Kill Bill Movies

The Kill Bill movies Vol 1 (2003) and Vol. 2 (2004) were famously filmed as one and then split once writer director Quentin Tarantino (the director of Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained) could not find a way to edit his story down to an acceptable length.  Tarantino’s films tend to be over 2 ½ hours so upon learning that his much anticipated revenge epic starring Uma Thurman, who had a small but memorable role in Pulp Fiction, would be two films I felt it a good choice as it would neither dilute the story nor would it be so long that getting through it would be an endurance test.  Also after getting one Tarantino film I would not have wait a few years for the next one as they were released a mere six months apart. For a years a full version planned for DVD called Kill Bill-The Whole Bloody Affair but it was never released.

Tarantino and Thurman first conceived the film while working on Pulp Fiction (1994) and it was the first film Tarantino had made in six years.  When Uma Thurman became pregnant with her second child in 2001 Tarantino refused to recast it and instead delayed production for a year. 

The story involves a female assassin, known as The Bride, who is part of a group of five (inspired by a fictional TV show from Pulp Fiction), who fakes her death to leave the group after discovering that she is pregnant by the group’s leader, Bill (played by David Carradine) and becomes engaged to a record store owner in El Paso, Texas.  Bill takes the rest of the squad to the chapel where The Bride is at her own wedding rehearsal and the team gun down everyone in the place, beat The Bride and Bill shoots her in the side of the head.  The Bride alone survives and after spending four years in a coma, goes after the squad (three women and two men, including Bill) one by one over the two films.  

I discuss spoilers below so I highly recommend you watch both films first.

As is common with all of Tarantino’s films, both volumes (especially Volume 1), play with time, jumping into different parts of the roughly 10-15 year journey from when The Bride begins training to be a kung fu assassin to the conclusion in which she recovers her daughter after settling the score with the people who attacked her.  By splitting the time up, however, Tarantino keeps us on edge as to what is coming next as he did with Pulp Fiction, even though we know the tale is leading to a climactic fight against Bill.   Volume 1 begins at the end of the massacre which is the inciting incident, then goes to a point soon after the film’s climactic events and weaves in and out of the The Bride’s recovery from the coma, and initial plans for revenge.  Vol. 2 takes us back to right before the shooting and overall then tells a more straightforward narrative, with a long look back to training about halfway through.

In the interests of full disclosure, I have never seen a kung fu movie from beginning to end and I have only seen one Japanese anime film, so many of the references went over my head though I could recognize some of the techniques being used, like some of the exaggerated close-ups and sound effects. 

Volume 1 is more of a fast paced action film and sets up most of the characters and the mythology.  It also continually reminds the audience that they are watching a movie with constant tricks like changing the film stock and the inclusion of an anime sequence.  In one case the film changes from black and white to color while The Bride blinks.  Volume 2 spends more time on the characters, focuses on the Bride’s relationship with Bill over the years, and is about a half hour longer.  Of the two films I enjoyed Volume 2 far more as it has better dialogue scenes, untold stories only hinted at, and the emotions feel more earned. 

Below are some observations I have had while enjoyably working my way through both films:

Volume 1:

In the brief opening scene that perhaps is in black and white because of the violence Bill’s offscreen voice is terrifyingly calm.  The shock of the bullet followed by the soft guitar playing “Bang Bang My Baby Shot Me Down” by Nancy Sinatra is a little on the nose but works.  Is the Bride hyperventilating because she has been shot or is it something else?

The ferocity of the first fight, smaller in scale, is the perfect entry point into the film.   Tarantino’s previous three films never had a scene like this so it sets the stage of what is to come.  Yuen Woo-Ping’s choreography teamed with Richard Richardson’s cinematography show us things like coffee tables being smashed right before someone crashes into it.  The framing never makes us dizzy or the action difficult to follow, always putting the actors front and center.  Vernita is trying to do what The Bride was four years before and her past life has also caught up with her.  The Bride’s obvious conflicted emotions over killing a young girl’s mother give her some humanity, especially as she ends up doing what she told Vernita she would not.  Notably we do not see Nikki’s reaction after The Bride leaves the house, which could set up a story down the road but does not need to.  Vivica Fox does not get a lot of screen time but is a strong foil for The Bride, seeming almost snake like in her moves.

