Kill Bill: My thoughts on the whole bloody affair

So I saw Kill Bill Volume 2 tonight. As you know, I had been looking forward to it for quiet awhile. And while it was lightyears away from what I expected, I have to say that it was a pleasant surprise to say that it exceeded my already high expectations.

Some people will disagree with me. They would be the people who say Kill Bill 1 and only walked away loving the violence, kinetic energy and bloodletting. And if they went in expecting a rehash of Volume 1, I can see why they would be upset. Only 3 people die in this film. . . only one of them in a way that can be considered gruesome (a very eye-opening moment, as a matter of fact.) The breakneck pace of Volume 1 is slowed down almost to a crawl here, and fast exposition is exchanged for liesurely Tarantino dialogue and character development. In fact, everything that Volume 1 was . . .well, this is totally different. Except both films rock.

But that's not fair. This, despite the major tonal shift, is one movie. And to be best appreciated, I think it has to be viewed that way. Knowing the skill and mastery that The Bride has in the first half makes you want to know the whole story, which the Second half puts together. Likewise, things said and done in the Second Half make a lot more sense when compared to the first film.

This film is Tarantino at his best. Volume 1 showcases his visual mastery, with cameras whipping around, music blasting (watch the rhythm in The House of Blue Leaves) and story-telling.

Volume 2. . . wow. What can I say? THIS is how you tell a story!! If the first part was a nice run through Japanese cinema, anime, and martial arts films, Volume 2 takes us through Hitchcock (a very intense buried alive scene), doubles back into some Chinese martial arts (a very well done training sequence) and then spends the rest of the time as a modern western. Nobody but Quentin Tarantino could handle this tone shift and all the homages to the great movies of the past. Most directors know WHAT works. . . Quentin knows WHY.

But what I got out of Volume 2 was a love for the actors and characters in this tale. If the first was all story-telling and pacing, Volume 2 lets these wonderful characters breathe. I was amazed, especially after the wafer thin first volume, that each character lived and breathed in this world. Michael Madsen, who has been woefully unused since his amazing Reservoir Dogs performance, is great as Budd. . . sinister, pathetic, amusing. Darryl Hannah as the one-eyed Elle Driver really was amazing. She has a scene where she reads about Black Mamba snakes and their method of death that had me howling with laughter.

The action is great. There's a very tense burial scene. The showdown between Elle and The Bride is brutal, cringe-inducing, and--at the end--even a bit icky.

But that brings us to Bill and The Bride. Uma Thurman MUST get an Oscar nomination for this. She plays the Bride through the years and does not miss a beat--going from infatuated college girl to scared pregnant woman to avenging mother. She manages to take everything the script throws at her and is perfect. She's never been an actress to get my attention, but I have to say that she earned my respect here.

David Carradine owns the show, though, as Bill. How someone capable of doing something so wicked and diabolical can come off as likable and . . . well, cool, is amazing. I liked Bill. I understood Bill. He was a good guy. And Carradine gets some great monologues to work with . . . his talk about Superman may be one of the best things Tarantino has ever written.

Ah yes, the writing. Ever since that coffee table opening scene in Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino has been known as a master of dialogue. That was sorely missed in Volume 1, where the talking was basically pushed aside for action. But in Volume 2, every character is unique, every line is brilliant, every joke nails the mark. And the script manages to work in some depth and emotion between Bill and The Bride.

Any negatives? I probably would have expected more flair in The Bride/Bill showdown. . . but the fight really is just punctuation to the emotion involved. In thinking about it, I think with what we know we don't want Bill to go away in a horrible way--we kinda like him--but we know he must meet his end. Tarantino did the right thing. Maybe it was a tad long. . .but you know what? I'm not going to quibble. This was a great end to a great story. Best movie of the year so far. . . and an instant classic in my book. :)

Long live The Bride.

C-Dubbs