Kill Bill - Volume 1

I missed "Kill Bill, Volume 1" when it was in the theaters (you have to move quickly up here in the Northland because we have only two movie theaters with a limited number of screens and films can disappear before you know it), but this turned out to be to my advantage. Quentin Tarantino did not plan on "Kill Bill" being told in two "volumes" but Miramax decided that a four hour revenge film would be a bit much and consequently we end up with "Volume 1" coming out on DVD the same week "Volume 2" opens up in the theaters. So having seen the Bride (Uma Thurman) take care of the first two names on her "to do" list I can treat tonight as an intermission and go see "Volume 2" tomorrow. This is good because if I had to wait four months to see the second half of the film I would be pretty ticked off.Once upon a time in El Paso, Texas a wedding party is slaughtered execution style. However, it turns out that the Bride, who is pregnant, is not dead but in a coma. Four years later she wakes up in time to save herself from insult being added to her ingury. After dealing with a few annoying details, such as somebody trying to rape her comatose body and being unable to get her legs to move, the Bride puts together her list of people to kill: (1) Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), (2) O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), (3) Budd (Michael Madsen), (4) Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), and (5) Bill (David Carradine). There is more that happens in this film than eliminating the first two list (and since there is a Volume 2 telling you that the Bride survives Volume 1 does not constitute a spoiler), such as an anime telling us how O-Ren Ishii became the Queen of the Tokyo underworld. But Tarrantino is all about how the Bride takes out her first two victims and the triumph of style as substance, especially when style means fountains of blood gushing from human beings that would make Akira Kurosawa proud.You have to keep in mind that Tarantino has seen and committed to memory more movies than any other human being on the face of the planet. The following is a list of movies and television series that are supposedly referenced in "Kill Bill, Volume 1":"The Lodger," "Scaramouche," "The Wings of Eagles," "The Magnificent Seven," "Yojimbo," "Tsubaki Sanjûrô," "The Manchurian Candidate," "Marnie," "Honey West," "Tôkyô nagaremono," "I Lunghi giorni della vendetta," "Da zui xia," "Modesty Blaise," "The Green Hornet," "I Giorni dell'ira," "Le Scandale," "Ironside," "Kyuketsuki Gokemidoro," "Kurotokage," "Da uomo a uom," "La Mariée était en noir," "Twisted Nerve," "C'era una volta il West," "The Wild Bunch," "Siu kuen wong," "A Clockwork Orange," "Hannie Caulder," "Black Mama, White Mama," "The Last House on the Left," "La Novia ensangrentada," "Il Grande duello," "Joshuu sasori: Dai-41 zakkyo-bô, "Shurayukihime," "The Doll Squad," "Tian xia di yi quan," "High Plains Drifter," "White Lightning," "Shura-yuki-hime: Urami Renga," "Truck Turner," "Uomini duri," "Crash che botte!," "Onna hissatsu ken," "Gone in 60 Seconds," "Thriller - en grym film," "Du bi quan wang da po xue di zi," "Profondo rosso," "Switchblade Sisters," "Black Sunday," "Eaten Alive," "7 note in nero," "Hao xia," "Yagyû ichizoku no inbô," "Game of Death ," "Grease," "Wu du," "Patrick," "Day of the Woman," "Hattori Hanzô: Kage no Gundan." "Paura nella città dei morti viventi," "Resurrection," "Shogun Assassin," "Si wang ta," "Makai tenshô," "Escape from New York," "Xian si jue," "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan," "Tenebre," "The Professional: Golgo 13," "Scarface," "Gai shi ji hua," "Year of the Dragon," "Wong ga jin si," "Hard to Kill," "3-4x jugatsu," "Miller's Crossing," "Hong fen zhi zun," "Unforgiven," "Reservoir Dogs," "Fong Shi Yu II: Wan fu mo di," "Tai ji zhang san feng," "True Romance," "Pulp Fiction." "Jûbei ninpûchô," "From Dusk Till Dawn," "Full Tilt Boogie," "Kite," "Weißkreuz," "SF:Episode One," "From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money," "Proboscis," "Wo hu cang long," "Batoru rowaiaru," and "Koroshiya 1."I was happy I recognized over two dozen of the films on that list, and that is not even close to a passing score percentage-wise. For all I know every single scene and shot in the film is lifted from something else, but the onslaught of references is apparently so relentless that everything old becomes new again, especially without a commentary track when QT can tell us the origin of each and every homage. At this point what is most memorable to me is watching O-Ren Ishii and her posse walk glide into the House of Blue Leaves with the soundtrack giving them energy and the final showdown in an exquisite garden at night with gently falling snow where O-Ren in her white kimono and the Bride in her yellow biker suit do their dance of death with Japanese steel.With "Pulp Fiction" Tarantino made his impression upon our ears with scene after scene of great dialogue. No wonder the soundtrack for that film had clips of some of what came rolling off the tongues of the actors (usually Samuel L. Jackson, who plays a corpse in this film). But with "Kill Bill, Volume 1" Tarantino's blood feast is mostly for the eyes. Imagine what he can do if he every puts those two together in a single film. Until then, we can see how the Bride deals with the rest of the people on her list. This film is not for everybody, but then what Quentin Tarantino film ever was?

