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Kill Bill Vol. 1
Kill Bill Vol. 1

The first half of Quentin Tanrantino's epic female revenge saga.

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Kill Bill Vol. 1: The Bride's Revenge

  • Dec 23, 2008
Rating:
+5
WARNING: This review contains spoilers!

Note: In my summary of the plot I have put the film's story into chronological order so that events unfold sequentially. This is not the order in which the events of the film are actually shown.

Quentin Tarantino (director of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) has often been called one of the most violence-obsessed filmmakers in America, a title that he would occasionally protest. Now we can see why he would have objected to it, he simply hadn't earned that honor yet. But let it be known to all that Quentin Tarantino, or Q.T. as he sometimes refers to himself, is now an official auteur of the action film. His bloody kung fu saga, Kill Bill, is proof of this. Here he pays homage to his favorite exploitation films of the `70s and `80s with the giddy enthusiasm of a teenaged fanboy.
Kill Bill Vol. 1

Kill Bill Vol. 1 tells the story of The Bride, a former assassin with the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DiVAS), who is brutally attacked and left for dead during her wedding rehearsal by her ex boss/lover Bill. The Bride loses everything and everyone she cares about including her husband-to-be, her friends and her unborn child. After being shot in the head by Bill himself, The Bride sinks into a coma and awakens four whole years later. While she was comatose a hospital nurse sold her body to perverts who would have sex with her. On the day of her resurrection she kills the nurse and the creep who paid to have his way with her, thus beginning a cycle of cold bloody revenge. Her targets: Bill and every one of the Deadly Vipers. Her goal: Kill `em all. Her mission begins with a trip to Japan where she asks the legendary sword maker, Hattori Hanzo, to give her "Japanese steel". He refuses saying that he no longer makes instruments of death but when she explains that only his swords are up to the task of killing Bill, who was once Hanzo's student therefore making him partially responsible for Bill's wicked deeds, then he agrees to make her his finest sword, a katana with no equal. He also warns her that before her journey for revenge can begin that she must be sure that she will not falter no matter what. The Bride then leaves with her new weapon and prepares for an epic battle with O-Ren Ishii, a half Japanese, half Chinese, Asian American who's become the leader of a powerful yakuza crime syndicate.
When O-Ren was just a young girl she witnessed the horrible murders of her father and mother and she vowed revenge. At the age of twelve she fulfilled her desire for blood when she slew the man responsible. She quickly became one of the youngest and deadliest assassins in the world, which is why Bill took her under his wing.
After an amazing showdown with O-Ren and her sword-wielding gang, The Bride hunts down #2 on her list of people to kill, Vernita Green. The Bride and Vernita engage in vicious hand-to-hand combat (with a brief intermission when Vernita's young daughter comes home from school) before Vernita meets her doom before the eyes of her young daughter. But things are never as simple as they seem and "Revenge is never a straight line." While The Bride continues on her journey to kill Bill, we learn of a secret that may be her undoing: her daughter, the child that she believed to be dead when she was assaulted on the day of her wedding rehearsal four years earlier, is still alive and living with her daddy, Bill.


Some Tarantino fans have complained that this film is a departure from his dialogue-driven serio-comedies about charismatic criminals and lowlifes, but even as this is true Kill Bill is a definitive Tarantino film. Darkly humorous, graphically violent and as irreverent as always, his films polarize, provoke, and entertain audiences, which is why Kill Bill is quintessentially Quentin.

The film is rounded out by a terrifically diverse cast including Uma Thurman as The Bride, Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii, Vivica A. Fox as Vernita Green, Michael Madsen as Budd, Daryl Hannah as Elle Driver, David Carradine as Bill, and Sonny Chiba as Hattori Hanzo.

The DVD is a must-have for Tarantino fans, however be warned that a more elaborate DVD release may be on the way. Special features include the "Making of Kill Bill" featurette, two musical performances by the 5,6,7,8s and trailers for Tarantino's other films.

