My Review of Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)

 

Written And Directed by Quentin Tarantino

O-Ren Ishii: "For ridiculing you earlier, I apologize."

The Bride: "Accepted."

Okay, sometimes there are movies that I've watched so many times that I'm actually shocked that I haven't reviewed them. This would be one of two. You don't have to guess the second part.

Quentin Tarantino would be a director for his technique and utter in depth knowledge of various genres of media. It's something that he was able to fuse rather well in this two part revenge thriller, in which he reunited with the icon herself, Uma Thurman.

Thurman took on the role of The Bride. Her real name wasn't revealed during this first part for dramatic effect. There's plenty of drama here as The Bride has her wedding day to an ordinary but dull guy. Let's just say that a lot of people died and all because The Bride decided she wanted out of her job.

The job was being an assassin for a man named Bill (David Carradine) aka Snake Charmer. Bill got his best assassins O-Ren Ishii/Cottonmouth (Lucy Liu), Vernita Green/Copperhead (Vivica A. Fox), Elle Driver/California Mountain Snake (Daryl Hannah) and Budd/Sidewinder (Michael Madsen) to take out Black Mamba aka The Bride. They didn't really succeed on that front.

I mean they certainly made the effort and put The Bride into a coma where a vile orderly named Buck (Michael Bowen) sexually assaulted her. Fortunately, Buck got a much deserved comeuppance when The Bride woke and she had to retrain her body in order to get some of her revenge.

The Bride was determined to kill every single person who fucked up her wedding. This first part tackled both Vernita and O-Ren. Vernita happened at the start of the movie with the added complication of her daughter, Nikki (Ambrosia Kelley) witnessing her mother's death. It's a moment that The Bride took the enormity into account, aware that Nikki will be a future problem for her.

There's more of an emphasis on O-Ren Ishii, who became quite the crime boss in Tokyo with the Yakuza at her beck and call. There's a gorgeous anime flashback highlighting O-Ren's tragic origins. She's also rather sensitive to anyone pointing out her mixed heritage.

Honestly, while I love this movie to bits, it's the third act that made it such a blast. The moment The Bride touched down in Tokyo and sought out O-Ren, it's just glorious to watch. So many fights (the one with school girl bodyguard Gogo Yubari, played by Chiaki Kuriyama was excellent), deaths, limbs and a beautifully choreographed fight sequence between the two in a snowy garden. Then there's the last moment.

The Bride spared O-Ren's right hand woman, Sofie Fatale (Julie Dreyfus) and we learned that the baby The Bride was actually alive. That was an absolutely brilliant cliffhanger to end the first part on. I love it so much.

- Both films were meant to be released in one go before they were split into two.

- I loved the absolute contrasts that both Vernita and O-Ren had with their lives. Vernita was the only one from the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad who tried to live a normal suburban life.

- Standout music: Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down), The 5.6.7.8's Woo Hoo and Santa Esmeralda's Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.

- Chronology: The Bride's bloody wedding took place in El Paso, Texas during 1999. She went to California and Tokyo in 2003 to take out both Vernita and O-Ren.

Kill Bill: Volume 1 was a sprawling opening to two of the best things that Quentin Tarantino has ever committed to the big screen. A delightfully chaotic revenge thriller with top drawer performances from everyone, neat cameos, references for cinephiles, fight sequences galore and the most quotable dialogue. 

Rating: 9 out of 10