Kill Bill Vol. 2
As a huge fan of Tarantino's previous work I've been
waiting a long time to see this film. When I heard it was
going to be split in two I was slightly worried. I decided to
reserve judgement though, until I had seen both parts.
Now, having done so, I can safely say that seperating these two "volumes" was a big mistake. You see, Vol. 1 was a fantastic film, I absolutely loved it, but it was lacking in the dialogue department. Vol. 2 on the other hand is all about the dialogue; there's little action involved this time around. Mixing the two together would have provided the best balance and made for one hell of a film. By showing them seperately it's painfully obvious how much they depend on each other, personally I cannot wait to see this cut into one long film.
Now that we've got that out of the way I can really dig in. Let me just say that Vol. 2 is brilliant. I definately enjoyed it. It's exciting, it's tense, it's brutal and it's funny. Sometimes it's all of the above. You can see how much effort went into making this movie. Tarantino borrows heavily from other films but what he creates is so much more than an homage, it's a creature of it's own. As a director he is bridging the gap between Eastern and Western filmaking and showing us something we haven't seen before. It's somehow original and familiar at the same time. But it's always interesting to watch, not least because it's never obvious what's about to happen. The audience is kept on their toes throughout, never once are we ahead of the action. There are many great surprises on the way that keep things fresh. It's great to finally see something that isn't riddled with all the bad clichés that modern action films seem to love. There are consequences here, pain, sadness, regret. One minute you'll be laughing histerically and the next you'll be reaching for a hanky. It's very emotional, and Uma pulls it all off with such passion and an amazing knack for doing everything so perfectly you just wish all actresses were this dedicated.
Uma Thurman is a god in this film. Every single thing she does is brilliant. Not once does she fall flat or make a mistake. It seems Q&U were destined to make this movie together. She does so much for him here, and with such conviction that you believe every second of it. When she cries, you feel her pain, when she's angry, you feel her hatred and when she smiles, you share her joy. Uma completely embodies the character of the Bride AKA Beatrix Kiddo AKA Black Mamba AKA Mommie. It's safe to say that this is her best work and that she should be proud. Not to say that she's the only one who's putting in the effort. David Carradine is great as Bill and brings some much needed pathos to the role. Over the course of the film you feel equally fearful of him as you do sympathetic towards him. Michael Madsen does well in the role of Budd and Gorden Lui is impressive as Pai Mei but my favourite character has to be Elle Driver, Daryl Hannah's one eyed phsyco-bitch from hell. She has one of the funniest, most gruesome moments in the whole film. Her fight with the Bride is very well done, amazingly choreographed and extremely brutal. The only complaint I have here is that we don't get to see more of Elle's back story, I mean, we had a whole chapter in Vol. 1 devoted to O-Ren Ishii but we never really get to learn much about Elle or Budd's past, which is disappointing. Nevertheless all the characters stand out, a testemant to the wonderful actors who worked on this film.
Apart from the aforementioned clash between the Bride and Elle other stand-out moments include Budd burying the Bride alive, a highly distressing and claustrophobic scene, and the final moments with Bill. It's actually rather difficult to pick out any more as these events almost take up the whole film. It's very slow paced compared to Vol. 1, many will be disappointed by the lack of action, but it's never boring. The chapel scene at the beginning does drag slightly though, and is perhaps the only section of the film that you'll be glad is over. The rest is all good and yet you can't help but feel like something is still missing. The world Tarantino has created is so rich and extensive that you want to stay for a little while longer. You want to see more but there simply isn't enough time. The important stuff is there, but it's so good you want to see everything else.
As a film on it's own Vol. 2 is somewhat strange. It doesn't feel as complete as Vol. 1, it lacks a good introduction and instead just feels like one long ending. Obviously this is because, in truth, it is the middle and end of one very long film. Kill Bill should be one film and one film only. Vol. 2 is great, you will like it, but it should never have been shown this way.
Rating- 8/10 |
