by Anthony O'Connor
Worth: Discs: 4, The Film: 4.5/5, The Extras: 3.5/5, Overall: 8/10
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Cast:
Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Michael Parks, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Darryl Hannah, Gordon Liu, Sonny Chiba
Intro:
Iconic from its cast to its soundtrack to its absurdly over the top action …
The Films:
For those who are too young to remember, it’s hard to overstate the impact that Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004) had on the pop cultural zeitgeist. Certainly, writer/director Quentin Tarantino was an established, beloved filmmaker and Pulp Fiction was a smash hit, but his previous film Jackie Brown had been a more modest, quiet success. Jackie Brown was the film that made people understand that QT could do mature, character focused stories if he so desired. Kill Bill 1 + 2 on the other hand? That was the bloke showing he could blow the bloody doors off!
Kill Bill’s two volumes tell the story of Beatrix Kiddo aka The Bride (Uma Thurman) a former assassin-for-hire who, on the day of her wedding – when she’s deliriously happy and very pregnant – is shot in the head and left for dead by her former boss/beau Bill (David Carradine). Her ex co-workers, The Deadly Vipers, also massacre her fiance and wedding guests in a display of violence that would make George R. R. Martin blush. They made one mistake, however, they didn’t kill Beatrix and four years later, she wakes up in hospital with one thing on her mind: bloody revenge.
Typical of Tarantino’s oeuvre, Kill Bill‘s story is told in a non-linear fashion, skipping back and forth throughout the timeline and recontextualising earlier moments with later revelations. It makes for a gripping watch, particularly in the action-packed first movie, and feels like QT’s ode to the media of his youth: kung fu movies, samurai films, spaghetti westerns, blaxploitation flicks and Japanese anime. It’s a wild and wooly hodge podge of influences blended together through skillful direction and sharp writing. Yes, the whole thing is a ridiculous and over-the-top power fantasy, but the character beats feel authentic. This is especially true of the second volume, which is a more deliberately paced affair, featuring the sad life of Budd (Michael Madsen), a former Deadly Viper who now works as a bouncer for a strip club, and featuring a brutal and brilliant training sequence involving Pai Mei (Gordon Liu). Plus, there’s a certain martial arts technique that becomes especially useful in a tense, surreal sequence in a coffin that feels downright Fulci-esque.
The casting is generally great, with Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox and Darryl Hannah all doing superb work and a legion of smaller cameo roles making the most of their limited screentime. Sonny Chiba is particularly effective as retired master swordsmith, Hattori Hanzō. Also, Michael Parks has a hoot reprising his Ranger character Earl McGraw (last seen in Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn) in Vol 1 and portraying a wildly creepy, violent pimp Esteban Vihaio in Vol 2.
The general consensus of the films has always been that Vol 1 is the superior film, and it’s certainly the more streamlined, action-packed entry. However, viewing the pair of flicks 23 years later, the second part is a more mature, emotional entry and the ending cleverly subverts the expected bloodbath with something much more personal. That being said, Vol 2 does drag on a little, particularly in the final hour, but it’s undeniably evocative and a real acting showcase for Uma Thurman who gets to shine over and over again.
These aren’t perfect films, mind you. The usual Tarantinoisms are present – chonky monologues, dialogue that would likely upset your nan and multiple instances of bare tootsies getting suspiciously lengthy screentime – but there’s no denying how effective and engaging this yarn is. Ol’ mate bleeds cinema, and every frame of Kill Bill Vol 1 + 2 drips with care, texture and identity in a way that most films can only dream of attaining. Iconic from its cast to its soundtrack to its absurdly over the top action, Kill Bill Vol 1 + 2 are a great duo of flicks from a director at the height of his powers.
The Extras:
For such an impressively girthy collection, the extras contained are surprisingly light on and not exactly dripping with substance. There are zero audio commentaries, which is the norm for Quentin Tarantino releases, but remains a bummer. For a bloke who can natter on endlessly about matters cinematic (sometimes to his detriment, just quietly), QT is oddly coy about chiming in on his own releases.
There are two featurettes, The Making of Kill Bill and The Making of Kill Bill: Volume 2. Both under half an hour, these are perfectly fine, standard issue hype pieces made back in the day but there’s not much that superfans won’t already know.
The rest is a bit of a grab bag with musical performances from The 5,6,7,8’s and Chingon and a bunch of trailers. The best in show is the deleted scene “Damoe”, which is a surprisingly lengthy sequence where we properly see Bill in action, fighting the great Michael Jai White. It’s actually a bit of a hoot, although you can see why Tarantino would have cut it, being that Kill Bill Vol 2 is already a little on the hefty side.
Where this collection shines is in the physical extras. There are four full colour laminated one sheets and posters, a large full colour booklet featuring production stills from both films, six lobby cards and two hardcases that house all four discs. Oh, it’s worth noting, the gargantuan collection has a lenticular cover that morphs between the cover of Kill Bill Vol 1 and Vol 2, which is very exciting if you’re a massive dork like your humble scribe.
The Verdict:
Kill Bill Vol 1 + 2 remains some of Quentin Tarantino’s most visually arresting work. Sure, this duo of classics lacks the narrative heft of Jackie Brown or Inglourious Basterds, but in terms of a propulsive love letter to action cinema from across the world, this is hard to beat.
While the on-disc extras are a little disappointing, the gorgeous box and numerous physical goodies make this the premiere collection for hardcore fans of QT’s most kinetic cinematic offering. At least until Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair gets an inevitable 4K release down the line and we have to buy it all over again, that is.
