Kill Bill Volume 2

04/01/04

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"There's no denying Quentin Tarantino's passion for movies; that love permeates every frame of the film, and like venereal warts, it's highly contagious."

 

 

 

Kill Bill Volume 2
The Masked Reviewer

So, what's to say about Kill Bill Volume 2?

If you saw the first part and you liked it, no matter what the Masked Reviewer would say, you're going to see the second part.

Maybe you skipped the first part, because you couldn't stand the thought of waiting several months for the conclusion.  Maybe you waited until the DVD came out, rented it, and then rushed to the theater the very same day. 

Or, maybe you saw the first one and didn't like it -- perhaps you were expecting a highly intellectual introspective work, not a butt-kicking slashfest.  If you didn't like the first part, why would you see the second part?

So really, what's the point of reviewing it?

Huh.

Well, it's the Masked Reviewer's job to review it, so shut up.

Kill Bill Volume 2 may be a bit of a surprise to you, after seeing the first film.  The surprise lies in the fact that it does have a different feel from the first film.  There's not nearly as much fighting: there is fighting, but in terms of choreography, complexity, and sheer numbers, the biggest and best battles all took place in Volume 1.  Uma Thurman's character goes after the remaining members of Bill's crew, but she did most of the hard work already.

There's a much greater emphasis on character development and back story in this one.  We see flashback's to Uma's character's martial arts training.  We learn of her relationship with Bill.  There's a lot more talking than slashing. 
 

Director Quentin Tarantino gets easily one of the best performances out of David Carradine that has ever been gotten.  Michael Madsen is also quite good (especially considering some of his recent work.  Martial arts legend Gordon Liu gives a solid performance as well.  Even Daryl Hannah isn't bad. 

One question the Masked Reviewer has is why the director decided to have Uma Thurman's character's name bleeped out in Volume 1.  We hear it in Volume 2.  Why didn't we in Volume 1?  What's the point of that?  Had he not settled on a name yet?

There seems to have been a great effort put into giving the two volumes a very different look.  For those of you who don't know, Kill Bill was originally planned to be one film...a last-minute decision by Miramax had the movie split in two (much to Quentin Tarantino's chagrin).  There's no question that it would be better as one movie.  In fact, you can bet dollars to donuts that at some point they will release a single DVD cut of the film as Quentin Tarantino had originally envisioned it.  In any event, to make the films seem more like stand-alones, you might notice that they each have a slightly different feel.  This was all added after the fact: the music in the first has heavy eastern influences; Volume 2 is almost entirely spaghetti western in flavor (mmm...spaghetti flavor) (thanks to tracks by Ennio Morricone).  Also, there's a lot of film noir influences in the end credits, and a film noir opening (which was used as a trailer for Volume 2, featuring Uma Thurman talking to the camera, shot in black and white).

The Masked Reviewer may be wrong, but the opening of the film (with a brief re-cap of what happened) feels out of place and plopped in. 

In any event, it's a fine, fun movie.  It has it's share of action, but the Masked Reviewer feels like it's much more subtle and personal than the blood-gushing killing spree of Volume 1.  It's still a fabulous homage to revenge films and as a whole, it's an enjoyable experience.  If you're expecting a topper in terms of body count or shock value, you'll be let down.  There's plenty to like, though, and if you liked the first volume, this one will make you happy too...but in a slightly different way.  There's no denying Quentin Tarantino's passion for movies; that love permeates every frame of the film, and like venereal warts, it's highly contagious. 

 

Expectation from the Title: Oh, it probably has something to do with someone getting killed, or some kind of receipt for services tendered, or maybe a stereo set too low.  It's hard to say.  Titles are so ambiguous.

Mother's Rule (Always Say Something Good About Everything):  Uma Thurman is much too beautiful to be a hitwoman.

The Pros: Better character development, more interesting obstacles for Uma to face. 

The Cons: Not as action-packed as Volume 1.  Would be more satisfying as one (long) film.

 

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