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Kill Bill - Vol. 1

Kill Bill - Vol. 1

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Bride of Tarantino
Review: Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill is the most quintessential movie that I've seen to date vis-à-vis revenge, gratuitous violence, blood, gore and human carnage. It is extremely over-the-top. It captures the essence of kung fu, black comedy, spaghetti westerns, Black exploitation films, etc. to the Nth degree. I, however, did not find the over-the-top parallels to be ingenious or the slightest bit humorous. Of course, the movie has out done all of the revenge themes of the Kung Fu movies that I've ever seen. For doing this, Torentino should win an academy award.

Quentin Tarantino is indeed catering to people's most bass impulses of violence and sex. Why not? Violence in cartoons, TV programs, music, and movies are very popular and has been part of the American culture since its beginning. I'm not saying that we should be Pollyannish and deny the aggressive and sexual impulses that we all have, but must they be displayed to such a pornographic and graphic level that should make even Larry Flynt, the owner of Hustler magazine, blush.

Many of the scenes look like something out of an animal slaughterhouse, except that it was human bodies being butchered by the blonde heroine, who was a former assassin who was out to exact revenge on those who tried to kill her at her wedding. The white heroine appeared to have cartoonish super powers of Superwoman and of any of the DC, and Marvel Comic Book heroines and heroes.

Overall, Kill Bill comes across as extremely racist, especially with the white, blonde and beautiful white heroine (Uma Thurman) killing a multitude of Asians, and killing off the beautiful African American actress, Vivica Fox, at the beginning of the movie. While I was watching this movie, I did not see any Asians and African Americans laughing or being impressed with the movie. Based on what I saw, Tarantino would careless. The KKK could really use him to develop some excellent racist propaganda. Tarantino's Kill Bill is right up there with filmmaker D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation. Reviews of this movie have stated, "Despite protests, Birth sold more tickets than any other movie, a record that stood for decades, and President Woodrow Wilson famously compared it to "history written in lightning."

From reading reviews, Kill Bill is Tarantino's masterpiece film to date. The Birth of a Nation was D.W. Griffith's. I must say that I don't know anything about Tarantino's political views, or his personal life. Personally, I did not find anything new, ingenious or creative about Kill Bill.

I strongly believe that art, be it good or bad, reflects what is going on in a person's unconscious and conscious mind, and that Tarantino has extremely strong aggressive and violent proclivities that are being played out in his films. Although being a popular filmmaker is empowering and has undoubtedly has made him very rich, his movies suggest that he still has unresolved feelings of powerlessness and impotence on many levels.

Nevertheless, I'm debating whether or not to see the sequel. I found it quite interesting that the heroine in Kill Bill did not have a name. In the movie, she is just referred to as the Bride, which resulted in me thinking of the film The Bride of Frankenstein. In Kill Bill, the Bride is a creation of Bill/Tarantino, and is out to destroy Bill and his associates.

In addition, I couldn't keep the names of Electra out of my mind as it relates to the heroine, and Oedipus as it relates to Tarantino. I can't help but surmise that the daughter that the heroine was pregnant with at the time she was left for dead was delivered while she was in a coma, and was being raised by Vivica Fox's character. Of course, the racially mixed daughter of Fox's will either grow up and unknowingly and knowingly kill her mother, who is more than likely the heroine, or the heroine will knowingly and unknowingly kill her daughter. This would be a very interesting ending to Kill Bill, along the lines of a Greek tragedy; however, the gratuitous violence of Tarantino's films will more than likely keep me from seeing the blood-curdling conclusion.

