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Kill Bill Vol. 2

Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Gordon Liu, Michael Parks, Perla Haney-Jardine

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Reviewed by Chris Ching

Kill Bill? More like Hurry Up And Kill The Bastard Already! As opposed to Vol. 1's relentless slice and dice slaughterfest, there's a noticeable lack of killing to the sequel (although to be fair the big fight scene here is just as good as anything from Vol.1). No, what Kill Bill Vol. 2 does have is talking- a lot of talking. The kind of pop culture laced, spiky tongue delivered presidential debate style Tarantino is so known for, and what was conspicuously absent in Kill Bill Vol.1. Did Quentin Tarantino make the right move in splitting his epic tale of revenge into two halves with hardcore action on one side and hardcore dialogue on the other?

Yes. Why?

If Tarantino had released just one Bill, we as an audience would have emerged from the theatre winded beyond repair if we were able to even stick around for the full four hours. Had he edited the footage into a tight , say...2 hour flick much of the Bill thrill would have been left on the cutting room floor like so many dead Crazy 88s. With the room to breathe between the two films, the Kill Bill saga is allowed an epic tone and not a pretentious one.

Does that mean Kill Bill Vol. 2 (and Vol. 1 for that matter) is perfect. Hell no! There are indeed times where Quentin's gift for movie gab verges on parody, and its frustrating to hear lines so profoundly spoken that offer so little resonance. Plus, Tarantino's delight in placing characters in situations completely out of step with the worlds they flamboyantly inhabit doesn't always ring true- the less said about Uma's cuddle with her daughter B.B. before killing Bill the better.

But I'm more than willing to push these small criticisms aside, because as one of the lone "filmmakers" in a sea of Hollywood hacks, Quentin Tarantino makes movies that are "alive" and in turn makes his audience feel "alive". Throughout KB2, I found myself with one of those huge dumbass grins I get when I'm in the presence of cinematic greatness. Even in its quieter moments, KB2 roars. If you're not laughing, you're wincing. If you're not cheering, you're being moved. In other words, you're alive as opposed to the detached voyeurism you'll find yourself succumbing to in most other movies.

KB2 finds the Bride about to make good on the claim to kill Bill, her former lover and crime boss who left her for dead. She'll have to contend with Bill's current flame Elle Driver (a wonderful Daryl Hannah) and brother Bud (the always watchable Michael Madsen). We also get a cool flashback to the Bride's training under Kung Fu master Pai Mei played by Gordon Liu star of the legendary Master Killer series. KB2 fills in all the gaps that left you wondering in Vol.1 and emerges as a love story albeit a uniquely f**ked up one.

Uma Thurman delivers the best female action performance since Sigourney Weaver in Aliens. Aside from her role in Pulp Fiction, Uma the actress has always been hard to relate to (being one of the most beautiful figures on the planet might have something to do with it). In the preview for Kill Bill Vol. 1, it was hard for me to accept her as a butt-kicker let alone a royal one, but she has totally risen to the challenge of not just playing a super hero (which even Bill points out she is) but a "human" super hero us little people can empathize with.

Equally impressive is Bill himself, David Carradine, who Tarantino plucked from straight to video hell for the role of a lifetime. Carradine has a soulfullness the part requires that original Bill Warren Beatty would have been hard pressed to deliver. It's also a kick to see Carradine playing a flute just like he did back in his Kung Fu days. He and Thurman have great chemistry together, and it's a testament to their acting gifts that you believe the love and hate they have for each other.

Still, the master of Kill Bill is Quentin Tarantino who pulls out every trick he's learned from chop sockey flicks, spaghetti westerns etc. in erecting the ultimate "A" B-Movie pastiche. Let's just hope he doesn't wait another eight years before delivering his next movie.

Rating:

(3 1/2 out of 4 stars)