Film and Felt

Alas, Quentin Tarantino’s gargantuan ego has tainted a masterpiece. A top-notch editing job could’ve made Kill Bill one coherent gem, a perfect balance of action, odes, bloodspill, and chit-chat. Unfortunately, QT couldn’t bear to lose even a second of his precious revenge tale, and the finished product suffers from it. It’s the rare picture that deserves to be broken up, with The Lord of the Rings being the primary example. But for every LoTR, there are seven Matrix franchises, which collapsed under the weight of excessive expectations, shoddy screenwriting, and an overreliance on special effects. To place Kill Bill in the same spectrum as The Matrix Reloaded is of course absurd, but it’s important to realize just how great Kill Bill could have been with the proper treatment and someone to smack QT upside his head.

Before this carping goes too far, let me calm the nerves of the fawning KB fans: this won’t be a negative review. For the most part, Kill Bill succeeds brilliantly…which simply makes its flaws more infuriating. But, on to the film(s) themselves now. Volume 1 is a pure sugar-rush, an adrenaline-packed needle that injects wild fun into every conceivable vein. From the opening fight between The Bride (Uma Thurman) and Copperhead (Vivica A. Fox), we’re sucked into a vacuum of energy. That mood never really lets up, culminating in the snowy duel between The Bride and O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu). Throughout, Tarantino tosses in clever nods to the Kung-Fu flicks of the 70’s (among other things) while maintaining his trademark Pulp Fiction-esque vibe. There are decapitations, one-liners, and plenty of loose ends that leave us longing for Volume 2. At this point, the decision to cut Kill Bill into two parts doesn’t seem like a problem at all. We’re left counting down the days ’til Volume 2 (presumably just what Tarantino intended), and thirst to watch Volume 1 repeatedly (again, what QT desired). Volume 2 is pushed back a bit, probably to drive up the public’s desire even more.

Volume 2 gets off to a terrific start. Within the first 15 minutes, we have brilliant homages to Noir & Godard (Uma driving the car in black and white while speaking to the camera) and Westerns (the wedding chapel, with the tumbleweeds, spacious shots of isolation, and zooms on walking feet to set up confrontations). Though beautifully executed, the marriage rehearsal is the first sign that Volume 2 will be a different texture than Volume 1. Firstly, Bill makes his official debut, and it’s a talky one. He and The Bride converse for about five minutes about life, the past, the future. The massacre then occurs (if this spoils anything for anyone, they shouldn’t be reading this review), and we move on to the crux of Volume 2: Uma’s quest to finish off the rest of the Deadly Viper Assasination Squad - Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), Budd (Michael Madsen), and of course the elusive Bill himself. Important notice: I’m glad that Tarantino didn’t try to make Volume 2 a clone of Volume 1. Inevitably, the candy rush wouldn’t have been nearly as impressive a second time through. And QT does filter plenty of enthusiasm and kickass moments throughout. Highlights include the Bride’s dispatching of Elle, Budd’s demise (I’m somewhat mixed on this, but there’s no denying the coolness of the method and writing. The problem arises elsewhere, which I won’t ruin), and the Bride’s intense Kung-Fu training on the mountaintops, which is even snazzier (from a stylistic standpoint) than the mass genocide near the end of Volume 1. Unfortunately, the stretching of the story begins to rear its head as a major issue. A five-minute sequence in the bar where Budd now works adds nothing to the narrative or character arc. Nor does a meeting between the Bride and one of Bill’s many father figures. The primary offender, though, is the anti-climactic penultimate meeting between The Bride and Bill. This is what we’ve been waiting for! This will make everything else seem trivial and dull! And what do we get instead? A ten-minute discussion that sums up any plotholes (including The Bride’s real name, among other things), and then a one-minute ‘fight’ where Uma makes the title come true. One minute! Let’s not even discuss that anyone can guess just how it’ll happen about halfway through…it’s cool enough that it could’ve worked anyway with more flash. But Tarantino takes the passive route (something I never thought I’d say), and the film ends on a slightly sentimental (though it’s apparent QT is satirizing this to an extent, with the swelling score) and extremely deflating note.

Technically, Volume 2 is the equal of Volume 1. Tarantino shows the influences of Godard, Wong Kar-wai, and many others in his editing techniques, use of colors, montages, and camera placement. There’s a splendid split-screen moment between Elle and the Bride, and QT always seem to know just where to position the camera to capture drama at its peak. Unfortunately, for all of QT’s knowledge about how to edit, he has no concept of how much to edit. Kill Bill should’ve been one 165 minute opera, a delectable love poem to cinema that explores the femme fatale, the drive and changes that motherhood inspires, and pulpy entertainment in one delicious swoop. Instead, Tarantino’s bloated cockiness drag down a film that’s outstanding in so many areas (I haven’t even touched on Thurman’s dynamite work, or Carradine’s quietly chilling portrayal of the engimatic Bill). What could’ve been extraordinary simply winds up as very good…and it’s hard to not be disappointed by that, even when the final product winds up extremely entertaining. I certainly give Volume 2 a strong recommendation (and will buy it on DVD for sure), and advise my readers not to overreact to the numerous quibbles I have with the finished product. The strong points certainly outweigh them, but it’s difficult to shrug off a let-down.

© Gabe Leibowitz 2004