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Kill Bill - Vol. 1

Kill Bill - Vol. 1

List Price: $29.99
Your Price: $19.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Bloody, brutal, and brilliant; an instant classic
Review: The long awaited fourth film by Quentin Tarantino is very, very far from being anything close to a disappointment. Tarantino really risked a lot while crafting this homage to Japanese grindhouse cinema, beginning with the opening "Shaw-Scope" logo to the buckets of blood splattered throughout the film, but it all pays off from beginning to end. When the Bride (Uma Thurman, perfectly cast) awakens from a four year coma, she sets out for revenge against Bill (an unseen David Carradine) and his Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (consisting of Lucy Liu, Vivica Fox, Darryl Hannah, and Michael Madsen); all of whom left her for dead on her wedding day. Like Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol. 1 is presented out of order before it finally comes full circle; another risk Tarantino has taken that, just like in that film, pays off brilliantly. The action scenes are better than anything you'll see in any movie with the word Matrix in it's title, but do be warned, this is not for the squeamish. Miramax played a large role in Tarantino cutting the film in half, but with Volume 2 right around the corner, we'll see how the bloody saga of the Bride concludes. The features on the DVD are basically fluff, I'd recommend waiting until Vol. 2 is released on DVD which will no doubt be packaged with Vol. 1 and containing a host of features.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Movie Now on DVD
Review: Quetin Taratino's much anticipated movie, ""Kill Bill" is a camp, yet serious retro look at the martial arts flicks, particularly of the Japanese origins, with some Hong Kong Shaw Brothers and spaghetti western themes intertwined, to mesh a highly entertaining movie, even though it is, like its predecessors, a little over the top.

That is what makes this movie, though violent, even more entertaining, that the violence, with the blood splurting at outrages heights, is not gross nor gratuitous, revealing a smart sense of proportion. Uma (not one of my favorite actresses) is actually very good as the movies heroine.
Actually, in Vol. 1, Taratino has been able to take many of the actors I have not thought were very good at their craft and draw out solid performances. Further, he has held wire-tricks to a minimum, which is a great relief. Although unrealistic, these fight scenes are tough yet beautiful, another balance.
So with such high praise, why not five stars? Well, Taratino does what he normally does - uses similar patterns he has used in his previous movies, while mainstream critics seem to be enamored, I think it reflects more like a Thomas Kincade painting - sure it is nice- but I can only take so much of the same thing. Furthermore, while his use of violence is balanced, his use of dialogue is prone to too much vulgarity which lacks memorable phrases or proper emotional climaxes.

With the minor negatives aside, it would be five stars instead of four if it had not been halted in mid-stream. This is not Taratino's fault, for his vision was to release vol 1 and 2 as one movie, but the studio's and producers, wanting more of a commercial success, divided it into two flicks. Even though it is not Taratino's fault, this movie should not have ended when it did and lacks punch because of it. After all, it represents many genres that very seldom split one movie into two seprate films.

Lastly, while I love this movie, I wish there would have been more "extras" that are now so common with DVDs. I suspect, and probably ofr a reason, that when Vol. 2 comes out, there will be more featurettes that we the viewer can enjoy. I liked this movie even more the second.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This movie is not bound by the rules of modern cinema
Review: Tarentino's Kill Bill is a masterpiece. It is a classic tale of revenge that will leave you dizzy. Tarantino's insperations are all over this film such as Brain Depalma's use of split screen, Sergio Leone's Westerns, Japnese Animation and 70's Kung Fu flicks. With KILL BILL Tarentino proves he is todays the most entertaining director. Tarantino has 4 movies already and they are all genuis is thier own ways, he is on his way to greatness. KILL BILL is only half of a film and its as entertaing as most full lengh features. As i watched KILL BILL i felt like i was watching a classic witch is rare now of days. This movie is not bound by the rules of modern cinema, it makes up its own. The music, the visuals, the acting, the dialouge and the story are truley brilliant. KILL BILL is a learning experience for Tarentino who mostley delt with "so called" Crime Film genre, now he plunges into Action and delivers the goods. This is also Uma Thurman's most important role since "Pulp Fiction" she is dynamic and original. But the true star of KILL BILL Is Quinten Tarentino whos films have brought originality and excitment back into American Cinema, he is truley having fun with this film. Tarentino is a legend and in the future he will bring us classic after classic. KILL BILL rules.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A tour de force in every respect
Review: Kill Bill Volume 1 has the hallmarks of a moviemaker falling in love with making movies all over again, and with his cast and crew doing the same. The plot's a basic revenge scenario, with The Bride(Uma Thurman) seeking vengeance on the Deadly Viper assassin gang, headed by the Bill of the title, who created a bloodbath of her wedding and left her childless.

For anyone well versed in Tarantino movies, this is very recognisable as one of his movies. The film references are perhaps a little more obvious here than in Pulp Fiction, with Kill Bill using the kung-fu action movie as its mould and then working from there. The narrative style is also very Tarantino-esque, jumping around in a non-chronological order and playing with the audience's expectations. And of course no Tarantino film would be complete without a killer soundtrack full of obscure tracks from obscure bands. It's all here, and with a panache that must surprise even the most cynical viewer.

Uma Thurman gives the performance of her career, adding a carefully judged humanity to her character that could easily have been two-dimensional - check out her reaction when she realises she's lost her baby. Not only can she pull off the stunts, but she's also got a real personality behind her that few actresses can pull off (perhaps Geena Davis and Fairuza Balk spring to mind). Here she's even better than she was in Pulp Fiction. And that's saying something. Crucially, she's backed up by some great supporting players. Lucy Liu really proves that she's a big star in the making, building on her Charlie's Angels role so well that you wonder whether she could be the best breakout TV star since George Clooney. Also definitely worth a mention are some incredibly brief but tantalising roles for Bill Carradine, Daryl Hannah and Michael Marsden, all of whom appear in Volume 2.