In Vol 1 Bill’s face is never shown and he seems to be an honorable but chilling character.  In Vol. 2 we get a fuller sense of the man, although when he fell in love with The Bride is not shown.  Although he is capable of great violence he is not scary in everyday life and seems to be a fairly normal man.  The Bride informs him that she ran away to protect BB but since the massacre Bill seems to have disbanded the gang and is living a relatively quiet life as a devoted father.  Although since Bill seems to be involved with Elle, has she been a part of BB’s life as well? 

Daryl Hannah as the one eyed Elle Driver looks like a nightmare nurse in the hospital scene.  Hannah’s casting is inspired as I always think of her from Splash or Roxanne but Tarantino clearly saw something in her and by changing her expression and removing the warmth she seems full of venom. Although since Bill seems to be involved with Elle, has she been a part of BB’s life as well? 

Thurman throughout the films balances the mother and assassin, conveying both the ruthlessness of The Bride alongside her natural maternal instincts, often using both in the same scene.  One example is in the hospital scene in which she figures out how long she has been in a coma and then her anguished scream when she realizes that she has lost her baby, and then turns alert when realizing that the rapists are coming.  Despite Thurman’s naturally high voice she manages to inject a lot of menace into her voice while also keeping it high, which is supported by her hard uncompromising stare.   

After she comes out of the coma, I wonder, why do her arms work and not her legs?  As it takes her 13 hours to beat the entropy it is surprising that no one from the hospital checks out Buck’s truck since his body would likely have been discovered by then.

Tarantino takes the time to show us the geography of The House of Blue Leaves prior to the climax.  The battle with Gogo Yubari, with the two women using a samurai sword versus a meteor hammer makes for the most compelling battle of the film.  The Crazy 88 showdown is delightfully over the top, and is the kind of legendary fight for this mythological warrior Tarantino has created but at seven minutes is a little too long.

Although O-Ren Ishii, has a strong introduction in the Japanese anime sequence, I thought that she was the least interesting villain of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.  I usually like Lucy Liu but I thought her familiar American persona worked against her role as the head of the Yakuza, even though Tarantino explains it in the plot.  The setting, staging, and music of the final sword fight between the women is enjoyable on a surface level, even though I was a little tired after the Crazy 88 battle right beforehand.  There is also less antagonism between these two women, hinting that the women may have had a friendship beforehand.

Volume 2

Thurman has a great reaction as she gets nervous upon hearing the flute, which ultimately gives Bill a strong entrance.  Robert Rodriguez’ (the director of the El Mariachi and Spy Kids trilogy who often scores his own films-and is Tarantino’s best friend) score (which is much better in Vol. 2-Rodriguez had nothing to do with Vol. 1) helps.  The Bride does not talk or looks at him until he is done playing.

During the church scene I wonder if Bill was considering not killing her while talking to her or was this always just how he was going to say goodbye?  There is a nice glint when he says “I know just what you mean”.  The mood is foreboding since we know the massacre is coming but inevitably hope that it does not.  How does Bill signal to the team outside to come in and why did he bring all four of them?  The camera work backing away from the church as the four assassins enter with their automatic weapons raised is magnificent, just hinting at the horror with the Bride begging Bill not to let them shoot.

Budd, Bill’s brother played by Michael Madsen, is almost whimsical and easy to underestimate.  Budd seems to be doing some kind of self-induced penance, living in a mobile home as an alcoholic.  Although Something happened between the brothers that has put Budd in this state and I wonder if Bill had him perform a killing that he severely regretted (perhaps a specific death in the massacre was a part of it).  However when it is called upon Budd has the same menace as that Michael Madsen imbued in Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs.  Tarantino spends a lot of time using close-ups to emphasize how grungy Budd’s life is.  He is the only one the Bride does not get back with since Elle is the one who kills him (ironically avenging the Bride as it insults her sensibilities that Budd is the one who “killed” her).