The Bloody Bride
Kill Bill Vol. 1 DVD

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May 04, 2010
YEAH man LOVE this film, both of them are excellent, I am a huge QT fan.
May 04, 2010
Yeah, I think that these two films really showed him at his peak. I wish he would break out of his comfort zone a bit more though.
 
September 10, 2009
I see you already have this data point-review. May jusy join you...nice review!
September 10, 2009
Thanks man, but didn't you read it already on Amazon? Anyhow, as soon as "The Whole Bloody Affair" hits DVD in the U.S., I'm doing my "long as hell" write-up, which I'm looking forward to. Still have to see "Inglourious Basterds". I may try to make it this weekend... again.
September 11, 2009
I did read this review in ammie when you first posted it, but I wanted to look into the data point and see who was already around. :-) I think you may like (not love) Inglourious Basterds...
 
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More Kill Bill Vol. 1 reviews
review by . September 26, 2010
posted in Movie Hype
I would have to hesitate in calling any movie perfect, but if I were forced to pick one example of a flick that was near perfect for me, it would have to be Kill Bill Vol.'s 1&2.  These two films (well really one cut in half) embody everything that I love in a movie going experience; it's amazingly stylistic, there's a ton of action, there's plenty of plot and character development, it's gory and exploitative, yet light and silly at times, it's story is well versed …
Quick Tip by . October 09, 2010
posted in Movie Hype
Has a very curious, very neat feel, like a cross between lots of different genres, and it works great.
Quick Tip by . July 24, 2010
posted in Movie Hype
First half of Tarantino's homage to spaghetti westerns and chop socky movies has Volume 1 carrying the action and literal buckets of blood with a woman on a quest for revenge. Lacks Tarantino's dialouge, but saves it for Vol 2.
Quick Tip by . July 26, 2010
posted in Movie Hype
I like the chapter format of Tanrantino's, it allows him to entertain a much more faceted story. Kill Bill is one of the easiest film through which to initiate new fans to his work.
Quick Tip by . July 22, 2010
posted in Movie Hype
Leave it to Tarantino to make the sexiest fighters in filmography - Vivica A, Fox, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah and Uma Thurman are to die for.
Quick Tip by . July 20, 2010
posted in Movie Hype
The sleek and remarkable plot thrusts you straight into a tale of revenge and endurance. Every second means something.
Quick Tip by . June 26, 2010
posted in Movie Hype
My boyfriend told me I reminded him of Uma Thurman (I don't look like her, but whatever) and it was the best compliment I've ever gotten. I just rewatched these movie, and oh wow. I just love them to pieces. I think I like the second part better, but the whole thing get an A+.
Quick Tip by . June 26, 2010
Tarantino's best- the mix of a western, a japnese comic book drama, and a dark comedy. It all comes together.
Quick Tip by . June 23, 2010
Love it!
Quick Tip by . June 21, 2010
Love this!
see all Kill Bill Vol. 1 reviews (18)
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About this movie

Wiki

Starring Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Writer:  Quentin Tarantino
2003

Product Description
The acclaimed fourth film from groundbreaking writer and director Quentin Tarantino (PULP FICTION, JACKIE BROWN), KILL BILL VOLUME 1 stars Uma Thurman (PULP FICTION), Lucy Liu (CHARLIE'S ANGELS, CHICAGO), and Vivica A. Fox (TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME) in an astonishing, action-packed thriller about brutal betrayal and an epic vendetta! Four years after taking a bullet in the head at her own wedding, The Bride (Thurman) emerges from a coma and decides it's time for payback ... with a vengeance! Having been gunned down by her former boss (David Carradine) and his deadly squad of international assassins, it's a kill-or-be-killed fight she didn't start but is determined to finish! Loaded with explosive action and outrageous humor, it's a must-see motion picture event that has critics everywhere raving!
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Tags

Movies, Drama Movies, Action Movies, Action, Adventure, Animated Movies, Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill
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Details

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Action, Drama, Western, Animation, Adventure
Release Date: October 10, 2003
MPAA Rating: R
Screen Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Runtime: 1hr 47min
Studio: Miramax Films, A Band Apart
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