Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Kill Bill Vol.1

Matinee

I'll tell you honestly, when I walked out of Kill Bill, I didn't know what to think. I felt a little numb. I can enjoy cartoon violence as well as the next desensitized American. I can dig a hot chick kicking serious butt with what appears to be very good reason even more so. Uma Thurman rules this movie, every shot, you have to look at her. Whether she's weird looking, beautiful looking, or totally and completely messed up, you can't take your eyes off her. Without knowing why the terrible things that befell her happen in the first place, it's hard to trust that she is acting with some justification - that is, until her would-be assailants come at her from a million directions, and then you think, "no one could be this bad, she is clearly fighting the forces of evil." But you don't really know. The unanswered questions are frustrating but exciting too.

In short, Uma needs to kill Bill - and Bill's cronies, who don't rhyme with "Kill" as nicely, and she goes about doing it with well-trained efficiency. The dialogue is what we remember we loved about Tarantino (and not Jackie Brown) and the structure is convoluted and purposefully disorienting, to keep you informed on a need to know basis and keep you on your toes. Look out for that rivulet of blood down there! Do I have to mention it also has a kickin' soundtrack?

If you are the slightest bit squeamish about movies like Braveheart or Gladiator, stay well away from Kill Bill. It's no Dead Alive, but it's trying pretty hard to be. Bodies lose bits of themselves with almost comic regularity and ease, squirting blood in Pythonesque sprays, and making a real mess. It's rated R, all right, and I am amazed it got away with just that. Probably because there is hardly any sexuality in it. Basically, if you love most of Tarantino's work, you will not be disappointed by Kill Bill, and this movie was made for you. If you felt uneasy watching Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction,you might want to stay home and rent Holes instead. This movie is definitely the far end of the crazy glamorous ultra-violent comedy schtick that Tarantino mutated from Robert Rodriguez and vice versa. Thankfully, unlike Mr. Rodriguez, when Tarantino got more money, he didn't lose his soul - he just finally got to really show it, with extra buckets of blood thrown in for good measure. Roger Corman must be sobbing in joy somewhere.

Along the way, this movie turned into an epic, and so it was split into Volume 1 and 2 (#2 due out next year); a risky move but I know everyone in the theatre with me is going to go see the second one. We have to know!

The fight scenes are very well choreographed, amazingly shot, and that's most of the film right there. If we're not flashing back to other fight scenes, or the extra nifty anime "origin film" of one of Uma's nemeses, we're fighting. If we're not fighting, we are having incredibly Hong Kongian scenes of melodrama and reverence. Ok, except the hospital, that was all American all the way.

It's worth your money if you already know this will be your cup of tea. I was apprehensive by the hyping of "Tarantino's Fourth Movie" rather than hype related to the movie itself, but it does pay off, despite its clumsy beginning.

-- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These reviews (c) 2003 Karina Montgomery. Please feel free to forward but credit the reviewer in the text. Thanks. You can check out previous reviews at: http://www.cinerina.com and http://ofcs.rottentomatoes.com - the Online Film Critics Society http://www.hsbr.net/reviews/karina/listing.hsbr - Hollywood Stock Exchange Brokerage Resource

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