| Kill Bill Vol 1 |
2003 |
| Plot: |
The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad consists of five most deadly killers, led by Bill. There is O'Ren-Ishii as Cottonmouth, Elle Driver as California Mountain Snake, Vernita Green as Copperhead, Budd as Sidewinder. And there is The Bride, whose name is not spoken, who wanted to quit because she was pregnant. One day, somewhere in the Texas desert, The Bride wanted to marry the love of her life. Then Bill and her former colleagues showed up and killed everyone there. But they did not do a good enough job: The Bride survives, barely, and is in a coma for four years. Her colleagues know this but won't kill her in her sleep, it would just ruin the reputation. One day, The Bride awakens. For her, not a second has consciously passed, and after she realizes all the things that have happened, The Bride decides to take revenge. Bloody revenge. On each single one of those who betrayed her. First on her death list is Cottonmouth, who has become the yakuza boss of Tokyo, second in line is Copperhead, who chose a more decent life as well. The Bride sets out to take back what was once hers: Her life. |
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| Actors: |
Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox, Sonny Chiba, Michael Parks, Julie Dreyfus, David Carradine, Chiaki Kuriyama, Michael Madsen |
| Directed by: |
Quentin Tarantino |
| Genre: |
Action/Thriller |
| Other Infomation |
 Apple Trailer |
 Official Site |
| What we said in a nutshell |
| "Volume one of Tarantino's samurai/revenge epic is what could easily be the first half of the greatest film ever made, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 starts with a bang (literally) and ends on a fantastic cliffhanger...this is a masterpiece in every sense of the word" |
Matt
Who am I?
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| 9.6/10 |
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| "Kill Bill slices the limbs off Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown to stand alone as Tarantino's best work...this has to be seen to be believed" |
Daniel
Who am I?
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| 10/10 |
| Jump to review |
| "A triumph. This film's remarkably simple premise is expanded upon beautifully through jaw-dropping action and visual ingenuity. Simply remarkable" |
Steven
Who am I?
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| 9.5/10 |
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| "Amazing. If you enjoy action at all, you will love this movie" |
Sean
Who am I?
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| 9.6/10 |
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| "Heart racing from the opening credits, and this is only Volume 1!" |
Joshua
Who am I?
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| 10/10 |
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| Matt's Review |
| Kill Bill will be remembered in years to come for several reasons; one is because it had one of the greatest fight sequences (The House of Blue Leaves sequence) of the time but probably more important than a great fight sequence is the fact that Quentin Tarantino took a chance and decided to make a film without pop culture references and witty quotable dialogue for an all out action flick that is not only Tarantino’s best thus far but perhaps the best cinematic experience to date.
Volume one of Tarantino’s samurai/revenge epic, is what could easily be the first half of the greatest film ever made, Kill Bill Vol. 1 starts with a bang (literally) and ends on a fantastic cliffhanger, and despite the fact that some critics say it doesn’t have much of a storyline, I was completely engrossed in this film, this is masterpiece in every sense of the word. To say it is violent is an understatement but that’s something that this film is about. It is violent, gory, bloody and spectacular it is more than homage to 70’s samurai flicks.
The actors, Uma Thurman in particular are spectacular, it is obvious that it is harder to act in action as well as trying to be a sympathetic and revenge driven character who has to be serious than any other genre.
While on the subject of genre it is clear by watching the film that Tarantino has ventured into several different territories, such as: the western, the yakuza, the action adventure and also something that I believe no director has ever pulled off successfully until now a complete anime segment of the film which is one of the goriest, disturbing, tragic and brilliant chapters of the film.
And by chapters I mean that this film is divided into five chapters, which are chronologically re-arranged as in Pulp Fiction. This touch just reinforces the fact that this is a Tarantino film, and proud of it.
