Kill Bill, Vol 2
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
If the first film was all style and no substance then the conclusion to “The 4th film by Quentin Tarantino” is all style and all substance. Even if one despises the violence, the direction is so sharp, the performance so good, and the dialogue laced with that trademark Tarantino wit and humour that the overall experience is quite breathtaking.
We open with a brief summary of the events of Vol. 1 delivered by the Bride directly to camera, as she is driving across the countryside. Shot in glorious black and white, with old-style rear-projection, intentionally or not, this scene reminded me of Psycho, the staccato strings as the title card comes up emphasising this reference. Of course, this is just the beginning of a movie that has references to everything, but mainly to spaghetti westerns and martial arts movies. Ennio Morricone’s music blares over the speakers for much of the first half of the film and, hell, he even thanks Sergio Leone in the credits.
Somehow, though, Tarantino transcends these obvious influences with a film so exuberant and virtuosic in its filmic technique it threatens to jump of the screen. Everything is here: beautiful widescreen black and white, the classic 4:3 ratio, split-screen, ’70s style snap-zooms, slowmotion and skilful use of music and sound.
Nowhere is this more evident than when the Bride is buried alive, a scene so brilliantly constructed it should win some kind of special award.
Then there’s the story. Flashbacks appear at appropriate moments to flesh out the situation, such as her training with martial arts master, Pai Mei (Chia Hui Liu, voiced by Tarantino) and the lead-up to the wedding massacre at Two Pines. There’s far less action and a lot more talking in Vol. 2 and it’s a better film for it. And when the final showdown does occur, it’s with emotion and dialogue instead of action, resulting in an ending that is surprisingly poignant. Uma Thurman is simply extraordinary, and the rest of the cast perfectly match their roles, especially David Carradine as Bill.
Kill Bill is an exuberant and skilful homage to Tarantino’s influences. But it is so much more, and that it stands alone is a testament to Tarantino’s love of the medium and his excessive skill as a filmmaker.
****/4
Josh Blackman