What's great about Kill Bill is that it really lives up to the promise that Pulp Fiction gave us. Whilst Jackie Brown fleshed out Tarantino's characters, and his script for True Romance was one of the most fun road movies in ages, there were also the relatively successful but mostly disappointing scripts he produced for Dusk Til Dawn and Natural Born Killers (significantly the latter was disowned by Tarantino himself). Whilst Kill Bill could never be as influential as Pulp Fiction in terms of how it structures its story, or as shocking as Reservoir Dogs was at the time, it's still one of the most exciting, enthralling cinematic treats of last year. The way it's filmed screams of a master - impressive, since this is only Tarantino's fourth film in the director's chair - and the anime sequence is particularly impressive. Whilst it's true to say that if violence isn't your thing, steer clear, and that it's filmed in a way that makes you perhaps worryingly unaware of how violent it really is, Kill Bill Volume 1 is a rollercoaster of a movie experience and makes you long for part two. This is brilliant, brilliant stuff, that blows the remakes and tired adaptations that seem to have flooded our screens recently, out of the water.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AMAZING! Quentin Tarantino is God!
Review: I swear I know this movie by heart!
As soon as you start watching you get sucked in!
The camera work, music, Uma, everything and everyone involved with this movie is amazing!

I read comics and this is as good as it gets!
Even Marvel isn't making movies that can touch this!
This is as good as it gets!!
This turns the Matrix into dust!
Tarantino has his own style! which no one can touch!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait til Volume 2 this Friday!!!!!!!!
wow!!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Here Comes The Bride...
Review: When this film came out, I thought it looked so cool! But I never got to see it in theaters. So I recently rented it and I have to say the movie is awesome! Tarantino defintely knew what he was doing. The DVD is great. The documentary is humorous and the Tarantino theatrical trailors are cool.Being a fan of anime, I loved the Chapter explaining O-Ren's(Lucy Liu) backround as an assasin.All in all, it was a (....) good movie. I can't wait for Vol. 2!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent
Review: Very well done - gory, but in a tasteful way. Great acting, filming, story, music and plot... Well worth watching - looking forward to seeing the next one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Deeper than plain violence
Review: I can tell you, this movie really has a presence. It just pulls you in, revenge, love, and a touch of mystic. I just want to start off with this movie is not all about violence. I have heard so many people shun this explosive and powerful movie as a mad-house massacre done by a directer who has a small amount of taste. That's true, if you walked into theater, or sat done are you couch thinking that. But if you look farther, than the real message unfolds.

If any of you have watched the anime Rurouni Kenshin (preferable the Kyoto Arc), you lucky people will have probably picked up much of the underlying art and drama of a samurai life (and probably thus who saw The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise, and understood it farther than guts and battle) and the art of the manslayer that is depicked in this film.

Many of Uma's actions in battle reflect the samurai, hikori, manslayer's belief of honor and actions in battle. Many times this is seen, when Uma spares the child's life, to the way she tells the gang to leave before they get killed. An old manslayer in modern times.

One more thing, I have heard everyone complain about the sword scene and why it was so long and 'pointless'. To those people, you don't get. To the rest, the samurai's sword represents the act of killing. As it is said in Rurouni Kenshin, "Swords are meant to kill, all the rest is a sad misunderstanding." The sword is a symbol of Uma's cross into the hikori's way of thinking, to kill and kill those who deserve it.

KillBill is an incredible presentation of what is like to walk the path of the manslayer, in addition to some Hollywood flare. If you don't like gore, not the movie for you. But i strongly urge to not quickly assume that this movie is bad and teaches violences to the extreme level. Killing is wrong, we all know that. What Quarintino displays in his movie was not made up from some madman's mind. The underlying message and presence is from Japanese culture hundreds of years ago, awakened in a modern setting.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Tarantino's best
Review: What we have in "Kill Bill" is Quentin Tarantino's glorious evolution beyond his mid-90s "Pulp Fiction" phase, into the realm of truly inspired and, needless to say, brilliant filmmaking. Here is a director who is truly the equal of Spielberg, Welles, Kubrick and Leone. Hell, after watching "Kill Bill Vol. 1," I'm tempted to say he exceeds all those guys. He is certainly operating on a new level of greatness.

How else to describe it? "Kill Bill" is the ultimate action film. It's like the best of Kurosawa, Leone and Robert Rodriguez, all rolled into one beautifully shot, beautifully choreographed, beautifully written, beautiful movie. The violence is beside the point. This is cinematic poetry. (The cartoonish violence is so hysterically over-the-top that it is impossible to take seriously and, therefore, about as "disturbing" as the typical episode of Spongebob Squarepants. That said, do not attempt to watch this film if you do not possess a strong stomach or a strong appreciation for black humor.)

The acting is superb. This is Uma Thurman unleashed. Sonny Chiba is brilliant in his own way. Lucy Liu has never been better. Daryl Hannah provokes chills. Can't wait to see more of Carradine and Madsen in Vol. 2. I even loved Michael Parks as the sheriff.

But the real star is Quentin Tarantino. No longer a "boy wonder," no longer the Flavor of the Week for the Gen X crowd, Tarantino is now a filmmaker for the ages, and his "Kill Bill" is not only a classic of the genre, but a thrilling example of cinema at its passionate best.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: YOU NEED THIS MOVIE!!!
Review: BLOOD OUT THE @$$ and one kick ass director!!


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