Wether or not Kill Bill: Vol. 2 will live up to the greatness of this the first volume, only time will tell. |
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| Daniel |
| Quentin Tarantino is one of my favorite directors. Although his filmography only contains four movies (not including Kill Bill volume 2 yet) they are all instant classics. Pulp Fiction was the most influential film of the nineties, Reservoir Dogs has become a cult classic and Jackie Brown, although not as popular, is still a great film. So when rumor of a fourth and fifth film from Tarantino got around to me I couldn’t wait. Then Kill Bill volume one was released in cinemas with a R18 rating. Needless to say this pissed me off beyond belief because I couldn’t see it so I rented it the day it came out.
I didn’t think it was possible but Kill Bill surpassed all of Tarantino’s previous works to become an instant masterpiece of modern cinema. The acting on all parts is fantastic. Tarantino’s stellar cast, that he has used in most of his previous films handle the action, comedy and drama without fault. Notably Uma Thurman who has goes from the funny scene in the back of the pussy wagon (wiggling her big toe) to the showdown at the house of Blue Leaves. While we are on the topic I cannot express how sweet the Samurai battle at the house of Blue leaves is, it truly has to be seen to be believed. Tarantino refuses to use CGI and it only makes this fight scene that much better. It easily surpasses effort of the Matrix Reloaded, which looked more like a Nintendo game. Another touch of Tarantino’s unique style is that most of the fight is shot in black and white, however it doesn’t take away any of it’s impact.
This film is also the least conventional in Tarantino’s repertoire. Kill Bill combines several different genres such as Kung Fu, Samurai, Action, Comedy and Western. Also most surprising of all was the chapter of the film that was completely done in Anime. I know it sound stupid but when watching the film the transition seems completely normal, only Tarantino could have pulled off such an unusual feet.
This movie has quickly gained a reputation as the bloodiest and goriest movie of all time, and well I wouldn’t go that far it is still very bloody. The violence however is not disturbing; on the contrary it’s actually comical. When the henchmen’s limbs are sliced off their blood sprays out like a showerhead, this is obviously a parody of the seventies Kung Fu movies. This parody of the seventies doesn’t stop there; the name of Bill’s assassination team is the ‘Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.’
Kill Bill is Tarantino at his best and most unconventional. If you watched this film without knowing the director you could easily guess. All the trademarks are present, the lack of chronological order, the superb cast, brilliant camera work and last but not least a killer sound track.
The Bride has now killed two of the enemies on her death list, only two more to go and then finally Bill. Will the Bride ever achieve full revenge? Will she discover the secret that was revealed in the dying seconds of Volume One? One thing is for sure, all of these questions will be answered in Volume Two and I can’t wait! |
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| Steven |
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What can I say but "Bravo!" Mr. Tarantino!
My first taste of this director's work (Pulp Fiction), I felt, didn't live up to its hype, and so when approaching this film, knowing very well it'd received the perfect score from my four co-reviewers, I wasn't sure it could sate my appetite or, for that matter, live up to my sky-high expectations. I am most glad to assure you that it did both of these, and more.
The lack of chronology in Pulp Fiction did not enhance the film, rather it convoluted it. Don't misconstrue, please - Pulp Fiction is an excellent film - but it wasn't as easy to watch as it could have been. On the other hand, Kill Bill: Volume 1 (and 2, I should hope...) uses Tarantino's signature lack of chronology to its favour - it serves well to enhance the plot. Moreover, each new scenario/time period is heralded with a clear textual message (i.e. Chapter x: such and such). It doesn't tell the order, but through her hitlist it is fairly simple to work out.
The visuals in the film are exceptional, and the musical score is most apt. The employment of anime in one large segment of the film is well accomplished, and depriving certain sequences of colour assists in creating an effect.
I loved the gore in this film, in that it doesn't repulse but amuses. The Bride stabs a Yakuza and the subsequent fountain of blood isn't unlike the breakage of a fire hydrant. This exaggeration is one amusing element to an otherwise quite gruesome and sinister film. Need I mention that awesome bloodbath at the House of Blue Leaves?
