Kill Bill Vol 1
From FilmFile
Taglines:
- In the year 2003, Uma Thurman will kill Bill
- The Fourth Film by Quentin Tarantino
- Here comes the bride
- On October 10th, speak softly and carry a big sword
- On October 10th...a Quest for Revenge begins
- Go for the kill
- Will she kill Bill?
- This October, Go For The Kill
Contents |
Synopsis
The Bride wakes up after a long coma. The baby that she carried before entering the coma is gone. The only thing on her mind is to have revenge on the assassination team that betrayed her - a team she was once part of.
Review
When I first heard about Quentin Tarantino planning to do an action-fest homage to 70s martial art films, I must admit I was sceptical. Tarantino was indeed a fine director, but action wasn’t really a feature in his films. Could he pull it off. Well, I sit here, literally 30 minutes after seeing Volume 1, listening to the soundtrack album, and suffice to say, I am pleased with the end result.
When a film starts off with a retro 70s style “Our Feature Presentation” image, the tone is set. Then, in a semi-mocking manner, a quote is displayed in black and white on screen. The fact that the quote is actually a Klingon proverb (“Revenge is a dish best served cold”, from Star Trek 6) really lets you know that this is a film that isn’t going to take itself too seriously.
Kill Bill (v1) is a tale of bloody revenge. The heroine, played by Uma Thurman, was left for dead 4 years ago, in the church where she was being married. The people responsible for her death were her allies in an assassination group, and her employer, Bill. Now, after waking from a coma, she draws up a list, and seeks to exact bloody retribution for the loss of her husband, and child.
Kill Bill is a serialised film, with each segment told in chapters which are displayed on screen. The film itself utilises various styles of film-making, from wire-work action, to anime, showing that Tarantino is truly a gifted director, and really knows his material well. Homages to the old kung-fu films he loves so well are scattered throughout, with Kato masks, biker gangs, and a yellow jumpsuit being the most striking.
The action scenes, in particular the key scene in a Japanese club, are fast, pacey, over-the-top, and above all fun to watch. With the cast involved in the action, and the dialogue (a key feature in all of QTs movies) all really enjoying themselves, and balancing the line between serious and parody well.
There are gripes, however. The fact that this is half a film will continue to bug me, and after watching this first part I really cannot see why it was split, the running time flew by. Secondly, due to the censors threatening cuts, QT has opted to ‘black-and-white-ise” the main scene in which the body count, and blood levels go sky high. This meant that he avoided having to cut the film, so I’ll forgive him, and the switch between colour and B&W is done well.
With a final mention of music, QT has done it again, creating a soundtrack that fits the film, and really keeps you tapping along. Overall this is an event of a movie, and is a fine addition to an already stunning trio of QT films.
Can’t wait until Volume 2!
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