Don’t hesitate buy it

Definitely a good movie if you like blood

Amazing

Kill Bill is what is hailed as the much anticipated "4th film by quinton tarintino". If you don't know who quinton tarintino is, then I feel sorry for you. For the rest of us I need only mention the titles "Resevoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction", And "Jackie Brown" and then you will understand the anticipation this new film has for us big time QT fans.So as the long-awaited 4th film, we find Tarintino taking a new dirtection... firslty, this is Kill Bill vol 1, with Vol 2 having just been released in theaters as of this writing. Seeing the first volume immediatley shows us that what QT had blanned was large, stylish, and visionary! The fact that The lead star Umma Thurman actually particiapted in much of the conceptual work behind the film only serves to further display why this film came together so brilliantly.Kill Bill, as it's appropriatley called is a tale of revenge at it's most basic. Umma Thurman Plays an ex Assassin, who was betrayed at her wedding by her former boss. The plot throughout the movie leaves some gaps to be further explored in the next film, but plenty of detail and background is given to all the characters throughout the course of the movie (a trademark of tarintino is brilliant character depth). Once comming out of a comma, "The Bride" as she is called (we never get to hear her name in the movie - it is bleeped out!) goes on a path of vengence that will leave a thick trail of blood in it's wake.Harking back to old martial arts films of the 70's the mood is sometimes made to feel corny intentionally. Oddly enough not only didnt this bother me, it made the movie more fun and more enjoyable. What's amazing is QTs abillity to switch moods in the film from being epicly dramatic, and almost philisophical in nature (like many old sammuri movies); to being goofy, and corny and almost poking fun at itself. Also we are treated to scenes that have wild western feels, as well as refrences to other old genres. The film is filled with LOTS to dwell on and think about.Beyond that we have QT's typical directorial excellence. Vissually, Kill BIll is probably one of the finest works I've ever seen. The movie has more style, flair, and wit than almost any other I can think of. QT just has a way of always finding some new place to put the camera... some new trick to use that u werent expecting. An entire 10 -15 minute scene in the movie is fully animated in japanese style! The use of black and white and other little artistic ideas of QT make this movie an absolute pleasure to watch. If nothing else this has to be one of the most creative and unique films you'll ever see.Finally, this is QTs first attempt at making an action orientated film. The fight scenes are really well done, and in the climactic battle we see umma thurman single handedly fight 60 plus men (all with sammuri swords) - and slaughter them all! Even the first time through, I had to watch that scene twice! QT also has a way of bringing the action together with many moments that are (typical to his style) nothing more than witty diologue.IN the end, some people wont like this movie just because it's too "wierd" for them, or just not their kind of film. Those who dont like QTs style are likely to not be impressed. But for me, and many others, Kill Bill Vol one was an AMAZING movie, on many levels at once. The variety of themes, the amazing visual style, and the excellent audio (thanks to the RZA from Wu Tang Clan who produced the soundtrack)... this movie really surprised me by just HOW good it was.

