Review of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) by Cale B — 18 Feb 2014

It seems lately, I've been getting to a lot of the movies I've been meaning to watch but never got to. I think everybody has that handful of movies (in my case a long ass list) of movies that they want to see or should see but put off for no reason. I'm not sure why, but Kill Bill has been one of them. Vol 1 and 2 we're movies that I had pretty much seen every scene from when flipping through channels on TV. Even though I've seen pretty much 90% of the movie in a puzzled order through many cable rampages, I felt I had seen it pretty much. At this point, I didn't think I had really watched it, so I decided to watch Kill Bill Vol 1. from start to finish for once. Seriously, this one is like one of those fuckin' movies that you always want to cross off on your list but just never do. I gotta say it feels good to finally give it a long awaited visit.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold.".

It's black and white, and 'The Bride' is blood spattered, lying limp on the ground. Bill tries putting a bullet in the brides head to end things one last time. After Bill leaves, he and his squad members figure the Bride and her unborn baby, are both dead. Months later, The Bride awakens in a hospital, panicked and emotionally destroyed that she is alive, without her baby. Once everything has come back to her, and she realizes what happens, The Bride sets out on a journey to exact bloody, murderous, revenge on all the people who were involved in her botched wedding assassination.

The whole concept is pretty insane. There is no point in questioning or scoffing at the ridiculous scenario, because it's not meant to be meaningful cinema. It's meant to be gutsy, fast paced, stylized violence, on a bloody, burning, silver screen. It's an intricately painted homage to spaghetti westerns, old samurai movies, and even kung-fu. Kill Bill is just about the goriest love letter ever crafted, and nobody can do that like Quentin Tarantino.

Really, Kill Bill is just plain fun. There's no depth to it (atleast Vol. 1). It's just a protagonist, some antagonists, and a thoroughly examined motive. The killing begins instantly, without explanation. From here, we're curious as to why The Bride is so blood thirsty and driven. Tarantino hooks us in here, and begins to tell the origins of The Brides enemies, as her revenge plan unfolds. It's interesting in the way its told and visually eye popping, but there is no story here to right home about. It's old fashioned action, and it's obvious from the get go. Kill Bill doesn't try to be anything other than what it is. It's self awareness is probably the most important trait it has in being a good movie. Tarantino does this all too well.

Considering I've seen all of Tarantino's stuff besides Jackie Brown and Kill Bill Vol. 2, I think this is the most violent of all his stuff. All his stuff is pretty ultra-violent, but Kill Bill defines it. It's not disturbing in any way really, but more so campy. The kind of blood and guts that makes you smirk at how silly it is, as the fight scenes play out like well choreographed dance. Kill Bill is all visual, and doesn't really depend on Tarantino's signature dialogue. It's there, but only in snippets really. Kill Bill lacks that conversational depth of Tarantino's other movies, but it really doesn't need it. It's not that kind of movie, it's just good old fashion revenge.

Blood and guts galore, Kill Bill features one of Tarantino's best characters, in a ridiculous story made so damn entertaining by it's highy stylized violence.