Review of Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) by Lloyd H — 06 Feb 2013

Kill Bill Vol. 2 substitutes mindless action for character driven performances. Second time around the script is stronger and Tarantino's usual pointless but interesting dialogue is truer to form. With moments of inevitable exploited violence and shockingly unsettling set pieces, Vol. 2 features everything you could want and expect of a Quentin Tarantino movie.

Uma Thurman continues her strong performance as 'The Bride' satisfyingly as she carries on her revengeful killing spree which inevitably leads to Bill. Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah make up for the understated and forgetful performances of the first installment. Its great to see Michael Madsen back to rare form and I thoroughly enjoyed his controversial performance as Budd. There a good bit part performances from Gordon Liu and Larry Bishop also.

David Carradine steals the show in the titular role of Bill. He's one of my favourite of Tarantino's character creations and his dialogue is the best written in the two part series. In every Tarantino film there's a stand out casting gem, who doesn't necessarily receive the plaudits but turns out to be something of an unsung hero. In the case of Kill Bill, the casting gem is without a doubt David Carradine.

The end sequence of the film is a crowd pleaser and the film ends as expected. Bill gets killed. Obviously. The action sequences are entertaining, but bar the climax everything else is pretty forgettable when compared to Vol. 1. Both films a very different and as one piece are arguably unbalanced. Vol. 1 is the most entertaining, whilst Vol. 2 is the most interesting.

As one piece I believe Kill Bill would of been much more successful. It would need shortening as combined its a four hour plus story, but there's more than enough footage that could be cut that wouldn't affect or weaken the concept. I suppose two films is twice as much fun, but I'd prefer to watch one three hour piece and be done with it as apposed to two unbalanced and very different parts. Regardless, Vol. 2 as an individual piece is typical Tarantino and despite the occasional pacing issues, the scripting and performances carry the film brilliantly.