In closing, I can't help but wonder how Lucy Liu felt about playing in a role that saw her and a multitude of other Asians brutally destroyed by the blonde heroine of this movie. I'm really wondering what Asians have to say about Kill Bill. I've had my say. Of final note, the movie should have a significantly higher rating than R, and it is best seen and digested on an empty stomach.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Horrifying
Review: Although the direction was very lush in this movie (very creative angles, interesting concepts, good music thrown in) this movie was the goriest, most horrifying blood bath I have ever seen in my life. I peered at the screen through my hands. *shudder* I will definitely not be watching the sequel. Do not take your children to this movie. (guys) Do not take your girlfriend to see this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: awesome flick
Review: an amazing film, Quentin Terentino again blows the theatre industry away. His technique of moviemaking is simply genius. Anyone who enjoys his unique style must see this movie. 5 stars.
you won't be disapointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Vintage Tarantino
Review: Kill Bill is an ultra-violent rollercoaster ride of revenge, sword fights and B-movie martial arts trademarks. Quentin Tarantino has the unique ability to take old, hackneyed material and remold it into something original and exciting. He also has the knack for creating scenes that are filled with suspense, pathos and humor all at once without any of these qualities negating the others. There is a deadpan humor throughout this film, from the very first scene, when The Bride (Uma Thurman, whose character's name is not revealed) and an old enemy (Vivica A. Fox) fight to the death in the middle of a suburban house while the other woman's little girl arrives home in a school bus. The humor works because the characters themselves are unaware of it. Everything that happens is absurd, exaggerated and bizarre, yet the actors play it completely straight rather than winking at the audience as in some would-be clever films. Uma Thurman's performance is, of course, a crucial element that makes Kill Bill so effective. Her character is somewhat reminiscent of La Femme Nikita, who is also a beautiful and somber killing machine. The plot is simple and senseless. The Bride has been left for dead on her wedding day, her groom and the entire wedding party massacred by members of the Deadly Viper Assasination Squad, which is led by the never-seen Bill (David Carradine). The Bride is apparently a former member of this group, but the details are never elaborated. Exposition is deemed besides the point in this straight-ahead revenge saga. The Bride awakens from a coma four years later fixated on killing every member of this gang (which includes Daryl Hannah and Lucy Liu), Bill being the last; we'll have to wait for Volume ll to find out if she completes her mission. Kill Bill is highly stylized, with black and white and even animation used to accentuate the mayhem. The cinematography is exquisite throughout, from scenes of Tokyo to a Japanese garden with snow falling upon dueling swordswomen. There is an undercurrent of parody and an inherent silliness to the whole thing. In once scene, The Bride openly carries a deadly samurai sword on board a commercial airplane; I once had a tiny pocket knife confiscated by security (and this was before 9-11). In many kung fu movies the hero takes on many opponents at once, but The Bride takes this to new extremes when she fights every member of a group called the Crazy 88 all at once. We have to put aside any thoughts than in modern Tokyo at least some gangsters probably carry guns. Kill Bill is filled with references to other films and styles; I'm afraid many of the specific references went over my head and I had to read about them later. Despite the humor, exaggeration and self consciousness, this is not a cold film devoid of feeling. Alongside the absurdity is a sense of the tragic. Just as the humor is deadpan, emotion is kept just beneath the surface, but it's there all the same. The Bride's sense of loss is palpable throughout the film. In the already mentioned first scene you can see something verging on remorse on her face as she explains to the young girl why her mother has been killed. When The Bride asks a master swordmaker in Japan (Sonny Chiba, another of the film's great assets) to give her a sword to fulfill her mission, he at first refuses because he has vowed not to make any more instruments of killing. Now this is a very familiar movie cliche, but it is played perfectly straight-faced and, once again, a genuine sense of conflict comes across. I'm not sure how I feel about the movie being split into two parts; this was probably a marketing decision. Kill Bill, Volume l, true to form, ends on the kind of cliffhanger that verges on self-parody. This somewhat compensates for the inherently frustrating fact of having it end in the middle. Although I would have preferred to have it all in one piece, Volume l, regardless of how the sequel turns out, can stand alone as an extremely entertaining and accomplished film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: For Japanese & Hong Kong Cinema film lovers only!
Review: Simple if you like safe big budget blockbusters you won't like this film don't waste your time! If you like subtitled uncut Hong Kong, Main land China and Japan flicks don't waste your time sitting at your computer unless your buying your tickets online make arrangements on your first day off . Very rarely you experience a film, instead of just viewing a film. Not a blockbuster but a heck of a movie going experience!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Interesting B-movie
Review: The two things by which Quentin Tarantino has made a name for himself over the past decade or so since Reservoir Dogs came out is clever dialogue that is saturated with obscure pop culture references and stylized violence. In Kill Bill, his fourth film, Tarantino virtually abandons the first tier of his legacy in favor of all-out kung-fu/samurai violence. The whole movie is an obvious tribute to the B-grade kung-fu action movies of the seventies. But, like all good escapist fare, it makes you forget about the lack of plot, character development etc. with eye-popping action and violence.