Budd somehow knows the Bride is coming before her attempted attack on him.  I wonder if he can somehow smell her?  The camera move down to The Bride hiding below Budd’s trailer is Hitchcockian. 

After the The Bride is buried she is initially terrified and once the perspective changes to inside the coffin the color changes to black and white until after the flashback.  The sound of the hammer going into the coffin and dirt being piled on top is horrifying, especially for a claustrophobic person like me.

Two actors play a different character in each volume.  Gordon Liu plays the head of the Crazy 88s, Johnny Mo, as well as Pai Mei, a sensei like character in other kung fu films.  Michael Parks both reprises Earl Macgraw (who died in From Dusk Till Dawn so this must be set beforehand) and Esteban Vihaio.

Bill scores his own story about Pei Mei and the massacre with his flute.  The hand out of the grave is a tribute to Carrie, one of director Brian DePalma’s most famous images.  We never clearly see how The Bride gets past the dirt when coming out of the grave as it should have all fallen on her once she broke free of the coffin.   Should she put the rag in her mouth?

Elle respects The Bride enough to use her snake to kill Budd, and the disinterested tone in which she reads the effect of the Black Mamba’s venom (and the fact that she took the time to transcribe it to her small notepad), is a comic use of what would otherwise be boring exposition.  Elle is mad that she did not get to kill The Bride herself, probably due to a jealousy over Bill. 

The fight between the two women is the best of either film due to the editing, sound, and the setting of the tight filthy trailer.  Both women have similar appearances and physiques, though the Bride is noticeably younger, which might serve a fuel for Elle’s hatred as Bill may have been more drawn to The Bride for that reason. 

Elle is left with the Black Mamba, which incidentally caused no further problems after biting Budd.  I would have thought it could have been an additional obstacle during the women’s fight though I am glad that it let us just focus on the two warriors.

Although The Bride is a badass heroine and manages to singlehandedly defeat “a hell of a lot of people”, the two times people who get the drop on her once she begins her revenge are the male characters of Bill and Budd. 

When The Bride finally goes after Bill, apparently after some time has passed (The Bride likely plans her attacks in stages and gives herself time to recover from her wounds between attacks) the showdown is more psychological.  I wish the trailers had not shown us The Bride pointing a gun (for the first time in either film) and then discovering BB as Thurman has one of her best moments in the film as she realizes BB is alive, switching from assassin to mother.  Tarantino stages it to show, apart from the emotional impact, how hard it will be for the Bride to get the drop on Bill since he clearly knew she was coming and set up this playful response.

I would like to hear some details of how Bill took BB while The Bride was unconscious.  Presumably the baby was born by Caesarean. 

The story about Emilio the fish suggests that BB may become an assassin.  Bill certainly is not discouraging this path since he never mentions punishing BB as a result of the incident with Emilio.

When the two face off in the living room the big sofa looks like a gladiator ring.  They seem like a broken up couple closing the circle on their past relationship.

The long awaited face-off between The Bride and Bill is surprisingly brief (less than 20 seconds) in contrast to all of the other fights in the films.  It staged uniquely with both combatants sitting down and the Bride managing to win using the chair and the sword cover to win after losing her sword in the first exchange.  The use of the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique allows Bill and the Bride to have a few final words and for Bill to die with dignity, as he does not resist when he falls.

Afterwards The Bride’s cathartic moment crying the floor of the bathroom expressing her mixed feelings gives the film its soul.  She had to kill a dragon she loved but gained a daughter, who we never see react to the loss of her father. 

The close of the film to the songs Malaguena Salerosa and the Goodnight Moon, the former clearly the influence of Rodriguez, give the film a cool vibe as it says its long goodbye to both volumes.

There has been talk of a Vol. 3 in which Nikki grows up and goes after The Bride for killing her mother.  It might make an interesting story but I am more than happy to have this just be a two film adventure.

Vol 1. ***  Vol. 2 *****