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>> KILL BILL VOL.2 (2004)

Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah and more ...
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Action & Adventure




kill bill vol. 2 is a movie that will surprise you. as a big fan of 2003's vol. 1, i was eager to see the final chapters of the total film, although i didn't quite manage to see it on its opening night.. but it's alright. after the film began, i was pretty much in complete shock during the entire viewing, shock in awe and admiration to tarantino's sense of direction. as fast, kenetic, and high energy as vol. 1 is, vol. 2 slows down the pace enourmously. i was told by friends who have seen it that this movie is not as good as the first one, but i beg to differ. i see the two volumes as one whole movie and it was just a best experience of moviegoing. on vol. 2, the pace slows down and so i expected exactly that. however, i think tarantino's decision to decelerate the second half of his "kill bill" opus was both necessary, and masterful. at the end of vol. 1, the audience learns that the bride's (uma thurman) daughter is still alive, while the bride has believed her to never have been born. this is a clever device which serves two purposes: it gives the audience a terrific cliff-hanger at the end of vol. 1, which i thought such a brilliant editing job, but it also sets an appropriate pace for vol. 2. not only do we now that the bride is on a collision course to finding out the truth about her daughter, but that there's no way she can prepare for said revelation. however, tarantino brilliantly gets both the audience and the bride ready for this confrontation through a more dramatic and heart-felt vol. 2 of his epic. by slowing the pace and theming of his second film, most of which takes place in the barren desert of the south-west united states as opposed to frenetic tokyo, japan of vol. 1, tarantino forces the bride, relax and take time to realize the path of revenge that she has chosen. in the end, it's an astonishing piece.

understanding tarantino's sense and style of direction and all the people that influenced him over the years, watching kill bill vol. 1 and vol. 2 is like watching a tribute to his all-time favorite movies. he manages to fit in all kinds of old and classic movies. from kungfu movies, old japanese movies, classic cowboy movies, from drama to sarcastic comedy and even romantic moments.. well, in his own way of delivering it. tarantino has also hung onto the things that made him such a celebrated new talent in the first place. one of the keys to what makes the director's style so incendiary is how his characters either discuss plain, everyday things in insane circumstances or speak of perfectly normal matters with the grim, clench-jawed light of madness in their eyes. both serve tarantino in good stead here, and the actors are able to take advantage of the bounty the writer-director has given them. vol. 2 may have a lower body count and lack the blood-soaked gloss of o-ren ishi's origin story and the showdown at the "teahouse of blue leaves", but don't be fooled: although the end of the bride's story may not pump spurting jets of gore, it's got a true and amazing heart.

although the conversation was a bit corny at some point, but it was a great addition to the movie. the part i love was when bill spoke of the mythology of "superman" and compared it to who the bride is. the pace of the movie really shows from how the conversation was taken place. and it was just how it was in the entire movie. when we were amazed by the great action scenes on vol. 1, vol. 2 offers the emotional part of the whole story, the real story behind the revenge and what makes the bride as how she has become. watching this movie should be considered both volumes as one whole movie. it was how tarantino meant it in the first place, only to find that during editing he cut out many good scenes, so he finally decided to make this movie in two volumes instead of one. and it was just a good decision.

tarantino's movies are about loss and betrayal, and "kill bill vol. 2" is a double-burger helping of those motifs. it is rich, substantial and sustained, yet also greasy kids' stuff, a wrapper filled with an extra large order of chili fries, stained with ketchup, salt and cheese.



>> rated by :: sLesTa | [ ]

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