Shit. I really need to see this movie again. It's not that I didn't understand it, or I need to figure something out, I just have to watch something that I missed the first time that I saw it. Apparently, after the credits roll, there's more. No, it's not a trailer for "Kill Bill: Volume 2," it's another scene from "Kill Bill: Volume 1," and supposedly, it's pretty important. So I gotta shell out more money to see the movie again. Oh well. That's fine, though, 'cause I really like this movie. I have no problem sitting through it again.
As most everyone probably knows by now, "Kill Bill" was originally supposed to be a single film, but because of the running time, it was decided that it would be split into two films, thus making the public spend twice the money on a single movie. Then there's the other story, which is that the original cut was actually about two hours, but since the movie went over budget, the bigwigs at Miramax didn't think they could make their money back. Their solution was to make the film longer, and split it in half, so then the film could be released as two separate movies. I'm not sure what the truth is, but I can say that I liked "Kill Bill: Volume 1," and I look forward to the "sequel" in February.
I guess my only real problem with the movie is that it really is split in half, and therefore, there is no true ending for "Kill Bill: Volume 1." Some could argue that "The Matrix Reloaded" had no real ending, but I would disagree. It ended in a cliffhanger, but that film did have a true beginning, middle, and end. "Kill Bill: Volume 1" just sorta stops abruptly after a big revelation is made. Still, that's a minor complaint, and I don't have a REAL problem with it, since that was something I knew walking in.
"Kill Bill: Volume 1" was written and directed by the great Quentin Tarantino, and this is an improvement over his last film, "Jackie Brown." The first time I saw "Jackie Brown," I was disappointed, but I've seen it a couple of times since then, and I like it a lot more now. Still, after Tarantino's first two movies, "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction," both of which I consider to be to be masterpieces, I had really, really, really high hopes for "Jackie Brown." Unfortunately, it didn't deliver. At least, not to me. With "Kill Bill: Volume 1," we get the Quentin Tarantino who wrote "True Romance" and "From Dusk Till Dawn," the same one who wrote and directed "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction." Lotsa pop culture references, lotsa witty dialogue, and lots and lotsa blood. In fact, "Kill Bill: Volume 1" is by far Tarantino's most violent movie. The first half of the movie is pretty violent, but the second half is ridiculous, over-the-top carnage. It's crazy! I have no idea how the MPAA decided that it deserved an R-rating. I'm not complaining, mind you, but it makes you wonder where their thinking is, considering that certain violent scenes in "True Romance" had to be cut to get an R-rating. I've seen the director's cut of "True Romance" on DVD, and it includes all the stuff that the MPAA wanted out, and I assure you, it wasn't nearly as violent as what was shown in "Kill Bill: Volume 1." I say we just get rid of the MPAA altogether, because all they really do is allow an indirect kind of censorship.
Quentin Tarantino makes reference to a lotta movies in "Kill Bill: Volume 1," but it's the old martial arts films of the 70s that he's really paying homage to (the same way he was paying homage to the blaxploitation films of the 1970s with "Jackie Brown"). I must admit to being a novice to martial arts films of that era, so the only direct references I caught had to do with Bruce Lee movies (the yellow "Game of Death" jumpsuit, the "Kato" mask, etc.). That being said, I think people will enjoy the film, even if they've never seen a martial arts film before.
Uma Thurman is amazing in this movie. On the physical side, she's stunning, displaying grace and agility that I didn't think she was capable of. Her role as "The Bride" (her actual name is used in the film, but it's bleeped out... by reading lips, you could probably figure out what her real name is, though) is extremely demanding physically, but she did it, and she did it well. As for the acting, again, I didn't realize she was capable of what she did in the movie. Because of the kinda movie it is, I don't think she'll be given a lotta credit for her acting, and that's a shame. Her reaction(s) after she wakes from her coma is exhilarating to watch, it's acting at it's most primal. If you have any doubts of Uma Thurman as an actress, watch her when she wakes from her coma in this film.
Also in the movie is Vivica A. Fox, who isn't in it much, just one scene, really, but she's pretty good. Then there's Lucy Liu, who has already proven to be physically adept at this sorta thing in "Charlie's Angels," but she's a lot cooler in this film. She's evil, but she's still very cool. By the way, I don't wanna say anything specific, but I really like how Tarantino handled the history of Lucy Liu's character. Awesome!
In the movie "True Romance" (I'm bringing that movie up again), Sonny Chiba is mentioned because the main characters watch three movies from Sonny Chiba's ultra-violent "Street Fighter" series of martial arts films. Well, Sonny Chiba is in this movie, and it's great to see him. He rules. Finally, there's Chiaki Kuriyama. Wow, she totally kicked ass. I've never seen the girl before in my life, all I know about her is that she was in a Japanese movie a couple of years ago called "Battle Royale," and I've heard really good things about that movie. Gotta see it. Anyway, Chiaki Kuriyam plays a character named "Go Go Yubari," and she's a lotta fun to watch. She's beautiful and deadly. Her fight scene with Uma Thurman is, in my opinion, the best fight scene in the movie.
There are other actors and actresses in the film, like Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, and David Carradine, but they're not featured prominently until "Kill Bill: Volume 2." I'll talk more about them when I write that review.
"Kill Bill: Volume 1" is an over-the-top, ridiculously violent, funny, sad, exciting, martial arts revenge flick, and it has Quentin Tarantino's fingerprints all over it. Some may object to the violence, but it's all so cartoony, none of it can be taken seriously. Is "Kill Bill: Volume 1" as good as "Reservoir Dogs" or "Pulp Fiction"? No, but I like it more than "Jackie Brown," and it's a movie that I look forward to seeing again. Oh yeah, that's right, be sure to stick around after the credits!!!!!!!
Scale of 1-10: 9
Click here to read my review of "Kill Bill: Volume 2"
NOTE: I recently saw "Kill Bill: Volume 1" again, and I got to sit through the credits. As it turns out, I was wrong. I sat there as the credits rolled, and when it was over... nothing. There's nothing shown after the credits. I put false information in my review, and for that, I'm sorry.