Kill Bill: Vol. 1A quote often attributed to Confucius: "before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves"...in the case of "The Bride" (Uma Thurman) of Kill Bill: Vol. 1, that hardly seems like it will be enough. True, I subverted the message behind that quote, but then again, it's hardly an Old Klingon proverb. And also true is that this film also subverts many tropes inherent in the varied genres of movies filmmaker Quentin Tarantino blends together in the melting pot of his cinema, while simultaneously paying homage to their recognizable roots. More than simply an emulation of chop-socky splatter-fu, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 signs its harmony of pen and sword with its own samurai signature.
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Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is a tale of revenge, of a serious wrong committed by the shadowy antagonist and titled target, Bill (David Carradine)--along with the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad--against The Bride for reasons not yet made abundantly clear, but likely inferred by an attentive audience...that is if we can trust that The Bride is being completely honest in the opening aftermath of a wedding gone horribly wrong. "Opening aftermath?" That choice phrase is representative of the disjointed narrative in Tarantino's film, chopped like ultra-fresh sashimi and laid out in a presentation not in the interest of a linear story, but one which escalates in tone and pace, while reminding us of where we are going, but not as of yet how. Perhaps the idea behind the scrambled story is--in great filmmaking style--save the big finale for last, an bloody and stylish mass combat of yakuza in The House of Blue Leaves, katanas and bumblebee-yellow motorcycle racing gear, a nod to the great Bruce Lee in The Game of Death. "But then", you might say, "why not simply make O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) the second target, and make Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) the first target, as it happens in the film?" Well, I suspect that the mixed-up plot is something of a metaphor for the state of mind of The Bride. Although we have few moments which indicate that The Bride is not possessed of her senses--such as when she is in the throes of bloody combat with O-Ren's gang, the Crazy 88, and her vision dispenses with the gory blood by shifting to a black and white tone. She is in her "killing zone", and recalls a quote of Hattori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba), a reminder that a warrior must "suppress all human emotion and compassion" in their pursuit to triumph in combat. The Bride is so singular in her pursuit, that even time and place have no meaning as she seeks her retribution. Another quote by Hanzo describes revenge as "never a straight line...a forest...where it is easy to lose your way...to get lost...to forget where you came in". Likewise, Tarantino simulates that bewilderment by putting us in The Bride's shoes, tempting us to lose our way in the forest of revenge. And coming back to that quote about revenge not being a straight line, this is reinforced by the codenames of each of the members of the Assassination Squad, all after deadly snakes...and when was the last time you ever saw a snake slither in a straight line?
Even though the villains of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 come across as vicious killers, devoid of warmth or compassion, there is a lengthy animated sequence devoted to elucidating how O-Ren Ishii not only worked alongside her venomous compatriots to assassinate The Bride (or try, at least), but also shows us her childhood, and her baptism in blood, a victim of vicious crime at a very young age. The confrontation between The Bride and O-Ren is the climax of the film, but it is more significant because O-Ren represents a kind of dark half to The Bride, one who might have had an upbringing much like The Bride--or even other members of the Squad. O-Ren was put into a position where she could either allow herself to remain a victim of the yakuza who slew her parents, or she could stand up and take her revenge, rising to power and becoming an self-made woman as a result. When The Bride emerges from her coma to wreak vengeance upon those who attempted to destroy her, her own efforts share something in common with the self-motivated recovery and resurrection with O-Ren. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 allows for some of the more explanatory details to remain in the dark for now--what the greater significance of The Bride's East Asian-influenced link with Bill actually is, and why she seeks Hanzo to aid her in her quest against his former student, Bill, but we have enough visual cues to piece together the relationship. It is apparent that as a two-part film, we will have moments of resolution which will have to follow later, and that we may have to attend to a cliffhanger or two; but never is there a moment where I felt that I was simply being baited along, forced to wait for satisfaction until the sequel. And Kill Bill: Vol. 1 has a good share of knowing winks to other films in the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez universe, such as the presence of their favorite sheriff, Earl McGraw (Michael Parks), and even more subtle nods, such as to Pulp Fiction, when The Bride is assembling her death list, titled "Death List Five", after the pilot Uma Thurman's character in was to star in, called "Fox Force Five". The sense that Tarantino can create a unique and dynamic film from the reanimated parts of genres of film long since resigned to the ashcan is a consistent trait of the filmmaker, and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is no exception--a vibrant reawakening of a style of film long left comatose...much like The Bride.
Recommended for: Fans of fast-paced martial arts action with a sleek style and striking presentation, with dialogue as sharp as a Hattori Hanzo katana. Cinephiles of cult movies will find the their appetites sated with the buffet of nods to those films of yesteryear.
Even though the villains of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 come across as vicious killers, devoid of warmth or compassion, there is a lengthy animated sequence devoted to elucidating how O-Ren Ishii not only worked alongside her venomous compatriots to assassinate The Bride (or try, at least), but also shows us her childhood, and her baptism in blood, a victim of vicious crime at a very young age. The confrontation between The Bride and O-Ren is the climax of the film, but it is more significant because O-Ren represents a kind of dark half to The Bride, one who might have had an upbringing much like The Bride--or even other members of the Squad. O-Ren was put into a position where she could either allow herself to remain a victim of the yakuza who slew her parents, or she could stand up and take her revenge, rising to power and becoming an self-made woman as a result. When The Bride emerges from her coma to wreak vengeance upon those who attempted to destroy her, her own efforts share something in common with the self-motivated recovery and resurrection with O-Ren. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 allows for some of the more explanatory details to remain in the dark for now--what the greater significance of The Bride's East Asian-influenced link with Bill actually is, and why she seeks Hanzo to aid her in her quest against his former student, Bill, but we have enough visual cues to piece together the relationship. It is apparent that as a two-part film, we will have moments of resolution which will have to follow later, and that we may have to attend to a cliffhanger or two; but never is there a moment where I felt that I was simply being baited along, forced to wait for satisfaction until the sequel. And Kill Bill: Vol. 1 has a good share of knowing winks to other films in the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez universe, such as the presence of their favorite sheriff, Earl McGraw (Michael Parks), and even more subtle nods, such as to Pulp Fiction, when The Bride is assembling her death list, titled "Death List Five", after the pilot Uma Thurman's character in was to star in, called "Fox Force Five". The sense that Tarantino can create a unique and dynamic film from the reanimated parts of genres of film long since resigned to the ashcan is a consistent trait of the filmmaker, and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is no exception--a vibrant reawakening of a style of film long left comatose...much like The Bride.
Recommended for: Fans of fast-paced martial arts action with a sleek style and striking presentation, with dialogue as sharp as a Hattori Hanzo katana. Cinephiles of cult movies will find the their appetites sated with the buffet of nods to those films of yesteryear.