Review of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) by Alasdair B — 03 Feb 2015

The only way to properly review this is to review it as it should be. As one film. After "Pulp Fiction'', director Quentin Tarantino spoke with Uma Thurman about doing a female led action film. Several years later, "Kill Bill'' was made. The film was split into two parts, both telling the same story. The film stars Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Sonny Chiba, Vivica A. Fox, Gordon Liu, and Julie Dreyfus. If I had to explain the film in one sentence it would be: classic western meets Mexican mafia ninja warriors with an 80's vibe. Tarantino is known for making balls to the walls crazy films and Kill Bill could be his craziest. That being said, these films are not for everyone. I know plenty of people who hate them. If that's you, you can leave now, because these two films are some of the most impressive action movies I've ever seen.

The film follows Beatrix "Black Mamba" Kiddo (Thurman), a young women seeking revenge. On the day of her wedding rehearsal, Black Mamba is killed by Bill and her former team of fellow assassins. She lays in a coma for four years. When she wakes she realizes her baby has been lost and she vows to kill Bill for what he did. She goes on a killing rampage, killing off every member of her old assassin team until she makes it to the top. Until she makes it to Bill.

As a director, Tarantino is known for his crazy, bloody, and off beat films. Some people may not like his movies, but I love them. He does a phenomenal job with these films. This guy's first film was so good, it was like he was born a professional filmmaker. This movie is directed in such a artistic and energetic way. It shows how great this guy is. The script is also solid, showing true in the second volume. The second film has allot of smart dialogue that flows off the screen. The cinematography is done by Robert Richardson. He does a decent job filming the first volume, but the second was filmed even better. I loved the camera work in the second film. It was noticeably better and more precise. The performances in this movie are pretty good. Obviously, Uma Thurman steals the show, giving not only a solid performance, but kicking major a**. She really did a good job. I assume she had a stunt actor do allot of her stunts, but man where they good stunts.

Not only does this film have a good story, but it has amazing action. It's fast, stylish, and bloody. The fights are so well choreographed, and I have to give credit to the geniuses behind the stunts. Keith Adams and Woo-ping Yuen did phenomenal jobs with the stunts. Every stunt was uniq and exciting. The fight scenes were choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping, and they were so amazing. Every sword fight was intense, every knife fight was nail bitting. You can tell the man behind the fights knows what he's doing.

"Kill Bill'' is a film that may put off allot of people, but it will please die hard Tarantino fans for sure. I think it may be his best film next to "Pulp''. It's definitely one of the most impressive action films ever made. It's well directed, beautifully shot, well written, features great performances, has thrilling action, and tells a fantastically engaging story.