The basic plot is this: an assasin thought to have been killed on her wedding day by her former employer seeks revenge after waking up from a four-year coma.

Sounds simple, but hey, do you go to action movies for the plot? No, of course not, you go for the "shock and awe" and Tarantino seems to perfectly understand that.

The one thing that shocked me about the film was how utterly violent it really was. It put the most ferocious scenes in the last three Tarantino films to shame. In fact, I thought that I had been completely desensitized to violence in media however, some of the scenes were too gross for me and frankly made my stomach churn.

If your looking for amazing action and cinematography, Kill Bill is right for you. If you're looking for the clever comedy that Tarantino is known for, pass on it; and if you are easily offended by gross, cartoonish violence, I would recommend avoiding it. This film is really not for anyone under 17.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Presented In Shaw-Scope!!
Review: If that phrase means ANYTHING to you, you'll absolutely LOVE Kill Bill, Volume 1. The fourth film by pop-culture sponge/Writer/Director Quentin Tarantino is a bloody stew of Kung-Fu, Anime, Samurai, Blaxploitation, 80's Brian De Palma, Spaghetti Westerns, Ennio Morricone, and just about every other bizarre influence you could possibly imagine, all mixed together and served up piping hot. Or should that be totally cool...?

Uma Thurman stars as the Woman with no name; Honestly- Her name is bleeped on the few occasions anyone in the film utters it. Let's just call her The Bride. The Bride is a former member of The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DiVAS, an elite squad of female assassine, headed up by the titular enigma, Bill.) who apparently don't take kindly to her retirement. The girls bust up The Bride's Wedding, killing everybody, before Bill himself delivers the coup de grace to the pregnant Bride- A bullet to the head. Since it wouldn't be much of a revenge film otherwise, The Bride isn't quite dead; She languishes in a coma for four years before coming to, and when she wakes up, she's got bloody deeds on her mind- A literal Death List, comprised of Bill and his DiVAS.

Kill Bill, Volume 1 chronicles the start of The Bride's vengeance, as she faces off against Viper-turned-housewife Vernita Green (Viveca A. Fox) and Yakuza head-honcho O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), leaving Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), Budd (Michael Madsen), and Bill (David Carradine, whose face is never actually shown) for Volume 2, due February 20th 2004. The film is almost literally awash in blood- People in the audience I saw the film with were covering their faces, like the blood might get on them or something. It's been a long time since I've seen such a violent film, and I certainly can't recall any mainstream films that contained such carnage. (Still, it seems the MPAA made their mark on the film- There's a long black-and-white sequence during the House of Blue Leaves segment, which sees The Bride face off against an army of Yakuza thugs in a huge sword fight; I suspect it was made black-and-white to avoid the dreaded NC-17 rating. It was a little annoying, and I hope that scene is presented in color for the DVD release.) Fans expecting Tarantino's usual snappy dialogue will probably be a little disappointed- Kill Bill is almost a silent movie; There is literally almost nothing but fighting and killing for two hours. I'm not much of a fan of Viveca A. Fox and Lucy Liu, but they did a good job in their respective fight scenes, and Thurman is a revelation as The Bride- Sexy, funny, and deadly all at once. I especially enjoyed Chiaki Kuriyama as O-Ren Ishii's bodyguard, the giggly, schoolgirl-uniformed, Go-Go Yubari. Her fight with The Bride is a definite highlight of Volume 1. Fans of seventies grind-house cinema will get a big kick out of seeing Sonny Chiba's appearance as sword-maker Hattori Hanzo, who fashions The Bride's weapon of choice.

