Kill Bill Vol 1 & Vol 2

By M. Chad Durham

Violence in film has been the subject of much controversy this past year with the release of Mel Gibson’s The Passion. Indeed The Passion was explicitly brutal, but not more so than Quintin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1 (now available on video). The first installment of this flick is so over-the-top I have to wonder—just where were all the censorship Nazis for that film?

Does a Samurai movie have to be so bloody? Consider Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, arguably the best martial arts film since The Seven Samurai: beautiful, stunning, and wholly believable minus the gore. A river of blood does not necessarily make a film more realistic. Of course, the same argument could be made about The Passion. But for most of us born and bread in the post-Vietnam era, its no longer that much of an issue. We’re so perfectly desensitized to violence these days we seldom take note except to say, “Wow! How’d they do that?” Tarantino employees some interesting filmmaking techniques to alleviate the burden we feel watching this sadistic foray.

The most vicious segment, the chapter about O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu, shown above), is presented in classic Japanamation style. Unfortunately, this section was the one I disliked the most. The battle with The Crazy 88 is shot mostly in black and white with the latter part of the tussle taking place in the shadows.

Putting Vol. 1 alongside Vol. 2, the two hardly seem like they were once part of the same movie. The violence seems almost subdued in the second part. Almost.

Beyond the mêlée and the hype it should be said that Tarantino is a cinematic genius. Obviously he knows the Samurai genre well, inserting humorous and playful nods to those cheesy foreign imports throughout both flicks. He’s a true student of film. Period. He steals from the great directors past, while telling his story in his own unique way. But enough about Tarantino and how great he is—the last thing he needs is one more person telling him so. He doesn’t come across as a guy in need of daily affirmation.

What drives Vol. 1? I mean, besides Tarantino? Uma Thurman, that’s what! It pains me to say this because I’ve never been much of a fan; however, she is downright fetching and intimidating as The Bride.

She’s Tarantino’s favorite girl and he always brings out the best in her.

The Bride is working her way down the “Death List Five” as she seeks to exact revenge on the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, the group responsible for killing everybody in her wedding party. Presumably this massacre included her unborn child. This ferocious crew of mercenaries leaves her for dead and The Bride awakens four years later to embark upon a Mel Gibson-like quest for revenge. The story is told in chapters rather than acts and the chapters do not occur in order.

For instance, Vernita Green (Vivica Fox, shown above) has settled into her role as loving wife and mother just fine until The Bride shows up at her door. But when the knives stop flying and Green is dead, her name is the second one crossed off the list. Yet, she is first we see killed on screen. So it is with Tarantino and it is hard to keep up sometimes unless you’re a hardcore movie buff. The plot is surprisingly intricate considering it all really centers on just one thing—killing Bill.

Which brings us to Vol. 2 and here it is David Carradine who steals the show. It was wonderful to watch him play a character that somehow made me forget he was Grasshopper on Kung Fu. Such a nice guy, right? Never meant anybody harm, right? That’s what’s so amazing about his performance in Kill Bill. He’s the villain. He’s the bad guy. He’s the one who ordered the wedding slaughter. That makes him the antagonist so we must hate him. Yet, Carradine is so slick in his performance that Bill becomes almost affable, even borderline heroic in an anti-heroic way. Bill is despicable in every way, but in the waning moments of the film, I found myself hoping The Bride wouldn’t Kill Bill. But the name of the movie is Kill Bill and the trailer did say he would die in 2003. Since they split the movie in two we had to wait an extra year but it was worth the wait. I just hope that when it comes time to pass out statues next year folks will remember Carradine.

Tarantino films aren’t for the general movie-going audience, much less sensitive viewers. They are Rated R with good reason. Some of the dialogue is crass, foul language abounds, and as I mentioned from the get-go, they are vicious affairs. Vol. 1 in particular is not for the squeamish, Vol. 2 to a lesser degree.

You didn’t think this review was going to be that easy, did you?

Silly Rabbit. Tricks are for kids.

For Carradine’s outstanding performance, I’ll give Vol. 2 my highest rating—HOT DATE, but due to what even a desensitized Gen-Xer like myself thought was excessive in Vol. 1, I have to offer it my second best rating—MATINEE. If you can stomach the violence, Kill Bill is a fun ride and if Tarantino’s your bag, you’ll certainly want to see this one at the theatre.

This copyrighted article was originally published in Grace-Centered Magazine - A daily publication for Christians that examines tradition and aspects of living the Christian life.