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Kill Bill - Vol. 1 Customer Reviews (82 - 84 of 148 Reviews)

Stylized - and stylish - gore
"Kill Bill, Volume 1" is difficult to rate. The plot can be described in a single sentence, the characterization is almost nil, the violence is graphic and gratuitous, and yet . . . Tarantino delivers a film unlike any other. The "chapter" divisions between scenes, the interspersed gritty-textured black and white segments, and the superb soundtrack give it an art-house feel while the highly choreographed, over-the-top fight scenes (which comprise at least ninety percent of the movie) recall the classy "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "The Matrix" as well as a long heritage of martial arts films. The gore itself is pure horror film, but in the context of Tarantino's carefully set up noir atmosphere, it has a bizarre elegance of its own.

The plot? A former assassin (Uma Thurman) seeks revenge on those who tried to kill her and her unborn baby years before. In this, the first volume of a film broken in two, the assassin (known both as The Bride and Black Mamba) manages to face only two out of the five on her list. Nearly two hours to exact revenge on two people and ninety percent of the film is fighting? You got it. Okay, there are some (graphic) flashbacks. And a fifty or so man Tokyo gangster (graphic) diversion. And some keen visual humor thrown in. But mostly, we see Uma Thurman in sleek, seventies-style garb wield her knives and swords as no other woman in cinema has.

It's a shame Tarantino could not part with scenes from the final fight, which seems to last for an eternity, so he could combine both "Kill Bill" films into one. This one ends so abruptly and with so much unfinished business that it really cannot be considered complete without its second half. Take the R rating seriously; only mature teens and older should watch this since the violence is glamorized and desensitizes even the adult viewer. Full of profanity, raw aggression, and blood, this film is definitely not for everyone.

I give this film three stars for plot and concept, but five stars for style. Although as a stand-alone film, it doesn't hold together the way "Pulp Fiction" does, the second volume promises to provide the coherence and significance. Plan to follow-up your viewing with Volume Two.

Tarantino tells the perfect tale without a plot. Amazing!
Quentin Tarantino is, without a doubt, one of the most skilled and enigmatic movie directors of our time. He has this maddening habit of making us wait a ridiculous amount of time between his films (a trait shared with kindred spirit Stanley Kubrick) and then astounding us with the product he gives us when he finally does create one. Even his less than stellar films such as 'Jackie Brown' still have style and flair that almost make the wait seem worthwhile. Following 'Jackie Brown', Tarantino felt the need to make fans wait six (!) years before his next film. In addition, he felt that need to split that film into two volumes in a move that smacked of poor editing and self-serving box office grabbery. Fortunately, the long wait and split film proved appropriate when one views with wonder the fruit that is, 'Kill Bill: Volume 1'.

Given Tarantino's undeniable skill behind the camera and intimate knowledge of action and film noir, it was only a matter of time before he tackled the genre of Hong Kong martial arts films. 'Kill Bill: Volume 1' shows that Tarantino has an implicit understanding of the elements that allowed that genre to appeal to so many. While it is undoubtedly one of the most violent films ever committed to celluloid, the violence is almost comical in its use of ancient special effects techniques. It also seems to quite fitting given the nature of the story. The story focuses on the quest for revenge by an underworld figure known as the Black Mumba (Uma Thurman) against her former colleagues, the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (or DiVAS), and their mastermind Bill (David Carradine) for their attempt to kill her, her unborn child, and her betrothed on Mumba's wedding day. They failed (barely) and now the Black Mumba is back to exact revenge against those who tried to take her life.

'Kill Bill: Volume 1' is unique in the sense that it tells a compelling story without really having much of a plot. The film is straightforward in the sense that it deals solely with Mumba's revenge, but it is not straightforward in how that tale is told. Little hints at the very beginning show the audience that this film follows the same non-linear episodic structure that most of Taratino's films follow. As Mumba (who is only once referred to by name in this film) prepares to confront one of her targets, one Ms. Vernita Green aka 'Copperhead' (Vivica A. Fox), she reviews the target's name on her checklist. One can see that the name O-ren Ishii aka 'Cottonmouth' (Lucy Liu) has already been crossed out, but we have not yet seen that battle. In the between the actual fight scenes, Tarantino has inserted little snippets of anecdotes that tell the tale of the characters who perform in this play. We get pieces of Mumba's back-story and a brief snippet of Green's. One of the truly remarkable departures of the action scenes is Tarantino's anime related telling of story of O-Ren Ishii. To tell her story in anime is both inspired and practical. Use of anime seems like a perfect compliment in a martial arts movie and the story of O-ren Ishii is so explicitly physically and sexually violent that to tell it in live action would surely have garnered 'Kill Bill'' a dreaded NC-17 rating.

The fight scenes in 'Kill Bill: Volume 1' have been expertly choreographed and executed. One would be hard pressed to find a contemporary film that could make such graphic violence seem like ballet, but 'Kill Bill'' manages it. The scenes where Black Mumba fights O-ren Ishii and her 'Crazy 88s' assassination squadron are the most expertly done and stimulating to watch. For extra flair, Tarantino has included Hong Kong legend, Sonny Chiba, in a role as Mumba's mentor, Hattori Hanzo. The other, smaller characters also serve to enrich the overall scope of the film and provide suggestions at what has passed and hints at what is to come. While initially seeming like a poorly conceived ploy, the division of this 'Kill Bill' into volumes 1 and 2 seems wholly relevant after watching the first installment. There is a naturally break in the story as Mumba rests for her assault on her remaining targets (Bill, included) and it ends with as fantastic a cliff hanger as there has been in more than two decades of film. To put these two installments together into one might have watered-down its impact. Now, audiences will be left to wait a few months for the next installment to satisfy their hunger for the rest of this story. Few films carry that kind of power anymore. 'Kill Bill: Volume 1' is a film that does.

Great, but not his Best
If you like Quentin, you are most likely going to enjoy his masterfully directed revenge flick. It is my favorite movie of the year, and the storyline is thrilling. His cinematography is mind-blowing, switching to black and white, and anime in two segments of the film. Uma Thurman does a great job acting as The Bride, who is left for dead (but thankfully not) at her wedding. The movie is based on her revenge against Vernita Greene (Vivica A. Fox) and Oren Ishi-ii (Lucy Liu), two members of 4 in the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. They're boss Bill (David Carradine) is heard and barely seen in the movie, which unveils more mystery of this two part flick. Quentin uses great music from The RZA and this movie relates to 70's grindhouse films. Quentin uses his technique of chopped up story telling which is fascinating to watch unfold. And for the movie buffs out there, Tarantino pays numerous homages to previous movies with one-liners and certain scenes. This is not a "Pulp Fiction" or "Resevoir Dogs", but it is a tribute to old kung-fu movies and spaghetti westerns. This movie is a terrific film and Uma is one ass kicking chick.

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