Review of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) by Noah Abraham G — 31 Mar 2013

I don't think there's such a thing as a perfect film... but damn, this movie comes close. "Kill Bill: Volume 1" is really one half of an epic revenge film (and yes, I do mean "epic") that I had the good fortune to catch all four hours of over the past weekend. Instantly, it became one of my favorite films, entering my top ten the second I finished it.

The film starts with a stark black-and-white scene where the Bride (Uma Thurman) talks to an unseen Bill (David Carradine) as he wipes blood from her face. The scene ends with Bill putting a bullet in her head.

She survives, miraculously, and is comatose. Bill refuses to kill her in her sleep, much to the chagrin of Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah). She awakes four years later, and she goes off on a revenge spree- not just for her, but for her friends, and for the unborn child she's lost.

The first action scene in the film is the second chronologically, once again utilizing Tarantino's trademark storytelling style. It doesn't make too much sense at first, but as the film progresses, it's easy to see why.

Story wise, it makes sense for the Bride to find O-Ren Ishii first. She's the head of the mobs of Japan; she wouldn't be too hard to find when compared to stay-at-home mom Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), but how disappointing would it be to see the relatively tame fight at her home after...

Well, I have to get into spoilers here, but do you care? You shouldn't. There's a sequel- it should be obvious the Bride lives. We don't watch to see IF she gets her revenge- but how.

Anyhow, the plot. We see the Bride, no longer hospitalized and four years after she got shot. She's here for Vernita Green. The two have an intense fight, destroying the living room until something makes them stop- I won't spoil it. The joke is too good.

Regardless, the two have a conversation. Not one of Tarantino's best- that comes later. The film opens on a good note, but it makes sense that her second revenge should be her first.

Dramatically, it only makes sense to put Vernita Green second. But the other three confrontations are just too good. The scene with Vernita is easily the weakest- and yet it's still really damn good!

That's the magic of Kill Bill, my friends. Even the stuff that doesn't work as well still works really well.