Everyone needs to watch this masterpiece.

QT has always talked about the movies that influenced him and this, coupled with Vol.2, are a wonderful love letter to those movies he loved growing up. My love of this film has started many a conversation with pure kung fu movie enthusiasts who have pointed me in the direction of classic and brilliant films from that era.

After being gunned down on her wedding day by her former colleagues, assassin Black Mamba (Uma Thurman) rouses from a four year coma with only one thing on her mind, revenge! Striking up a death list of five, she sets off for bloody retribution.Quentin Tarrantino writes and directs what is in all truth, a homage to all the cinema conventions close to his heart. Think an amalgamation of chop-socky, sexploitation, samurai, spaghetti Westerns, anime and cop shows of years past, and you get the heart of Kill Bill. A film that was so epic in scope it had to be cut into two film's. What it lacks in Tarrantino dialogue dynamite it more than makes up for with action and astute visual flair. And it's bloody, very bloody. Thurman is great as the avenging Mamba/The Bride, while the inclusion of Sonny Chiba & Lucy Liu adds a touch of class as QT revels in his east meets west berserker narrative. It could have been trimmed down, particularly in the middle section where Tarrantino deals in a calm before the storm ideal. But Volume 1 was one of the most exciting movies of 2003, and most notably it shows Tarrantino to be adept at action directing. Something that perhaps explains why the script doesn't crackle with the witt and panache of his previous offerings. You sense he wants more than the words "fine writer" engraved on his granite mined Curriculum Vitae.Hugely enjoyable with a neat end of film cliffhanger, roll on part 2...... 8/10

Kill Bill Vol1 (superior to Vol2) is just a blast. At one point it goes into anime mode and tells the backstory of Oren Ishii (Lucy Liu), and how she becomes the person she is today. However, it occurred to me while watching it that Kill Bill Vol1 itself IS an anime! It's so cartoony, so over-the-top, so absurd and surreal, while at the same time watchable and believable. And let's face it, Uma Thurman is watchable in anything.I didn't like Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs, though I did like that trashy bloodfest From Dusk 'til Dawn (it's odd how QT won't claim this movie as one of his whenhe wrote the screenplay AND starred in it). However, I DID like both volumes of Kill Bill. No question. Vol1 is marginally my favourite of the two, though Vol2 is still a worthy conclusion to the story. (Why didn't QT just make a 4 hour movie, stitching them both together as one? It's been done before).Seriously, you'd have to be a dead to NOT enjoy this movie; just as long as you disengage your brain, and suspend your disbelief, which is often how a QT movie should be viewed.

Like all blu-rays when compared to watching the DVD version or an old video one watching this film is a clearer, more detailed experience and in many cases it's like looking at the film for the first time as the film stock used to transfer to Blu-Ray is usually "worked on" first to get as good a copy as possible. My taste in films may not be the same as yours so if you want to know about this film I suggest that you use the internet to find 2 or 3 reviews by experienced film reviewers and make your judgment whether or not to buy this film. I have watched over 640 films in my life and I rate this one 9/10.

The film itself is excellent. A good story, which is probably better explained in Vol.2, but the action in Vol.1 is intense, pleasantly aggressive and somewhat funny. There is an interesting array of characters, with standouts being O-Ren Ishi (the Yakuza leader) and Gogo Yubari (the slightly insane teenage girl who acts as a bodyguard). Women pretty much dominate the film, with 99% of all men in the film having their head smashed in, head chopped off, eye pulled out or being disemboweled (Gogo's little stunt). Acting is great and each fight is unique with it's own pace. The last fight in particular took the tone down significantly but in a good way.Picture quality and extras are cool too. Unlike the Japanese version, it goes black and white to distract you from the gore, which is fair I suppose but somewhat disappointing. Nevertheless, recommended film.