Kill Bill Volume 2
Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino
136 minutes
Rated R
When we last saw the Bride (Uma Thurman), she had sliced and diced away a small army of Yakuza on her road to revenge against her treacherous former boss, Bill (David Carradine). Now she’s back to strike off the remaining names on her death list in Kill Bill Vol. 2.
As you’ve probably heard, the two segments were originally intended to be one movie, but were split to preserve the content and reduce the time audiences had to sit in theatres (I’m sure the desire to collect a payout from two screenings wasn’t unattractive either). Oddly enough, Vol. 2 actually feels like an entirely different flick than Vol. 1 in many ways ― almost like the difference between Aliens and Alien.
Vol. 1 was flashier, with an animated sequence, lengthy martial arts battles and so much violence that you’d have to turn it down a notch to call it “over the top.” Every time a sword touched a body, there would be a geyser of blood big enough to make Old Faithful look like a water fountain.
Vol. 2, on the other hand, is a little more restrained in a meat-and-potatoes kind of way. It’s about as restrained as Tarantino can probably get. Whereas Vol. 1 wasted little time in getting the action started, Vol. 2 is more deliberate, preferring to creep up on you before it suddenly sticks the knife in your belly. It leads to slower, more suspenseful scenes, such as Chapter 8: The Lonely Grave of Paula Schultz, which is reminiscent of scenes in other Tarantino movies, particularly the ones the make you squirm (“Stuck in the middle with you….”). Vol. 2 still has plenty of the Tarantino frenzy as he pays tribute to old kung-fu films and spaghetti westerns. But he tones down the wild martial arts fights to get in more of his recognizable style than the previous instalment.
Happily, the slower pace means more character development. In particular, we learn more about the relationship between Bill and the Bride, and more of the Bride’s background. We see the Bride’s training sessions with the very harsh master Pai Mai (Chinese action star Gordon Liu) in another funny pastiche of old chop-socky movies. For those who were left wondering where the trademark Tarantino dialogue was in the Vol. 1, it’s definitely present in Vol. 2. Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) gives an informative lecture on Black Mamba snakes, and the titular character has an insightful analysis of the character of Superman. Vol. 1 really didn’t take much time in between bloodbaths to have quotable conversations about hamburgers or classic ’70s rock, like previous Tarantino flicks. But in Vol. 2 there’s much more to work with.
Vol.2 also includes more distinct Tarantino-esque scenes for fanatics to enjoy. Michael Madsen’s role as Budd could give his Reservoir Dogs’s character a run for his money in the sadism department. Whether or not he succeeds depends on whether you’re phobic about straight razors or confined spaces. We even get a very amusing standoff that turns into one of the weirdest ever committed to celluloid.
So did it really need to be two parts? Well, the answer is “probably.” A few scenes from Vol. 2 could use a little trimming, but it could easily be argued the opposite. There is enough quality material to justify the two-part series. It’s also true that Vol. 2 works on its own. I saw it with a person who had not seen Vol. 1, and he said he still enjoyed it as a standalone movie, with no problems following the plot. My only real criticism of this series is that both instalments should have had a more balanced mix of action and character development.
But overall, this movie is worth seeing. With stylish fights and agonizing suspense, David Carradine reminds us that he can act, and even with some surprisingly touching moments. Kill Bill Vol. 2 is an entertaining and satisfying finish. But, there is still lots of room for a Vol. 3 and a few unanswered questions for Tarantino fanatics to mull over after they’re done trying to figure out if Marcellus Wallace’s soul was in that briefcase.
