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Kill Bill - Vol. 1 Customer Reviews (85 - 87 of 148 Reviews)

Gratingly Bold And Captivating Martial Arts Extravaganza.
Sure it's outlandishly violent and bloody. Can anyone expect Tarantino's movie not to be a true mind-blowing, adrenaline-pumping shocker? Of course not! Gritty and slick, his first instalment of KB rocks with moody western imagery, the '60s and '70s-era of Hong Kong martial arts-action, the influences of the ritualistic samurai swordsmanship, and Japanese anime. Like in all his films, Tarantino never fails to merge dark humour with terror. It's impossible not to smile over the Shaw Bros.' iconic introduction ploy and the De Palma-esque split screens. Observe the 'Carrie' blank-starry eyed image settled on The Bride's gory face as she's introduced to the audience. Perhaps, Uma Thurman in her yellow suit is a salute to the yellow-suited Bruce Lee in his last film, The Game of Death. Or is The Bride 'Just another little Western girl playing at being a samurai' - as O-Ren Ishii blatantly puts it?

This film's a sampling of the Tarantino 'fury' short of the Tarantino customary fiery tongue. It celebrates the Tarantino trademark of avoiding the use of computer-generated CGI special effects. It's almost as if I'm watching a colourful and bloodied kabuki stage that's displaying a stunningly massive tournament of multi-layered kung-fu and female samurai sword-fighting styles to dazzle the audience. It's examining how Tarantino catalogues the great stylistic elements of his favourite 'old-school' filmmakers and transforms them into a phenomenally creative and mesmerizing film. Yep, there's a great deal of captivatingly artistic boldness in this film. Powerfully portrayed and not to be easily forgotten. Violently brutal and gloriously gory without doubt, and yet so aesthetically operatic and astoundingly artful. The music and lyrics that accompany the scenes are astounding. They set the moods so appropriately with the events.

Even at 'The House Of Blue Leaves', we get to see Tarantino weaving the artistic styles of Lucio Fulci, Chang-Che, Sergio Leone, Kurosawa, Zhang Yimou and Busby Berkeley to bring the audience a stylistic exhibit of remarkable montage grandeur. The themes of betrayal and revenge come off strong. Every camera shot and scene seems to scream out, non-stop, 'Kill Bill and all of Bill's DVAS members.' My adrenaline's still flowing as I'm recalling the scenes. Tarantino has make a solid point with this film to show that martial arts scenes should stick to the artful and realistic choreographic treatment to sustain the true spiritual spirit of martial arts.

THE ZEN OF KILLING
Quentin Tarantino's epic, blood-spewing, over-the-top, fetishistic, vanity production, KILL BILL Volume1 (Miramax) arrives on DVD just in time to wet anew the appetite for the big screen theatrical finale Kill Bill Volume 2. So much has already been written about this high-profile, visual tour-de-force Asian-cinema martial arts homage and revenge saga (yes, it's all that and more), there's not much left to say. The story of a massacre by an Asian gang at a wedding rehearsal that leaves pregnant former gang member Uma Thurman for dead is the set up. The rest is all back story and exposition as a very lithe and determined Uma seeks out all those who block her path to Bill (a barely seen David Carradine), her ex-lover and the gang leader. But the story is really an excuse for dazzling filmmaking and brilliant riffs of heady dialogue.

At heart, this is the darkest of comedies, a demented parody of excess. In the better than average making-of featurette, Tarantino enthusiastically explains the stylistic inspirations (including Sergio Leone) for his film and the origins of the Bride character that he and Uma jointly developed while shooting Pulp Fiction. Bonus material also includes trailers of Tarantino's three other films and very cool musical performances by "The 5, 6, 7, 8's" an amazing group Tarantino heard on a juke box in a Japanese bar while scouting locations. If there's any doubt that this movie is tongue in bloody cheek, check out the action figures, Pussy Waqon key chains, flasks, lighters and lunch box paraphernalia on the DVD insert. If you plan to see Volume 2, don't miss this dizzy exercise by a remarkably gifted, intuitive filmmaker.

part of this complete breakfast...........
First off, let me state that while I have enjoyed all of his movies, I have not, until now considered myelf a "Quentin Taratino fan." Second, I must elaborate on what one other reviewer wrote; the ladies of KILL BILL's Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (aka. DiVAS) would eat Charlie's Angels for breakfast with a side of wheat toast and a glass of orange juice. If you want an action movie with REAL women, see KILL BILL. The ladies of Quentin Tarantino's latest picture are beautiful without ridiculously tight or revealing costumes. They are sexy without laughable, double ententre dialogue. These women smart, strong, and dangerous.
At it's heart KILL BILL is a simple revenge-action picture (albeit a excellent one). However, the film centers around the best-written female characters that Hollywood has seen in the last 25 years. And not one or two, but many.
KILL BILL is a glorious synthesis of the Spaghetti Western, the Hong Kong Action Flick, Japanese Anime, the Samurai films of Kurosawa, the Mob Movie, and even a touch of the Errol Flynn Swashbuckler, from across the entire history of cinema. It is not a complex, emotional film, but a relentlessly enjoyable homage to every "popcorn movie" made before it. Plus Tarantino manages to add an unprecendented layer to these genres: women. Go see KILL BILL. You won't be sorry.

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