Kill Bill, Volume 2 (2004)

 revenge is best served cold
I love this movie and I was very happy to find it with this seller. I am very pleased. April 27, 2008

 taking cr*p so seriously
And I just feel like laughing at it. KILL BILL. Short simple amusing little title for such a long drawn out oddly serious film. So long in fact that it had to be chopped in two, as we all know. Looking at separate pieces I see nothing to gripe about whatsoever. Most every scene seems perfect. Taken as a whole, I find an overly self-serious, bloated, pretentious film. IMHO, KILL BILL would have benefitted greatly as one film under 2 hours and done more as a comedy rather than a revenge drama.

I guess I wanted a revenge comedy. Or a revenge dramadey. And maybe a little bit more focus on just telling this story instead of on what the project was really about, which was a grand tribute to various genres the director grew on. I like trash, and I like art, but I like my trash best when there is no confusing it with anything other than what it is. I don't have as much love for the cr*p as Tarantino. But who really does? That guy is a mutant, a real life "Cable Guy" that spent his entire youth in a movie theater. So maybe that's why I lack a little bit of appreciation for this homage to cr*p. Don't mean to offend the faithful here. Tarantino is still the man, although I wish he'd quit talking so damn much and work more --I mean, have you ever seen someone as brilliant at self promotion? KILL BILL was six long years after what was that film? And what's he up to now? (I'll look online in a minute.) I still think it's great though, but not as fun (for lack of a better term) as I personally would have preferred. Your maybe thinking, what the hell are you talking about? I mean, I wanted to laugh my a-- off with this one. I wanted BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA sillyness. But that's just my 2 cents.
Some highlights from Volume 2:
Pai Mei is my favorite character. Michael Madsen gave an Oscar worthy performance as Bud, Bill's brother. Great performances all around. Great soundtrack as always. Visually just a gorgeous picture.
From Volume 1:
The anime and watching hundreds of Japanese chodes having their limbs removed. April 3, 2008

 good sequel
This is a really good sequel. It has lots of action and answers questions not answered in part I. March 22, 2008

 Five Star (Exploding Heart Technique)
The Good Things
*Some good action and fighting.
*Some good visuals. Still a smooth and clear picture.
*Still a good story, with a very good conclusion. Also fills in lots of gaps from the first film.
*Still an excellent group of characters that you can relate to. It is especially interesting to see Bill for the first time.
*Dialogue is strong and interesting.
*More interesting music.
*Lots of homage to westerns, kung fu, and anime. These elements are blended together to make a very unique picture.

The Bad Things
*It's longer and there's much less action.
*Still has some absurd, unrealistic parts (but this can be a good thing, because it makes the film stylish and fun).

This is a definate must-see for anybody who has seen the first film. All of the missing story elements are present, and brings everything into clarity. The conclusion is excellent (even if there is no fighting). I don't think this is as stylish or exciting as the first film, but it is definately worthwhile to see the complete story. March 18, 2008

 ROUND TWO
I loved the movie KILL BILL VOLUME 1. I thought it was not only a great tribute to the films that director Quentin Tarantino loved seeing in those grind houses long ago, but a fantastic action film in its own right. And now the final chapter in the story (so far), the second film reaches screens around the world. And...it is different.

Suffice to say that if you walk into this film expecting the first, you will be terribly disappointed. The gore fest bloodshed has toned down, the massive amounts of swordplay, gone. Instead we find a more philosophical Tarantino film, a movie more about wordplay than swordplay. And while taken aback by it at first, I found that the more I thought about it the better it was.

Having finished off the first two targets on her list, The Bride (as Uma Thurman's character is known so far) sets out to finish the job she started. The film opens with her making this statement and then flashing back in this chapter to what brought it all about, the massacre that we witnessed in the first film and why it came to be.

We discover that she was the love of Bill's (David Carradine) life and that he was torn apart by her leaving him. So much so that he made the decision that if he couldn't have her no one could. He refused to let her leave the ranks of the assassination squad he had formed. At least we think this for now.

With each chapter we are given more information as we discover who it was that trained the Bride. It was Bill's former master, Wei Ping (Gordon Liu). He takes on the task of training the Bride, something that comes in handy later on when she finds herself buried alive by Bud (Michael Madsen) after she attacks him.

Bud, who we discover is Bill's brother, is down on his luck, working as a bouncer in a low class strip joint in El Paso. Having spoken with Bill already, he is waiting for Uma. Thinking he has done her in, he contacts Elle (Daryl Hannah) to sell of her sword. But Elle has different plans for Bud. And Uma has plans for her.

A face off between Elle (Daryl Hannah) and the bride occurs in Bud's trailer. The swords fly and the movements are swift while confined to the small space of the trailer. But a winner emerges. By death? We are left to figure that out on our own.

And finally, Uma heads out for a contact that will put her in touch with Bill. The final confrontation, begun with the release of the first film, unfolds. Not only that, but the surprise that Bill has in store for Uma as well. And as the surprises are revealed, conversation between these two combatants unfold the entire story that we have only been given portions of to date.

Tarantino took much flack with the first film in that the dialogue that he is noted for was kept to a minimum while the action took the forefront. Critics blasted him for this. He has stated that the film wasn't complete with that one and keeping that in mind while watching makes the film a better experience for the viewer. When he finished, he realized that he could not release the entire picture without it being a 4 hour opus. Instead, he cut it in two and released the stories separately making them unite as a whole. Keep this in mind while watching and it makes a difference.

The acting in this film is wonderful, especially from David Carradine. Though never quite a fan of his, he does a great job here as Bill, offering his philosophies on life and love and the results of the same. Michael Madsen is underused but does a great job with what little time he has onscreen. And Hannah makes one of the meanest villains on screen in some time.

But the role of the Bride (whose name is revealed finally....but don't expect me to give it here) as played by Thurman is what makes this film. It is not only the emotions that she must convey, but the physical aspects of it and delivery of dialogue in a way that makes it all believable. And Thurman does each one of these with an ease never seen before.

KILL BILL VOLUME 2 is a good movie and an entertaining experience. See part one on DVD before watching this though and take it in as a whole film. Those who do will find more rewards than those who see it as two different films.

March 15, 2008

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