Worded simply, Kill Bill: Volume 1 is a triumph. This film's remarkably simple premise is expanded upon beautifully through jaw-dropping action and visual ingenuity. It is simply remarkable, and through it I have gained newfound admiration for Quentin Tarantino as an original filmmaker - something of a rarety these days. |
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| Sean |
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With only three feature films to his name - 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992), 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) and 'Jackie Brown' (1997) - at least two of which were great classics, Quentin Tarantino has a strange status. On the one hand he is the most influential director of the 1990s, whose post-modern revival of 1970s sensibilities and forgotten actors redefined the exciting potential of cinema for a whole new era, pleasuring critics and also the public. On the other hand, he has become a victim of his own influence, being unjustly blamed for the many low-grade imitations which his films have inspired. So it is good to see the indisputable item once again, and Kill Bill: Volume 1, Tarantino's first film in six years, is a suitable reminder of his extraordinary talent.
Kill Bill was originally considered as a single, epically long film, but Miramax persuaded Tarantino to cut it neatly into two (much as its sword-bearing heroine does to her opponents). Still, after seeing this first volume, with its 111 minutes of over-the-top violence, raven-black humour, complicated narrative and stunning visuals, its show-stopping twenty-minute action climax and a final revelation in the best 'Luke, I am your father' tradition of cliff-hangers, you will be too busy cleaning up your own drool to feel in any way short-changed. Tarantino has taken all the very best ingredients from Chinese kung-fu flicks, Japanese yakuza films, spaghetti westerns, the French new wave and all manner of 1970s exploitation cinema, thrown them all together into one big pot, and distilled from it entertainment in its purest form.
Uma Thurman puts in another brilliant performance as 'The Bride', a woman-with-no-name righteously annoyed at her former partners in the Deadly Vipers Assassin Squad and in particular at her boss and ex-lover Bill (David Carradine, never actually seen in Volume 1), who gunned her down at her own wedding. Awoken from a four-year coma with a metal plate in her head and a thirst for vengeance, she sets out to challenge her betrayers to the death, one by one. Yet what sounds like a straightforward revenge plot turns out to be something altogether more involving, as Tarantino's dramatic breaches of standard chronology not only keep things interestingly non-linear, but also enable the introduction of a number of subplots, equally about revenge, which complicate our interpretation of the main revenge plot, its causes and its consequences.
Kill Bill Volume 1 is simply magnificent. Different sections are told in different genre styles. There are sequences in colour, in black-and-white, a long episode in superb animé, and the final duel with O-Ren Ishi (Lucy Liu) - after the Bride has brutally slashed, gouged and hacked her way through her 88 henchmen on a modern club dance floor - takes place in a snow-swept Japanese garden that looks like a classical painting. And in this mixed palette there is the ever-dominant colour of yellow (as often as not splattered in blood red) which this film truly makes its own signature. Yet for all its bold experimentation, Kill Bill Volume 1 never ceases to be anything but accessible, guaranteeing that you, at least, will get all the satisfaction you demand. |
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| Joshua |
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Kill Bill Volume One is one of those movies that will always be remembered for is brilliance in the movie world. It by far is a movie that has a great impact on the film industry.
Kill Bill vol 1 contains Quentin Tarantino trademark directing and cast with the heroin played by Uma Thurman. Uma once again gives an exceptional performance as an ex-member of the deadly viper assassin squad. After opting out of the squad to get married, Bill orders for her death. And so in the middle of no were in a small chapel Uma, her future husband, the priest and the wedding guests are all murdered by the deadly viper assassin squad, with the last shot fired to Uma’s head by Bill himself.
The action doesn’t stop there; well that is only the first ten minutes! The story then follows Tarantino’s trademark movement of jumping backwards and forwards to test the viewers attentiveness. I will stop now or I will tell you the story. So all that there is left to say is that this film is heart racing from the opening credits, and this is only Volume 1!
Stay tuned for Volume 2 review and maybe even Volume 3!!! |
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