"Kill Bill: Vol. 2"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) STARRING Uma Thurman as THE BRIDE Lucy Liu as O-REN ISHII Vivica A. Fox as VERNITA GREEN Darryl Hannah as ELLE DRIVER Michael Madsen as BUDD David Carradine as BILL Rated R Studio: Miramax Directed by: Quentin Tarantino Back to DVD Review Home |
 |
There’s an old saying in Hollywood that you’re only as good as your last movie. If anything, Quentin Tarantino has used this to keep on top in the industry. Before “Kill Bill,” his last movie was 1997’s “Jackie Brown.” Notwithstanding his producing efforts (most notably the upcoming “Hero” and his direct-to-video releases of films like “Switchblade Sisters”), a casual Tarantino fan like myself can’t help but wonder if we’ll have to wait another six or seven years for his next flick.
And a big question in my mind is whether that will be “The 5th Film by Quentin Tarantino” or “The 6th...”
I remember when the first volume of “Kill Bill” came out last October. There was a lot of hubbub about the movie being cut in half. The scuttlebutt was that this was the Weinsteins’ doing because they didn’t want to release a four-hour martial arts film. Tarantino went along with the plan, but there was still some desire to release the film in its entirety, as it was in Japan.
Now, if you listen to what Tarantino has to say on the DVD of “Kill Bill: Vol. 2,” he fully supports the cleaving of his film. (I wonder if he would have been so gung-ho if the film had not performed as well as it had.) To his credit, Tarantino is spot-on when he talks about Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 being entirely different films. Vol. 1 gave us much of the background and mythology of these killers. It laid the ground work so in Vol. 2 we know how rare a Hanzo sword is and who the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad is.
But most importantly, the style of the two films are entirely different. The first is heavy on the action and light on the dialogue. This bit Tarantino in the butt a bit since he’s adored for his dialogue. But Vol. 2 is almost nothing but dialogue. Sure, there’s a climactic battle between The Bride (Uma Thurman) and Elle Driver (Darryl Hannah), but that’s about it. Even The Bride’s final confrontation with Bill (David Carradine) is mostly talking.
Oddly, the films are so different from one another it makes me wonder when the decision was made to cut it in half. Or had Tarantino purposely composed the film to have a first half with more action than a second? Add to the fact that Bill is first revealed at the start of the second movie, and it really appears to be a motivated decision.
“Kill Bill Vol. 2” takes up where “Kill Bill Vol. 1” left off. The Bride, whose wedding party was slaughtered by the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad at the rehearsal, is seeking revenge. After waking from a four year coma, The Bride starts hunting down the members of the squad. She’s already killed O Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) and Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox). Now, she’s after Budd (Michael Madsen), Elle Driver and - saving the best for last - Bill.
I was pretty excited for the Vol. 2 release mainly because I wanted to see the movies back-to-back. Sure, you could rent the first one and then see the second in the theatres, but it wasn’t the same as watching the entire four-hour saga.
In its initial release, I came off a bit cold from Vol. 2. I felt it ran long - way too long. The dialogue was well scripted, but there were so many calm, intimate pauses that it dragged the movie down. In my viewing of the film on DVD, I have to admit, it still drags a bit. David Carradine does an excellent job as Bill, but the editing could have been tighter to take out so many pregnant pauses.
However, taken with its first half, “Kill Bill: Vol. 2” wins some more points. Back-to-back, I can appreciate their differences and their respective styles. The entire “Kill Bill” film, sans the “Vol.” labels, is better than either part alone. It actually achieves the full Tarantino style of making a novel for the silver screen.
The DVD itself is a bit lean - about as lean as “Vol. 1.” There is a deleted scene, which is pretty funny in its own right. Although it was have been too campy for the final film, this battle between Bill and an old nemesis (Michael Jai White) makes a great stand-alone short film. Aside from this deleted scene, you’re left with a behind-the-scenes featurette and a live performance by Robert Rodreguiz’s CHINGON band, featuring the music he composed for the film.
I still contend that it’s only a matter of time before the “Kill Bill Deluxe Edition,” “Kill Bill Special Edition” or “Kill Bill Give-Us-More-Money Edition” comes out with the entire 4-hour film and loaded to bear with extra features. Save your money for Christmas, Tarantino fans!
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound. Widescreen (2.35:1), enhance for 16x9 televisions. French language track; Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Traditional Chinese subtitles; English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