It's a good thing Tarantino decided to split Kill Bill into two seperate films- After two hours, I was drained and burnt-out. I don't think I'd have been able to take any more in one sitting. But the shocking final line of dialogue, spoken by Bill himself, has me counting the days until Volume 2.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Tarantino Does It Again!
Review: The fourth film by writer/director Quentin Tarantino is not the dialog driven stories that his others were. Instead, Tarantino set out to make a Hong Kong style action flick in the tradition of the Shaw Brothers movies in which he is so fond. Being a big Tarantino fan, I wasn't sure what to expect and I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. Taking inspiration from a number of kung fu movies and adding his personal touch, Tarantino has created a daring and stylish film (actually two films. Volume 2 is due out early next year) about revenge. Uma Thurman is the main character known only as "The Bride". Beaten, shot, and left for dead on her wedding day she survives to take revenge on those responsible. The would be killers are part of a band of five deadly assassins played by Darrel Hanna, Michael Madson, Lucy Liu, and Vivica A. Fox (Uma Thurman is the fifth of the group). Paying tribute to the martial arts classic "The Five Deadly Venoms", each has a codename of a species of snake. In fact the film pays homage to and takes inspiration from several martial arts classics. Sonny Chiba and Gordon Liu are given prominent roles. There are also several references to other Tarantino films throughout (like the "Elvis" glasses from true romance or the Red Apple cigarettes ad. This only adds to the fun of his films.

Tarantino does a great job of giving the back story on each of the characters (at least the ones in Volume 1) as the film unwinds from chapter to chapter, but not necessarily in chronological order. He shows a lot of cinematic style throughout. One example is the animation used to tell the story of O-Ren. The fighting sequences are nothing short of fantastic as one would expect with Yuen Wo Ping and Sonny Chiba assisting with the choreography. Kill Bill is quite violent (in an martial arts action kind of way) with engrossing action segments and blood the sprays from the arteries of the wounded/defeated as limbs are literally hacked off.

In the end, Kill Bill will not appeal to everyone, but there is no doubt Tarantino hit the mark he was aiming for. He has taken his unique ability and deep understanding of little known movie gems and turned them into a film that is sure to please all Tarantino fans. Leave the kids at home and go check out another great movie from "Q". Highly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Martial Arts Perfection!
Review: I am a HUGE Shaw Brothers fan. I loved Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown. They are two of my favorite films. Kill Bill Vol. 1 is perhaps Tarantino's most entertaining and fast paced film to date. It is extremely creative and inventive. It's like a madcap combo of shaw brothers style chop socky kung fu, brian de palma's suspense, blacksploitation's sound and edge and the spaghetti western/samurai film sense of purpose and storyline. The characters are so fascinating even with the bits and pieces we get of them. I loved this movie. I can't wait till it comes out on DVD. This may in fact now be one of my favorite films of all time.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A TRIBUTE TO ASIAN CINEMA
Review: Well, it's been 6 years since the release of his last film, JACKIE BROWN, and the wait was well worth it. KILL BILL is an electrifying experience that will only leave you wanting to see it over and over again. This film is a throwback to Japanese samurai and Chinese kung fu flicks, a genre Tarantino loves and is all too familiar with.
Tarantino uses his trademark flashback sequences throughout this film as he shows us the up bringing of OREN ISHII, the Queen of the Japanese Yakuza, as the Bride rehabilitates her legs. This flshback is very original as we get to see a little 15 minute anime that is by far the best animation in any movie.
KILL BILL Vol 1 tells the story of the Bride played by UMA THURMAN(JONNY BR GOOD,PULP FICTION) who is left for dead, but when she wakes up is only out for revenge. The bride is a former member of the deadly viper assasination squad and she will willingly kill each and every member one by one. The final hour of part 1 is entirely in Japan. This is the best part of this movie. Lucy Liu is awesome as Oren Ishii.
Originally Warren Beatty was casted to play Bill but he was not up for the challenge. Quentin wanted his actors to live on location while shooting this film as well as an extensive 6 month training program in the martial arts field. This is why I love Tarantino. Take Keanu Reeves for example. He alone ruins THE MATRIX films. He's just not believable as this kick but hero guy. But what about the casting of KILL BILL. Uma Thurman as a samurai warrior, David Carridine(KUNG FU) washed up star, Darryl Hannah, see her in Playboy? Tarantino is a master at bringing washed up actors back on the scene and making it work. Ex.(John Travolta) So it's not surprising seeing Uma wield the sabre in such a profeesional manner. These are some of the best fight scenes in all of film. Why? Because the actors are trained and it is very relistic.
Although not for everyone including some who think they are Tarantino fans, but this movie is close to me as it is one of the most ultimate films of all-time. Well worth the wait.


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