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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Kill Bill: Volume 2
By Jennifer Alpeche Published April 20, 2004
US Release: April 16, 2004
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman , David Carradine , Daryl Hannah , Michael Madsen
R for violence, language and brief drug use.
Running Time: 137 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $66,372,000
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman , David Carradine , Daryl Hannah , Michael Madsen
R for violence, language and brief drug use.
Running Time: 137 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $66,372,000
A
Ultra-cool and packed with emotion, the concluding half to Tarantino?s fourth film has a kind of magic that keeps you thinking about it long after it has ended.
"Kill Bill: Volume 2" is an absolute knockout. Ultra-cool and packed with emotion, the concluding half to Quentin Tarantino?s fourth film has a kind of magic that keeps you thinking about it long after it has ended. So different from "Volume 1," yet still all about The Bride?s road to vengeance, "Volume 2" is all that I had hoped it?d be, plus much more.
If we recall, the first volume opened with the Old Klingon Proverb: "Revenge is a dish best served cold,? and indeed, our heroine The Bride (Uma Thurman) has waited for the right moments to exact her revenge. In "Kill Bill: Volume 1,? we saw her deal with Vernita (Vivica A. Fox) and O-Ren (Lucy Liu), and by the time the credits had rolled, there were three that remained: Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), Budd (Michael Madsen), and Bill (David Carradine).
"Volume 2" opens in black-and-white with The Bride driving down a highway determined, on her way to a showdown with Bill. However, seeing as The Bride is down to the last person, the film then rewinds to take us back and explain how she got to that point in time, what happened to the two remaining members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, and how The Bride got her satisfaction.
Told in chapters, "Volume 2" rocks out with a hip soundtrack and dialogue to match. It focuses more on story than on action, making it the perfect complement to "Volume 1.? The fights are scaled down and delayed, and while we wait, we?re given insight into Budd, Elle, (the enigmatic and deadly) Bill, and The Bride herself.
Though "Volume 2" still has its share of powerful fight scenes, it also offers a different sort of thrill, one that comes from revelations and piecing together facts, making connections that make all else make sense. For instance, we learn about The Bride?s tutelage with the kung-fu master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) and see how those lessons helped and inspired her; also the key revelation to everything: we find out that The Bride and Bill were truly in love.
Love. "Kill Bill: Volume 2" is a love story and it deals with several kinds of love: from a mother?s love, to the love of a mentor, to the kind of love that makes you crazy with hurt. The revelation at the end of "Volume 1" (re: The Bride?s baby) circles back to love, and in "Volume 2," it is the hope that The Bride pursues in her heart, though she does not know it. The final confrontation between The Bride and Bill is a poignant and heartbreaking dance about love ? their love.
As one may expect from a Tarantino script, the dialogue in "Volume 2" sparkles. Let us not forget that these are hard people living violent lives, and their language is not delicate by any means, but it?s real and thoughtful. Bill is an intellectual and at one point, we see him and The Bride spending time together around a campfire. Watching them talk, one can understand why she?d fall in love with him. He?s sweet and attentive, playful and deep, and he only has eyes (and a heart) for her. Their talks are tender and authentic, not full of declarations of love, but rather, simply with love.
Tarantino also drops in great details that demand the audience to pay attention, and is partly why "Volume 2" is so engrossing: every word spoken has meaning; whether it relates to a relationship, a promise made, or a secret kept, it all adds to the story. The inscription on a sword, for example, tells us much about the recipient and the giver, and in an instant changes what was said just minutes before. These are gems that Tarantino offers us, and we gobble them up with thanks.
Acting-wise, the players in "Volume 2" are just as game as those in "Volume 1,? and they truly seem to relish their roles. Each performance is right on, with standouts by Uma Thurman and David Carradine. Unseen in "Volume 1,? Carradine steps into Bill?s boots and remarkably, disarms us with his charm and genuine love for The Bride. As The Bride, Thurman again carries off her fight sequences with grace, but is also given more quiet moments in "Volume 2?; moments when she cannot speak what is felt, but rather, must convey it in her face and through actions. She is outstanding, exhibiting joy, strength, courage, anger, fear, relief, and love.
An homage to kung-fu and samurai films, "Volume 1" was altogether new and indeed set the bar high; it would have been a disappointment to see "Volume 2" fail to live up to that promise. "Volume 2" succeeds beautifully, and as the "4th film from Quentin Tarantino," the two volumes together create an unpredictable, wonderful work (the best so far from Tarantino). While revenge is best served cold, the same cannot be said for "Kill Bill,? as it is delivered to us piping hot, ably slicing its way through.
