For almost 2 months there was a link on MSN that said Kill Bill :
At that time it made me think that if a guy has apologised in public, then why are people still after him to the extent of killing him !! The cigar incident was bad, but then Bill Clinton certainly doesn't deserve to be killed for that !! Has he now done something even worse that people are after his life ??
-This was my knowledge about the movie 2 months ago.
The director of Kill Bill was even more baffling. People kept referring to the director as QT. And I used to think that QT was some chemical formula or a code like T2. :-)
- I felt very ignorant about it all !!
Then I got my break !! I found out that QT was short for Quentin Tarantino and the guy had made some movies [3 in all]. One of them was Pulp Fiction. The interesting thing about Pulp Fiction is that the name of the movie got me very interested to watch the movie (and I am also a big fan of Uma Thurman) !! Whenever I knew this movie was being shown, I immediately made it a point to see the movie and each time I missed a major part of the movie. I always ended up seeing the part where Uma gets stoned. At other times when I saw Bruce Willis in the movie, I thought that I was watching another movie altogether !! It was when I read J(e)DI's (MS id) revu on Pulp Fiction that I realised how to watch the movie !!
- I was impressed by QT's direction !! He is the Screenwriter and Director of Kill Bill.
Uma is an ex-member of DiVAS (Deadly Viper Assassination Squad) headed by Bill. On her wedding day she is left to die with a bullet in her head when she is pregnant with Bill's child. She comes out of coma 4 years later and hunts down the people responsible for her state and ticks them off one by one. Not quite an original plot.
The cast comprises of
UMA THURMAN - ''The Bride'' a.k.a. Black Mamba
LUCY LIU - O-Ren Ishii a.k.a. Cottonmouth
DARYL HANNAH - Elle Driver a.k.a. Mountain Snake [not sure of this]
VIVICA A. FOX - Vernita Green a.k.a. Copperhead
MICHAEL PARKS - Sheriff
SONNY CHIBA - Hattori Hanzo (the sword maker)
CHIAKI KURIYAMA - Go Go Yubari
JULIE DREYFUS - Sofi Fatale
GORDON LIU - Johnny Mo
JUN KUNIMURA - Boss Tanaka
KAZUKU KITAMURA - Boss Koji
AKAJI MARO - Boss Ozawa
Uma Thurman excels as the ''wronged'' bride thirsty for revenge !! I was impressed with the way she has performed the martial art action scenes in the movie. I cannot forget the placid, blue eyes with which she weighs in her opponents and anticipates every move from them and counters it !! So full of seething fury, yet not a trace of emotion revealed in those lovely eyes !! She looks absolutely stunning in the yellow bike suit !!
Chiaki Kuriyama also makes quite an impression as the psychopathic teenage girl Go Go Yubari. She almost gets Uma in a one-to-one fight until Uma nails her. (Pun intended)
I was not quite impressed with Lucy's getup in a Kimono as the top boss of the Japanese underworld. But she made up for the deficit by fighting brilliantly in the same kimono. [I thought that it would be impossible for her to make any good moves with THAT on !!]
Each performer in the film has given a top-of-the-line performance. Even the sheriff, who has a 3 to 5 minute role in the movie, performs it perfectly - 10/10
The sounds used in the movie are as good as the stunning visuals !! In one sequence, there is a light snow falling at night and a bamboo water pump is squeaking in the background with the sound of water flowing while a sword fight between Uma and Lucy is taking place. It is like watching a moving canvas of painting. The sound of the band playing in a Japanese club when Uma trails Sofi in the restroom lends a wonderful background music to the hide n seek being played. The song ''Bang Bang'' signifies betryal aptly and continues to play in your mind days after you have finished watching the movie - 10/10
In one fight sequence, Lucy Liu injures Uma (who falls down) and insults her by saying ''silly Caucasian girl playing with Samurai swords''. Uma gets up and soon injures Lucy who is surprised by the move and apologises for her earlier remark in the middle of the fight !!
Another part is when Uma is in the hospital and one of the members of the DiVAS sneaks in the hospital to kill her. She has the needle in Uma's arm and is just about to squeeze the syringe (full of poison) when Bill calls her to abort the mission as he did not want to kill Uma ungracefully in her sleep.
- The movie teaches you to respect your opponents in every field and to never take them lightly.
I was surprised to see Uma driving a jeep with the words ''Pussy Wagon'' written in pink on the back of the yellow truck !! It is a very interesting to find out how she gets that vehicle !! Do watch the movie !! :-)
The dialogues in the film are classy !! They make this movie fun to watch and make you laugh after a serious scene !! The one that most impressed me most was by Hattori Hanzo (SONNY CHIBA)
''I can tell you without any ego that this is the finest sword I have ever made. If God will come in your way, God will be cut''
Action choreography in Kill Bill is by Yuen Woo-ping who also has other great movies to his credit like The Matrix and its sequels, Crouching Tiger - Hidden Dragon, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Iron Monkey. Needless to say, the action in the film is top-notch !! It is smooth yet hard-hitting, extreme yet believable. When attacked, the performers defend themselves with all they have and when they are hurt by the opponent, it is not because they were careless. It is purely because the opponent made a better move !! Absolutely flawless !! - 10/10
The type of action in Matrix and in Kill Bill and in CT-HD is called ''wire-fu'' as it uses wires to create the effect of the people flying while doing Kung-fu.
Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson was chosen to shoot Kill Bill. Be it the location or a person, the look of the set and the performer is just perfect for the scene and these scenes in turn make Kill Bill a visual spectacle that enthrals the audience. - 10/10
In my opinion, QT has made another brilliant film !! It is his brilliant direction along with superb action scenes and amazing cinematography that make Kill Bill vol. 1 a delight to watch !!
For those having doubts about vol. 1, wait for the release of vol. 2 and you will appreciate vol. 1 even more !! After all it is only the first half of a long movie.
After watching kill Bill vol. 1, I just cannot wait for the intermission to end and for vol. 2 to be released !!
And YES !! I am watching Kill Bill vol. 1 again too !! After all one simply cannot have enough of something thats so good.
QT; I bow to thee !!
SOME POINTS IN THE REVU WERE TAKEN FROM THE SITE https://kill-bill.com
