-Fu fun? But that’s another spat, and really – it’s a small beef considering the barmy time fans of the director are going to have here. It just gives us something more to look forward to – film wise – I suppose.

Like the first time you saw Pulp Fiction at the theatre, you walk out not quite sure what to think…but one thing you do know is that you loved it, and you’ll definitely be coming back for more.

4 out of 5

Kill Bill : Volume 1
Australian release: Thursday October 16th
Cast: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A.Fox, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Sonny Chiba, Michael Parks, Julie Dreyfus, Chiaki Kuriyama, Michael Madsen.
Director: Quentin Tarantino.
Website: Click Here

Brought to you by MovieHole