If we recall, the first volume opened with the Old Klingon Proverb: "Revenge is a dish best served cold,? and indeed, our heroine The Bride (Uma Thurman) has waited for the right moments to exact her revenge. In "Kill Bill: Volume 1,? we saw her deal with Vernita (Vivica A. Fox) and O-Ren (Lucy Liu), and by the time the credits had rolled, there were three that remained: Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), Budd (Michael Madsen), and Bill (David Carradine).
"Volume 2" opens in black-and-white with The Bride driving down a highway determined, on her way to a showdown with Bill. However, seeing as The Bride is down to the last person, the film then rewinds to take us back and explain how she got to that point in time, what happened to the two remaining members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, and how The Bride got her satisfaction.
Told in chapters, "Volume 2" rocks out with a hip soundtrack and dialogue to match. It focuses more on story than on action, making it the perfect complement to "Volume 1.? The fights are scaled down and delayed, and while we wait, we?re given insight into Budd, Elle, (the enigmatic and deadly) Bill, and The Bride herself.
Though "Volume 2" still has its share of powerful fight scenes, it also offers a different sort of thrill, one that comes from revelations and piecing together facts, making connections that make all else make sense. For instance, we learn about The Bride?s tutelage with the kung-fu master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) and see how those lessons helped and inspired her; also the key revelation to everything: we find out that The Bride and Bill were truly in love.
Love. "Kill Bill: Volume 2" is a love story and it deals with several kinds of love: from a mother?s love, to the love of a mentor, to the kind of love that makes you crazy with hurt. The revelation at the end of "Volume 1" (re: The Bride?s baby) circles back to love, and in "Volume 2," it is the hope that The Bride pursues in her heart, though she does not know it. The final confrontation between The Bride and Bill is a poignant and heartbreaking dance about love ? their love.
As one may expect from a Tarantino script, the dialogue in "Volume 2" sparkles. Let us not forget that these are hard people living violent lives, and their language is not delicate by any means, but it?s real and thoughtful. Bill is an intellectual and at one point, we see him and The Bride spending time together around a campfire. Watching them talk, one can understand why she?d fall in love with him. He?s sweet and attentive, playful and deep, and he only has eyes (and a heart) for her. Their talks are tender and authentic, not full of declarations of love, but rather, simply with love.
Tarantino also drops in great details that demand the audience to pay attention, and is partly why "Volume 2" is so engrossing: every word spoken has meaning; whether it relates to a relationship, a promise made, or a secret kept, it all adds to the story. The inscription on a sword, for example, tells us much about the recipient and the giver, and in an instant changes what was said just minutes before. These are gems that Tarantino offers us, and we gobble them up with thanks.
Acting-wise, the players in "Volume 2" are just as game as those in "Volume 1,? and they truly seem to relish their roles. Each performance is right on, with standouts by Uma Thurman and David Carradine. Unseen in "Volume 1,? Carradine steps into Bill?s boots and remarkably, disarms us with his charm and genuine love for The Bride. As The Bride, Thurman again carries off her fight sequences with grace, but is also given more quiet moments in "Volume 2?; moments when she cannot speak what is felt, but rather, must convey it in her face and through actions. She is outstanding, exhibiting joy, strength, courage, anger, fear, relief, and love.
An homage to kung-fu and samurai films, "Volume 1" was altogether new and indeed set the bar high; it would have been a disappointment to see "Volume 2" fail to live up to that promise. "Volume 2" succeeds beautifully, and as the "4th film from Quentin Tarantino," the two volumes together create an unpredictable, wonderful work (the best so far from Tarantino). While revenge is best served cold, the same cannot be said for "Kill Bill,? as it is delivered to us piping hot, ably slicing its way through.
Jennifer's Grade: A
Jennifer's Overall Grading: 6 graded movies
| A | 66.7% | |
| B | 16.7% | |
| C | 16.7% | |
| D | 0.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
'Kill Bill 2' Articles
- Craig's review B+
April 20, 2004 Vol. 2 does so many things right that it's almost a shame that Tarantino didn't take out the more useless material. -- Craig Younkin - Crowd Report: "Kill Bill Vol. 2"
April 17, 2004 -- Lee Tistaert - Friday Box Office Analysis (4/16)
April 17, 2004 -- Lee Tistaert - Gareth's review C+
April 16, 2004 While the film disappoints, it is still decent entertainment. -- Gareth Von Kallenbach - Lee's review B+
April 6, 2004 Regardless of any complaints with this volume, fans should be able to say that what we have witnessed over the last six months has been a true classic experience. -- Lee Tistaert
