October 10, 2003
'Kill Bill: Vol. 1' a Pure Adrenaline Rush
I just got back from seeing Quentin Tarentino's latest film, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, and I'm still soaked with sweat. Virtually from start to finish, this movie keeps your pulse pounding, your eyes riveted, and your gag reflex on the verge of participation. The main stars of the film are Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Darryl Hannah, Vivica Fox, and an as-yet-unseen David Carradine (yes, Grasshopper).
Be warned, this is no movie for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. More limbs are lost and pints of blood are spilled than perhaps even in Saving Private Ryan. Tarentino thankfully moves the violence beyond the disturbing into the comically surreal, somewhat through the artful choreography, but primarily through sheer volume.
To be honest, I've never been a huge Uma Thurman fan, but this movie has revealed her (to me, at least) as a really talented actress. The angst and pain, both physical and emotional, of her character are portrayed with amazing depth. The other (few) supporting actors are all well-cast, of course.
The real treats of the movie, however, are Tarentino's special talent for telling off-beat stories and the action choreography. The fight scenes are more mature than anything in the Matrix series, and approach the beauty of those in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (note I said approach, not match).
All in all, I enjoyed this movie a lot. My rating: 9/10. RottenTomatoes.com has it at an 80% (Fresh). Surprisingly enough, as of me writing this, less than five IMDB viewers had rated the movie (I cast my vote of '9').
Oh, and yes, this is only volume 1...the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say, comes to us in February. I can hardly wait...
Posted by Craig | PermalinkI just LOVE Tarantino films, and I'm glad to see this is a thumbs-up review, after the critical and popular downdraft of "Jackie Brown". This is going to be fun....
Posted by Sam at October 11, 2003 11:28 AMUltra violence, ultra profanity. I can't remember when I've seen so much spurting blood. I guess that's one way to cure high blood pressure. I'm still in shock after seeing this movie. Can't wait for vol II.
Posted by Brian at October 13, 2003 10:50 AMI am DYING to see this film but just haven't been able to sneak away. For the fortunate viewers, do you think Tarentino made the right decision to split the film or should have have gone forward with the originally planned 3-hour epic?
And I liked "Jackie Brown". I even have on off-region DVD of it.
Posted by Mitch at October 16, 2003 09:27 AMFrom what I've read, it wasn't exactly Tarentino's decision to split it into two movies -- the studio (Miramax) told him to and he saw more reasons to split it than to keep it a single, compromised 3-hour movie. There's a fairly good interview where he discusses this at http://www.ifilm.com/filmdetail?ifilmid=2454203&movie=/?fid=2477214&mt=asf&bw=56&refsite=1781 -- select "Quentin Tarantino Extended Interview"
Posted by Craig at October 16, 2003 06:52 PMGot to see KBV1 last Saturday and loved it as I expected. This is one of those rare films that makes me giggle at inappropriate moments. The cinematography was first rate and the soundtrack is to die for. My biggest disappointment was the death of Go Go Yubari. That hurt almost as much as the death of Darth Maul. Characters like that are so rare and they never live long enough!
Posted by Mitch at October 21, 2003 04:07 PManyone know quentin tarentinos email or mailing address? email me please @ Peachyoo1@aol.com or ZiPA_83@yahoo.com/ Thanks
Posted by Laura at March 17, 2004 02:06 AMI'll ask him when he comes over to shoot tequila this weekend. ;-)
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